BHAS logo from 2015
BHAS BOARD ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE ELECTION
The Black Hills Audubon Board met for their annual Board retreat in August. The Board discussed, not for the first time, the issue of changing our name. The Board decided to recommend to our membership that our name, Black Hills Audubon Society, be changed and that “Audubon” no longer be included. According to our by-laws, this needs a vote by our members to either approve or not. Consequently no new name was chosen.
The election will be held sometime in 2025. Preceding that, there will be informational articles in the Echo newsletter, on our BHAS website, and through emails to our members. The reasons for this recommendation are many including inclusivity, John James Audubon’s history as a slave owner and robber of Native American skeletal parts, and the changing demographics of our country.
To be clear, the decision to change the organization’s name lies in the hands of its members. Stay tuned for further information on the election and, if you want to participate in the vote, be sure your membership is current. You can reach our Membership Chair, Margery Beeler at membership@nullblackhills-audubon.org
