The annual Keesee Awards Luncheon is held in support of Audubon New York’s mission to protect birds and the places they need.

Registration for the 2024 Keesee Awards Luncheon is now open! Register here.

Thomas W. Keesee, Jr., the event's namesake, was a longtime member of the National Audubon Society’s Board of Directors, and served as its Chairman from 1979 to 1983. He was a proponent of Audubon’s grassroots legacy, having served as Vice President of Bedford Audubon, and a strong advocate for Audubon’s efforts to decentralize.

As Chairman of National Audubon, he fostered ground-breaking initiatives in field work, such as the Save the Condor Program in California and the Puffin Project in Maine. 

At the event, two awards are traditionally given: the Thomas W. Keesee, Jr.,  Conservation Award and the Audubon New York Award for Environmental Media.

2024 Event Details

Thursday, October 31, 2024
Metropolitan Club
One East 60th Street
New York, NY 10022

12 p.m. — Cocktail Reception*
12:30 p.m. — Lunch and Program 

*Jackets and ties are required at the Metropolitan Club.

Thomas W. Keesee, Jr., Conservation Award
Doug Tallamy

Beloved ecologist, educator, and author of books such as Nature’s Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks, Doug Tallamy will receive the 2024 Thomas W. Keesee, Jr., Conservation Award. Doug leads a national movement to protect birds and insects by sharing research and findings from his own backyard. As a co-founder of “Homegrown National Park,” he has inspired over 38,000 biodiversity heroes to regenerate 100,000 acres in three years.

Audubon New York Award for Environmental Media
BirdNote

For sharing the joy of birds with millions across the globe, we are proud to honor BirdNote with the Audubon New York Award for Environmental Media. BirdNote produces free daily podcasts about birds and conservation, and their programming is widely inclusive, featuring Spanish language episodes and soundscapes. Like Doug Tallamy, they seek to bring their audience “from love to action.” 

PREVIOUS HONOREES: THOMAS W. KEESEE, JR., CONSERVATION AWARD

The Thomas W. Keesee, Jr. Conservation Award has been presented annually by Audubon New York to honor the individual or individuals who have shown remarkable leadership and commitment, particularly in New York State, to Audubon’s mission.

2023 - Bahamas National Trust, NYC Plover Project, and Massachusettes Audubon
2022 - Save NYS Wetlands Coalition
2021 - (No award given as the event celebrated its 20th year with a program which included Scott Weidensaul and the Audubon Mural Project)
2019 - Gregory Long
2018 - Laura O'Donohue
2017 - Sheila Brady and Susan & Coleman Burke
            with Special Recognition of Patricia H. Keesee
2016 - Christopher (Kim) Elliman
2015 - Honeywell
2014 - Alexander E. Zagoreos
2013 - Allison Whipple Rockefeller
2012 - Virginia Stowe and Margot Ernst
2011- Carol Browner and Toyota
2010 - John Flicker
2009 - Audubon New York's Founding Chairman Constantine Sidamon-Eristoff
2008 - George E. Pataki and Peter Berle*
2007 - New York State and City Parks Commissioners Carol Ash and Adrian Benepe
2006 - Wendy Paulson
2004 - Marian S. Heiskell
2003 - Samuel F. Pryor
2002 - John Bierwirth
2001 - Donal C. O'Brien*

*In Memoriam

PREVIOUS HONOREES: AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA

Created in 2015, the Audubon New York Award for Environmental Writing recognizes writers who use the power of the pen to influence positive change in the world of environmental conservation in support of Audubon’s mission. This award recognizes the individual and their body of work.

2023 - David Sibley
2022 - Jennifer Ackerman
2021 - (No award given as the event celebrated its 20th year with a program which included Scott Weidensaul and the Audubon Mural Project)
2019 - David Quammen
2018 - John McPhee
2017 - Terry Tempest Williams
2016 - Dr. Edward O. Wilson
2015 - Scott Weidensaul