Birds “Falling Out of the Sky,” Red Vinyl Seats, and 30 Years of Audubon California: A Conversation with Andrea Jones

As Audubon California celebrates 30 years as a state workplace, we’re reflecting on the milestones that formed our work, the partnerships that made them doable, and the legacy of conservation that stretches far past the previous three many years.

Few individuals are higher positioned to assist inform that story than Andrea Jones, Vice President of Nationwide Audubon Society for California. Over her 20 years with Audubon, Andrea has helped advance a number of main conservation successes throughout the state. We not too long ago spoke with Andrea about a number of the work she is most pleased with and what provides her hope for the long run.

As Audubon California turns 30, what are you feeling most pleased with?

Truthfully, I noticed after studying by way of our timeline that I had forgotten so many huge wins that we’ve achieved through the years! It’s laborious to select only a few. High of thoughts are a number of the huge initiatives with lasting impacts, like Owens Lake, the Salton Sea, the lead ban to save lots of California Condors, and our wonderful youth management packages—in addition to how a lot our conservation work has advanced since I began in 2006.

We have been a a lot smaller state program then. We had a small coverage store and we didn’t but have the sort of statewide science experience we now have right now with Geospatial Science capability, or the extent of chicken experience we now have now. Lots of our focus was on our facilities and sanctuaries, with much less on-the-ground packages and group engagement across the state.

We’ve actually grown to satisfy the environmental challenges we face right now, together with local weather change, and we’ve diversified each what we do and who we work with. Policy work has at all times been extremely essential and it stays a core half, and now we’re additionally doing extra community-based conservation—within the deserts in Southern California, in San Francisco Bay, within the Central Valley. We now have workers and powerful partnerships in these locations. We’re participating on the bottom with communities.

And we’re doing tons extra nice science, extra partnerships with non-public landowners, and extra landscape-specific work the place birds and communities are experiencing change on the bottom.

You point out local weather change, which we all know is the best problem going through birds proper now, together with biodiversity loss. How has our work advanced to deal with that twin disaster?

Local weather resilience has at all times been a serious precedence, and we stay deeply dedicated to it. You possibly can see that in so many locations—in our work to revive wetlands and coastal habitats, resembling our tidal marsh restoration mission at Sonoma Creek in partnership with San Pablo Bay Nationwide Wildlife Refuge, eelgrass restoration in Richardson Bay, and partnerships with working lands by way of packages like BirdReturns, offering habitat for birds in locations the place it’s disappeared, particularly during times of extreme drought.

And you’ll see it in our advocacy to assist California put together for a warmer, drier, and extra unpredictable future—together with our assist for Proposition 4, the 2024 $10 billion local weather bond.

That’s actually thrilling to me. We’re not simply responding to local weather impacts after they occur; we’re working with companions throughout the state to guard the habitats birds and folks want now whereas proactively constructing a extra resilient future.

You’ve stated Owens Lake is among the initiatives you’re most pleased with. Why does that stand out?

I hadn’t been in California very lengthy when I discovered myself in the midst of a serious controversy with one of many largest water powers within the state, the Los Angeles Division of Water and Energy. It was an advanced, troublesome challenge, and it required bringing collectively individuals who didn’t essentially wish to sit on the similar desk, to get them to agree on a future for Owens Lake that works for everybody. And we did it. We got here up with a long-lasting plan that balanced chicken habitat, water conservation, and public entry. Nevertheless it was actually, actually laborious work!

There have been moments after I felt like I used to be crusing uncharted and turbulent waters. Dan Taylor, Audubon California’s Coverage director on the time, was backing me up, and the native Audubon chapter (Eastern Sierra Bird Alliance) was deeply concerned, however it was usually simply three of us on the market collectively dealing with negotiations to assist birds—simply two chapter volunteers and me.

I nonetheless keep in mind one particularly pivotal assembly with DWP management at an previous steakhouse in Burbank. It felt like a scene from a film—darkish inside, crimson vinyl seats, the sort of place the place you could possibly think about a variety of offers had been made through the years. It was simply me, Dan Taylor, and two LADWP leaders.

It was surreal, and it additionally felt like an actual turning level—a type of conditions the place you are feeling just like the work might actually change one thing for the higher. We talked about soccer and households, after which we received right down to enterprise. Finally, they stated, “Inform us what Audubon needs.” So I laid it out for Owens Lake. Not lengthy after that, an settlement arrived by FedEx. I’ll always remember driving dwelling that day, filled with adrenaline, pondering, “I can’t imagine that simply occurred.”

Now Owens Lake is a spot the place mud management, water administration, and habitat planning for birds are all a part of the dialog. The truth that birds are a part of that future is one thing I’m very proud that we did collectively.

Tejon Ranch is one other main conservation milestone. What does that story signify to you?

Tejon Ranch is an enormous one, and I believe it’s generally simple to overlook how vital that settlement was.

Audubon was one of many unique conservation organizations concerned within the settlement to guard a lot of Tejon Ranch from improvement. It’s the largest non-public landholding in California and one of many largest within the West, so the dimensions alone is gigantic. It’s additionally Condor nation, which I’ve seen on the market, together with so many different uncommon birds.

One of many moments that stayed with me is from one in every of our early chicken surveys after the conservation plan was in place. Birders hadn’t been on the market a lot but, so we didn’t absolutely know what to anticipate. We began doing huge spring birding days in April and breeding chicken surveys in Might and June.

On one June morning, a bunch of us drove out to one of many canyons on the Antelope Valley aspect of the ranch, the place the panorama shifts from desert and Joshua bushes into the Tehachapi Mountains. There are these huge oaks on the mouths of the canyons, and because the solar got here up, my husband, Tom, within the automobile forward of me radioed again and stated, “Birds are falling out of the sky.”

At first, I laughed. However then we received out of the automobile and realized that was precisely what was occurring. A whole bunch of migratory birds have been coming off the desert and dropping into the oaks, rabbitbrush, and canyon habitat, exhausted. There have been tanagers, MacGillivray’s Warblers, so many others, swooping by way of the arroyo out to no matter shelter they may discover.

That was once we really understood how essential this place was for migration. For lots of these birds, it was the primary place they may cease and relaxation after crossing the desert. 

It was an advanced settlement, and it was not with out compromise. Tejon Ranch remains to be privately owned, and a part of the land can nonetheless be developed. That was controversial then, and for some folks, it nonetheless is. However the settlement additionally protected an enormous panorama by way of conservation easements and helped be certain that one in every of California’s most ecologically essential locations would stay largely intact. Audubon remains to be linked to that work right now by way of the Tejon Ranch Conservancy.

To me, Tejon Ranch is a reminder that generally the largest wins are difficult. They require negotiation, compromise, and long-term accountability. They gained’t at all times be excellent, however they will nonetheless shield habitat for birds and biodiversity at a scale that will be virtually inconceivable to attain in any other case.

And that’s a part of Audubon California’s legacy, too: being prepared to remain engaged in laborious conversations when the stakes for birds and habitat are extremely excessive.

Wanting forward, are you able to share a selected program that offers you hope for the long run?

I’m actually excited in regards to the BirdReturns mannequin.

The thought of working with non-public landowners within the Central Valley to create momentary wetlands for migratory birds – at first look it’s not intuitive. However when you consider it, it makes excellent sense. It is a good solution to meet birds the place and after they want habitat, particularly in a altering local weather the place water and wetlands are more and more unsure.

It’s additionally a mannequin that may very well be echoed past California, in locations like Texas and Louisiana, the place agricultural fields and different non-public lands can and do present essential habitat, and probably even in other countries. 

That’s the sort of work that offers me hope: work that’s sensible, collaborative, and large enough to satisfy the dimensions of the problem.

As Audubon California appears to the following 30 years, what message would you share with individuals who would possibly wish to get entangled?

I need folks to know that there’s area for everybody right here.

The easiest way to construct the conservation motion we want for the long run is to increase and diversify it, bringing everybody we will into it. That’s one thing I actually imagine. We have to construct a stronger conservation motion the place extra folks can see themselves on this work and discover a means in.

I take into consideration packages like our Coastal and Salton Sea Leadership Programs, the place younger, good group leaders are constructing relationships and deeper connections to the birds and habitats the place they reside. At any time when I’ve an opportunity to satisfy with them or see their capstone initiatives, I’m so impressed by their creativity and new huge concepts.

This work will depend on individuals who discover what’s altering, perceive their communities, strive new issues, and maintain exhibiting up.

I’m enthusiastic about what comes subsequent. There’s nonetheless a lot work to do, and a lot we nonetheless have the possibility to form collectively.

Explore Audubon California’s conservation legacy timeline and comply with alongside all year long as we mirror on the folks, locations, and partnerships which have formed conservation throughout California.