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Founder’s Circle

In recognition of those whose giving transforms how we secure the future of migratory birds.

As far back as 2018, the Migratory Bird Initiative began developing new tools necessary to address growing environmental threats to migratory birds and the habitats they need. North America has lost a staggering number of birds – more than 2.9 billion since 1970, of which 2.5 billion birds were migratory. Today’s climate crisis exacerbates habitat loss, a leading cause of bird declines.

The Migratory Bird Initiative was founded by Audubon and ten leading conservation, science, and technology organizations in tandem with hundreds of migration scientists sharing the latest data to inform where and how to focus conservation investments and strategies to protect, restore, and manage key bird habitats.

Three Audubon donors met the critical call to action with sweeping leadership and vision by providing early support to develop and launch the Migratory Bird Initiative.

We are grateful to Barbara and Earl Doolin, Joe Ellis, and the Knobloch Family Foundation for their generosity, support, and commitment to protect birds.

To chronicle their critical investment, we are honored to recognize them into the Founder’s Circle, a permanent tribute to their enormous contributions in the field of conservation.

Meet the Founder’s Circle

Barbara and Earl Doolin

Barbara and Earl Doolin support conservation work that advances biodiversity, wildlife, and programs that engage the public in birds and nature. A birder with a life list of 4,476 species, Barbara’s love of birds was the motivation for their initial investment of $5 million to help Audubon develop and launch the Migratory Bird Initiative.

Joe Ellis

A member of Audubon’s national board of directors and an avid birder, Joe Ellis is the visionary behind the Migratory Bird Initiative. Determined to understand where his local birds go, what challenges they face during migration, and how we might strategically invest in their wintering grounds, he worked with Audubon leadership and staff to conceptualize and realize the Migratory Bird Initiative. Joe provided seed funding to launch this groundbreaking initiative. He is a retired partner and advisory director at Goldman Sachs.

Chestnut-sided Warbler. Photo: Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards "Most of the migrating bird species we see in the United States spend much of their lives outside our borders, but our knowledge of what threats they face during their journeys has been limited. With the Migratory Bird Initiative, for the first time we have aggregated a holistic body of scientific data tracking where these birds go—enabling us to build stronger cases than ever for protecting the habitat they need most."

Chestnut-sided Warbler. Photo: Shirley Donald/Audubon Photography Awards

Knobloch Family Foundation

Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Photo: Mary Miguez/Audubon Photography Awards The Knobloch Family Foundation supports science that informs effective conservation and the use of that science to identify and protect the places that sustain wildlife. Seeking to make the most impactful conservation investments possible, the foundation prioritizes programs and initiatives that are informed by the best available data. The Knobloch Family Foundation provided an investment in the Migratory Bird Initiative to support its application for targeted land conservation and management. A supporter of Audubon programs throughout the country, the Knobloch Family Foundation places high value on leveraging the power of collaboration to advance large-scale conservation.

Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Photo: Mary Miguez/Audubon Photography Awards

Leadership Circle

Leveraging the visionary contributions of our Founders is critical to assuring the Migratory Bird Initiative achieves its greatest potential in the years to come. We invite you to join the new MBI Leadership Council as inaugural members providing pace-setting support of $100,000 or more to advise the Migratory Bird Initiative.

Please contact development@audubon.org to learn more about the Migratory Bird Initiative, the Leadership Circle, and Membership benefits.