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Spring 2006Dear Friend of Audubon:What motivated women to crusade? Courage? Brashness? Naiveté?Our women environmental leaders based their stand on serious study of the issues,characterized by enthusiasm, optimism, and perseverance. Plus that firm convictionof the rightness of saving the living world. This issue includes some of the greatwomen heroes of the environmental movement, and I hope that their stories willinspire you.Audubon women have played a leading and crucial role in theenvironmental movement in this country. To honor them, we can makean investment in the future of Audubon which has benefitedfrom their unique contributions.Many Audubon women were stimulated to actionin their roles as grandmothers, aunts and mothersHelen Englewho wanted the young people in their realm to know the livingworld they had known, which they could see disappearing underdevelopment, pollution and desecration. Their eyes lit up andthey went into action with the wonderful six words, “What canI do to help?”From the stylish uppity women of Boston who took on the plume trade, to MardieMurie who spent decades championing the wild nature of the North, to MargaretOwings sainted for her saving of sea otters, women in conservation have always hadone thing in common – a love of the living world. Academicians, scientists, lawyers,teachers, business women have shared their talents, life-force energy, and sometimestheir fortunes to bring about many wonderful success stories. Rachel Carson andMargery Stoneman Douglas have inspired a generation of women with theirgroundbreaking books.Please join me and the countless visionary, energetic, determined,remarkable women who have preceded us in ensuring that the work startedby our sisters continues into the future. Please consider including a bequest inyour will to the National Audubon Society. Look inside to find information onhow to name Audubon in your plans, and where to get additional information.Thank you, in advance for your support.Sincerely,Helen EngleNote: Helen Engle is a founder and Past President of the Tahoma Audubon Society, Board Emeritus, National AudubonSociety, member of the Audubon Council of Washington, and has received countless awards for her tireless efforts toprotect our natural world.

MakeaBequesttoAudubon Mary Lee ArcherMrs. Louis Agassiz, one of the first Vice Presidents of Massachusetts AudubonMarie Aull donated 195 acres creating the Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm andestablished an endowment ensuring environmental education to four decades of childrenMollie Beattie, first female Commissioner of Forests, Parks andRecreation in Vermont and first female Director of US Fish and WildlifeMillicent Todd Bingham, donor of Todd Wildlife Sanctuary, MaineHelenMarie AullBlack, longtime supporter of environmental projects in OhioTrisIs Audubon In Your Planning?Transcending GenerationsBoothElizabeth Boyer, Dorothy Boyer FoundationFrancesFrom Cradle to CradleBreed, the first director of Audubon’s population programCarol Browner, A udubon has touched the lives of birdwatchers for manygenerations. Hundreds of thousands of nature lovers –Chair of the Board, National Audubon Society, former EPA of all ages – have become conservationists. For 100 years,Audubon has nurtured friends of birds and other animalsto become advocates of nature protection.AdministratorFran Buchholzer, former Director of the Ohio Department ofYale Collection of American Literature,Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript LibraryNatural Resources and co-founder of the Ohio League of Conservation VotersRachel CarsonHarriett Bullitt, Audubon Board member,received Audubon Medal in 2004RachelCarson wrote the best seller, Silent Spring, in 1962, exposing thee n v i r o n m e n t a l c o s t s o f D D T, p r o m p t i n g A u d u b o nto take the lead in her defense to reform the pesticide policyMeredith ChingAlthea Wood ClarkBequeathed her entire estate in 1993, creating Bent of the River Audubon CenterLula Coffey, bird bander and songbird recorder, MississippiReba CollinsAnne Conover, Anne was a pioneeringconservationist who, in 1965, donated tidal wetlands to Audubonand persuaded many of her like-minded neighborsto do the same, creating the GuilfordSalt Meadows Sanctuary in eastern ConnecticutFrances A Cook, founder Mississippi Museum NaturalScienceMary CookeAnne ConoverMargaret Copeland, leader of StarkvilleAudubon chapter, Mississippi and advocate for Red-cockaded WoodpeckerFor many, Audubon has become like a family. We hopethat every member of the Audubon family will decide tosupport Audubon’s efforts beyond their lifetimes by includinga bequest to Audubon in their wills, naming Audubon as abeneficiary of a retirement plan or insurance policy, or througha charitable gift annuity or other life income gift arrangements.If you are like many Americans who want to supportfuture generations of heirs and charities, you will probablythink about your will or living trust. Making a bequestto Audubon will cost you nothing out-of-pocket duringyour lifetime.Naming Audubon as beneficiary of just 1% of yourestate can materialize into a very generous gift to supportAudubon’s conservation and education programs.When to Review the State of Your Estate?Audubon members have commented that they review theirestate plans before taking major travels. In addition toreviewing their gifts to children, grandchildren and theirfriends, these members also re-confirmed their bequestintentions to favorite charitable institutions, like Audubon.Other occasions to review estate plans include marriage,divorce, births, death, windfall, sale of house, and retirement.Do you also know that some assets make better giftsto charity than to family members because of tax laws?Retirement plans are the most tax-disadvantaged asset afterdeath, and they are an extremely expensive way to pass assetsto heirs. Retirement plans only defer taxes during lifetime.After death, a bequest of retirement plan assets to yourheirs will be subject to both income tax and estate tax,whereas other assets that you can leave to your heirs maybe subject only to estate tax. A bequest of your retirementplans, or a percentage, to Audubon is a very smart andtax efficient way to support Audubon.

theLegacy Erin Crotty, former Commissioner of NYS Department of Environmental Conservationand Audubon Board memberGrace DeLaet, conservationist Mono LakeBix DemareeBucky Dennerlein, Audubon AlaskaMarjory Stoneman Douglas, “There are noother Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one ofthe unique regions of the earth; remote, never wholly knownNothing anywhere else is like them.” These opening words fromMarjory Stoneman Douglas’ immortal book “Everglades: River of Marjory Stoneman DouglasGrass” (1947) crystallize the uniqueness of the EvergladesSusan Roney Drennan,Editor of American BirdsRosalie Edge, founder of Hawk MountainSanctuary, PennsylvaniaLaura ElcockHelen Engle servedon boards of National and local Audubon societies, founder and pastPresident of Tahoma Audubon Society, recipient of numerousenvironmental achievement awardsMargot Ernst, Board member ofAudubon and of Adirondack MuseumEllen FennellJamalee Fenimore,Jamalee Fenimoreshe loved Cranes and prairies. Her bequest is helping to protect Sandhill Crane habitat atRuth Finley and Margaret Finley Shackelforddonated their antibellum plantation and family home, which became StrawberryPlains Audubon Sanctuary and each provided anendowmentfor operations of the Sanctuary and thestate officeAudubon’s Rowe Sanctuary in NebraskaKeyo Ford, in 1961, she donated her estate in northwest Connecticutto become Sharon Audubon Center.Sally Gaines,Ruth Finley andMargaret Finley ShackelfordJanet Gibson,created first coral reef in Central America, worked with BelizeAudubon SocietyThelma Gilmur, chapter leader in Audubon WashingtonMarcy GoldeJan Gordon, helped to protect East Park ReservoirKeyo Fordin PhiladelphiaJanet HaasMinna HallDonna Hanley, Audubon chapter inYukon Kuskokwim DeltaMarian Heiskell, donor and Board member, Audubon New York andNational AudubonHarriet Hemenway, founder of Massachusetts Audubonconservationist Mono LakeJan GardnerPhoto by Klara FarkasEndow

ofWomenLynn HerringinLois HerrmannConser vationElanora Durham Hersey, the Elanora Hersey Bird Classroomwas dedicated in memory of her husband at Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm, and she made several gifts to supportTerry Hershey a well-known Houston philanthropist,former National Audubon board member, Terry is a leader in establishing several conservationorganizations in TexasAdriana HessChristine Hires, a member of theHires Root Beer family. When she came to Vermont, she refused to accept a furcoat for a wedding gift, and instead bought a farm in Huntington, which she laterdonated to the Green Mountain Audubon Society. Her farm is now the GreenMountain Audubon CenterKaren HixonJean Holt, donor to John James Christine HiresAudubon Center at Mill Grove, PAMrs. Elon Huntington Hooker, raised funds to acquire FairchildGarden for Audubon Greenwich in 1945Aline Hosman, major planned gift for Rowe Sanctuary,NebraskaCelia Hunter, co-founded Alaska Conservation Society and Alaska Conservation FoundationBeth Hurst-Waitz, President of Central New Mexico Audubon SocietyKim Hurt, primechildren’s programs at Aullwoodmover to acquire 280 acres for Dogwood Canyon Audubon Center, creating the first custom-designed Audubon Center in TexasBetty JenkinsLady BirdJohnson, American Beautification Project, FirstHelen Keller, frequent visitor toLady of United StatesGreenwich Audubon CenterKaren Kjelgaard, VP,Siskiyou Audubon SocietyCharity Krueger,Sarah Orne JewettExecutive Director, Audubon Aullwood Center and FarmKitty LagarettaLeonardDixie LarkinMartha V.Edith Leopold, donor of home to AudubonConnecticut, niece of Aldo LeopoldRuth LofgrenSister Pat Lupo, Presque IsleAnita MacFarlaneAudubonMrs. KingsmillMarrs Elaine Marsh Carol Ann May, AudubonBoard and staff, chair of Corkscrew Swamp capitalLucy Warner MaynardcampaignGail MayoJan LubchencoBequests:If you are considering including a bequest to Audubonin your will or living trust, ask your attorney to use thefollowing language:I bequeath to the National Audubon Society, Inc.,a not-for-profit organization, incorporated underthe laws of New York State, with its principal officeslocated at 700 Broadway, New York, NY 10003,a % of my residuary estate (or the sum of ) for its generalunrestricted environmental conservation purposes(in the state of ).If you are considering including a bequest to Audubonin your retirement plan or of life insurance policy,ask your plan or policy administrator for the appropriatebeneficiary form, and use the above language.For Additional Information, Contact:Wayne Mones, Vice PresidentSenior Philanthropic AdvisorNational Audubon Society700 Broadway New York, NY 10003(212) 979-3033e-mail: wsmones@audubon.orgVisit us on the Web at:www.audubon.org/givenow/bequests