We are the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

After a successful vote by our membership on February 1, it is official: our new name is the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance (SoWBA*). We are eager to enter this new phase of bird conservation work under our new name. Thank you to everyone involved for your thoughtfulness, dedication, patience, and support throughout the process to find a name that represents what we do for birds, together.

Each part of this name is important and highlights the work that this organization has done for decades, continues to do today, and will be able to do into the future. This new name also represents an opportunity to become part of a nationwide coalition of bird conservation organizations that are also taking the name Bird Alliance. It is a welcoming and inclusive name that benefits bird conservation in our part of Wisconsin and beyond.

Southern wisconsin

Our service area, and where the bulk of our members live, covers ten counties in the southern part of the state. Our office is in Madison and our three sanctuaries are located in Rock, Columbia, and Jefferson Counties. Our citizen science and outreach programs, like Bald Eagle Nest Watch, span across the southern half of the state and beyond.

We are excited that this name brings together our thousands of members that live not only in Madison, but also in Richland Center, Dodgeville, Sauk City, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Lake Mills, Fort Atkinson, Stoughton, Mount Horeb, and everywhere in between!

BIrd Alliance

The Bird Alliance portion of our name is really the heart of it, and describes what we do. Conservation is a collaborative effort—to be successful, we all need to be involved. We welcome everyone to join us in the meaningful work of protecting birds and nature in our community.

Together, with Bird Alliance chapters in Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, and beyond, this network’s conservation efforts will ensure that more people, today and in the future, can experience the joy of birds. 

Thank you so much to our wonderful members and supporters for their steadfast encouragement and patience through this process. And as always, yay birds!

*You might wonder why the o in SoWBA? That’s to help distinguish us from our wonderful partner and fellow conservation organization, Southern Wisconsin Butterfly Association (SWBA).

Cover photo: Bald Eagle by Mick Thompson

Our collaborative approach to finding a new name

When the discussions around a new name began, we knew the process would fully be guided by input from our members, strongest supporters, and partners. Every time we’ve asked, you have shared feedback, suggested name ideas, and motivated us along this path to find a new, and better, name to ensure the future of our crucial conservation work—thank you.

Our 13-person name selection committee (NSC)—composed of community partners, engaged members, staff, and board representatives—was formed in the spring and met ten times between May 23 and August 6, 2023. During (and in between) those sessions, they thoroughly reviewed feedback, pored over the results from our name change and values survey, and considered each name that was submitted (a total of 125 ideas!). Learn more about their process and framework below.

While the NSC was working hard, we remained in close communication with the growing number of other Audubon chapters who are changing their name: groups of all shapes and sizes. Our goals were the same: to find a new name that better represents the bird conservation work that all of us do.

After undergoing due diligence and consulting legal counsel, our board put forth a new name to our membership in September. In a special vote on September 26, 2023, our members unanimously approved “Badgerland Bird Alliance” as our new name, and we completed the process to legally change our name. We were proudly at the forefront of the growing Bird Alliance network formed by chapters throughout the country.

In late Fall 2023, a group claimed that our name would cause perceived confusion among the birding community. Though this was a problem we did not foresee or intend to create, it was one we did not want to perpetuate. In early December 2023, our board voted to amend our name. The NSC reconvened to review alternate geographic descriptors, we surveyed our members for feedback on the options, and the board met once more to select a new name to propose to the membership: Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

Our committee Members:

• Jasmine Banks, Empowerment Programs Manager for Operation Fresh Start

• Lizzie Condon, organizer for the Feminist Bird Club Madison Chapter

• Jeff Galligan, cofounder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin (and SoWBA board member)

• Tod Highsmith, longtime SoWBA member

• Curt Meine, Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation

• Dexter Patterson, cofounder of the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin (and SoWBA board member)

• Sean Radcliffe, new birder and Madison organizer for the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin

• Penny Shackelford, longtime SoWBA member and land manager at Fair Meadows Sanctuary & SNA

• SoWBA staff and board: 

• Becky Abel, director of philanthropy

• Pat Eagan, board of directors

• Brenna Marsicek, director of communications and outreach

• Matt Reetz, executive director

• Kaitlin Svabek, communications coordinator

Our committee’s Framework:

• Uses plain, clear language

  • Avoiding words that feel inaccessible or too scientific (e.g. ornithology, avian, aves)

  • Avoiding words and phrases that are not commonly understood (e.g. conservancy, land trust)

  • Avoiding words/acronyms that could have negative or confusing connotations

• Feels welcoming and inviting (avoiding words that can be perceived as negative or exclusionary, including those with classist connotations, like ‘society’)

• Exemplifies our mission and is focused on birds: aptly describes the work we do

• Considers geography (where we work, where our members live)

• Sounds appropriate for a professional organization

• Is brief (ideally no more than four words)

• Does not include honorifics/people’s names

• Could potentially work as a collaborative name, shared with other chapters nationally and regionally

our Committee’s initial process:

1. Created an initial framework and criteria to assess name submissions (above).

2. Reviewed results from the Values, Mission, & Name Change survey sent out in the Spring/Summer 2023 newsletter.

3. Used the criteria to vet 125 name suggestions submitted by members, partners, and trusted supporters. This resulted in 14 distinct name “ideas” (phrases with similar themes, but no geographic label).

4. Ranked 14 name “ideas” by those which best fit the framework, especially as it related to the focus on birds and organization’s mission. This narrowed down the results to six name “ideas,” with three clearly leading.

5. Evaluated possible geographic descriptors that fit our chapter boundaries and program region. Via informal surveys, the committee determined that “Madison” was perpetuating an inaccurate description of our work and membership.

6. Generated 22 name options through combining preferred geographic descriptors and the six name “ideas.” From there, the committee stress-tested the names and voted on their top three choices.

7. Proposed three names to the board of directors in advance of their August meeting, for their consideration to bring to the membership.

PRocess to Approve and Move forward with our new name:

1. The board approved one name from the committee’s proposal to bring to the membership for a vote.

2. Board and staff completed due diligence for the new name, including but not limited to: a review by legal counsel for guidance, obtaining any rights or permissions, and making required technical checks.

3. We shared the proposed new name with our members by email.

4. We held special meeting for members on Tuesday, September 26 where members cast their ballots on whether to approve the proposed name Badgerland Bird Alliance.

5. Members in attendance voted unanimously to move forward as the Badgerland Bird Alliance. We then legally changed our name following our bylaws and Wisconsin state statutes in the end of September.

6. In October, another group objected to our name, in the weeks following, the board underwent careful consideration and discussion about the best steps forward for the organization.

PRocess to Amend our new name:

1. In December 2023, the board of directors voted to amend our name.

2. The NSC reconvened to assess alternate geographic descriptors.

3. Some names under consideration were shared with our membership through an online feedback survey. Results were thoroughly reviewed by the NSC.

4. Staff at the organization completed due diligence for the new name, and reached out extensively to other conservation groups and partners who work within our geography.

5. The NSC proposed three names to the board of directors, who selected one new name to put forth to the membership.

6. We shared the proposed new name with our members on our website and by email.

7. We will hold a special meeting for a membership vote on Thursday, February 1, 2024. Members in attendance voted unanimously to move forward as the Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance.

1. Learn more about the “Audubon” name and our board’s decision.

2. Read our original public announcement and our update about the name change (February and March 2023).

3. Read our notice to members about the name objection and steps toward amending the name (January 2024).

4. Check out Wisconsin Public Radio’s story about our renaming (September 2023).

5. Listen to Executive Director Matt Reetz discuss the name change process on WPR’s Central Time (October 2023).

6. Three Midwestern bird conservation organizations that formerly used “Audubon” adopt the Bird Alliance name, as reported in the Wisconsin State Journal, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit Metro Times, and CNN, among others (October 2023).

7. Read our board’s update about the name amendment and new name proposal to members (January 2024).

Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance, formerly known as Madison Audubon, has always held itself to high standards. We continue to base our work in respect, accountability, and integrity. Thank you for being a partner in our work together: helping birds flourish at our sanctuaries, children experience the joys of the outdoors, and communities come together to enjoy and advocate for conservation. You can support our work here.