NATIONAL AUDUBON
In 1896 Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall organized a series of afternoon teas to convince Boston society ladies to eschew hats with bird feathers. These meetings culminated in the founding of the Massachusetts Audubon Society.
In 1901, state-level Audubon groups joined together in a loose national organization, which helped to establish the first National Wildlife Refuge in the U.S. – Pelican Island, in Florida, in 1903 – and facilitated the hiring of wardens to protect waterbird breeding areas in several states. In 1905, the National Audubon Society was founded, with the protection of gulls, terns, egrets, herons, and other waterbirds high on its conservation priority list.
Audubon today is comprised of 463 chapters in communities across all 50 states, 41 nature centers, and 23 state offices. Chapters operate as individual 501(c)(3) organizations but are affiliated with National Audubon, and
share the Audubon mission to protect birds and the habitats they need to thrive.
A detailed history can be found here, History of Audubon.
OKLAWAHA VALLEY AUDUBON
The first documented attempt at a bird club in Lake County was in April 1951. The group met at 8:00 pm in the Mt. Dora Community Building and continued to meet on the second Friday of each month. The stated purpose was to have bird walks and ‘water trips’. There were no dues but members had to be a member of Florida Audubon Society ($3 at the time); bills were paid by passing a collection plate.
The founding officers were Mr. Barnett – President Pro Temp, Mr. Hendrickson – Vice President, Miss Doleman – Treasurer and Miss Crutcher – Secretary.
For most meetings, films were shown and/or members talked about their birding experiences. The first field trip was to Rock Springs and was led by Mr. Merritt Ferrar, Executive Director of the Florida Audubon Society. The group’s name changed to the Lake County Audubon Society and their first annual meeting was held on January 11, 1952. In 1952, Lake County Audubon Society was one of seven chapters statewide. At the March 12, 1954 meeting a quorum was not present and the last minutes were dated January 14, 1955. There is no information in the record to explain why this group ceased to meet.
In 1965, at the urging of Russell Mason (CEO of Florida Audubon Society), Dorcus Bingham started a Lake County Audubon chapter, the modern Oklawaha Valley Audubon Society, we know today. She said, “I put an ad in the paper to see if anyone was interested, and much to my amazement 24 people showed up and it has grown steadily since then”.
The first meeting of the Lake County Audubon Society was in the lounge of the Federal Savings and Loan Association in Mt. Dora; the speaker at that first meeting was Russell Mason. The minutes began in February 1965. On November 30, 1965 the name was changed to the Mt. Dora Audubon Society. It was incorporated as a Florida nonprofit organization on March 29, 1966. The officers were Dorcas Brigham – President, Henry Harford – 1st Vice President, Newcomb Fuller – 2nd Vice President, Ethel Hicks – Secretary, and Neil Ross – Treasurer. The Articles of Incorporation were modified on May 20, 1968 to change the name to Oklawaha Valley Audubon Society because the membership had extended beyond Lake County lines.
The Trout Lake Nature Center was founded under the aegis of OVAS in 1990. In a joint celebration in 2014, OVAS celebrated their 50th Anniversary and TLNC celebrated their 25th Anniversary.
This history was constructed from the excellent research done by Linda Bystrak, September 2013.
Sheryan Epperly Chester 10-29-2017
THE RICH HISTORY of CONSERVATION EFFORTS in LAKE COUNTY, FL
A presentation by Nadine Foley, click here.
Links to view the OVAS Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation are below.
OVAS Bylaws revised March 6, 2022
Articles of Incorporation Revised January 1, 2020
OVAS Strategic Plan 2023