The Greater Kansas City Chapter of the National Audubon Society
Neltje Blanchan was married to Doubleday Publishing Company’s founder (hence the pencil note). The photo on the left shows a mounted Passenger Pigeon, exactly one-half life size. Unfortunately, her comment about “the modern mind” being “accustomed to deal only with pitiful remnants of feathered races” was a completely accurate foreshadowing of the situation of some … Read more
Plans to transform a grassy field into a prairie planting began in early 1990. The planting would eventually be named in honor of Esther O’Connor. Esther O’Connor collected a wide variety of natural history books throughout her life. Most still reside at the BAS Library and Nature Center. She had a special love for … Read more
Miss Esther O’Connor posing with the wooden statue of our mascot bird, the Harris’s Sparrow. The photo is undated but the carving, probably by George Kester, is dated 1979, so the photo probably dates to 1979-81. Esther received an award from BAS in 1981. You will hear much more about this delightful lady, Esther … Read more
Burroughs Nature Club becomes Burroughs Audubon Society on January 1, 1972. This year marks not only our 100th anniversary as a group, but our 47th anniversary as an Audubon chapter! In the early 1970s, there was a veritable flood of information coming forth about human-caused environmental crises resulting in a great wave of grassroots … Read more
Happy 2019 and welcome to Burroughs Audubon’s centennial year! Or as I like to call it, “100 Years of Birds and Nature in Kansas City”! As BAS Historian, I will post fascinating tidbits from our group’s past throughout 2019. I will also highlight some of the “gems” of our library collection in the hope that … Read more
FROM REJECTION TO PROTECTION: THE PERILOUS LIFE AND TIMES OF NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS OF PREY By Elizabeth Stoakes, BAS Historian If asked, most modern people (and definitely birders) would say that they admire birds of prey. We enjoy their beauty and strength, revere their superb hunting skills and respect their roles in our ecosystem, keeping … Read more
In Spring of 2016 Larry Rizzo of the Missouri Department of Conservation approached Burroughs about contributing to a study of the bees and flora at two Kansas City remnant sites. These surveys would give us a current state of the natural areas and a baseline for future work and studies. Burroughs was able to sponsor … Read more
Burroughs Audubon is planning an exciting annual dinner, silent auction and raffle at Garozzo’s Ristorante in Lee’s Summit on Saturday, April 8! It promises to be a memorable event with noted speaker and natural history author, Scott Weidensaul, telling us about his Snowy Owl tracking project! Click here for a registration form, with cost and … Read more
By Elizabeth Stoakes, BAS Historian BAS Library Committee members recently created a small exhibit space in our reading room to highlight some of our historical materials. The beginning of this brand-new year demanded a fresh exhibit, and what could possibly be more appropriate during the dark depths of winter than volumes about penguins? These unique … Read more
By Elizabeth Stoakes, BAS Historian Our organization is very fortunate to have a physical location—our combination library and nature center located in Fleming Park—where its members can interact with the public continually and promote the appreciation of birds and natural history in general. Many Audubon chapters lack such a resource. One of our greatest (and … Read more