In 1949 at Tucson High School, 25 people held the first meeting of what would become the Tucson Audubon Society. That dedicated group of people soon grew to 60, and membership benefits expanded from intermittent meetings to monthly program meetings and field trips, the rare bird alert, book signings, and eventually two Nature Shops. In 1959, a committee drew up the Tucson Audubon Society constitution and by-laws, and in 1964, Tucson Audubon became a chapter of the National Audubon Society.

Publications such as the Vermilion Flycatcher newsletter, bird checklists, and, of course, Finding Birds in Southeast Arizona soon followed. Tucson Audubon became the authority in land conservation with our renowned Restoration and Important Bird Areas programs, and was a major influence in the protection of Tucson Mountain Park, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Cabeza Prieta Game Range, Empire Ranch, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, and Ironwood National Monument. Tucson Audubon established itself as the leader in environmental education with the inception of the Institute of Desert Ecology, Girl and Boy Scout programs, adult workshops, family institutes, and a speaker’s bureau.