The National Audubon Society’s Connecticut and New York office celebrated the ability of individual voices to inspire millions of people to action at the 2024 Keesee Awards Luncheon.
The prestigious Thomas W. Keesee, Jr., Conservation Award recognizes those who show remarkable leadership and commitment to protecting birds and the places they need. At this year’s event, we honored Douglas Tallamy with the Keesee Award for his life’s work.
Enjoy this short video recap of the event!
An ecologist, educator, and author of books such as Nature’s Best Hope and The Nature of Oaks, Doug inspired 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.
Rather than give a traditional acceptance speech, Doug shared photos of the native plants and trees he and his wife have added to their 10-acre property, a former hayfield that is now home to 1,335 species of moth, and 62 bird species.
To the delight of the crowd, Doug recalled the funniest moths (in name) he has identified, including The Neighbor, The Explicit Arches, and The Forgotten Frigid Owlet.
“Failure is not an option! Property owners are the hope and future of conservation,” repeated Doug. “We have to practice conservation on our private properties and balconies, not just in parks and preserves. In the past, conservationists worked exclusively where there weren’t a lot of people. Now, we need to find ways to thrive in human-dominated landscapes.”
Nick Bayard, Executive Director of BirdNote, similarly took up the torch after accepting the Audubon New York Award for Environmental Media.
Through compelling, sound-rich storytelling, Nick explained, BirdNote immerses people in nature and inspires a love of birds that leads to action.
Nick shared BirdNote’s “Magic Recipe” for reaching a growing audience of over 8 million listeners, including: “More bird sounds, less talking,” “Use visually descriptive language,” and “Write to one person.” BirdNote’s podcasters tell inclusive stories in both Spanish and English, building bridges across communities, identities, and nationalities.
Held on Halloween, the luncheon was a joyful celebration of birds and the people who protect them. Thank you to all who showed up in bird and insect-themed costumes!
The 2024 Keesee Awards Luncheon was co-hosted by Eunice and Rob Burnett, Deane and John Gilliam, Darcy and John Hadjipateras, Laurie and David Hodgson, Angela and Thomas W. Keesee III, Allen P.K. Keesee, Anne Keesee Niemann and Thomas M. Niemann, Victoria Shaw, Virginia Stowe, and Karen Thomas, and held at the Metropolitan Club in Manhattan on October 31.
