Our mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of the
diversity and interdependence of Earth's natural ecosystems, focusing
on their preservation, conservation, and restoration. Our aim is
lifelong education of ourselves and the public to the wonder and
intricacy of those systems and their active safeguarding.
BIODIVERSITY: THE
RICH HERITAGE OF OUR BIOREGION
Maintaining biodiversity is a key to everything we stand for
in Allegheny Plateau Audubon. Our
varied environment offers abundant opportunities for observing the beauty and
wonder of a splendid bioregion. Still,
as threats from global warming, from pollution, from exploitation, from human
environmental impacts of all sorts take their toll, we know that the variety of
life in our surroundings is being degraded, both within and among species and in
all groups of living things. Sadly those
of us who are old enough and have been watching any group closely have actually
seen diversity decrease within the short span of our lifetimes. Human impacts are so dramatic and rapid that
they often outstrip the resiliency of nature.
If the natural world is to have a fighting chance, humans who care about
it must be vigilant in noting and counteracting the constant bombardment of negative
pressures.
But we can’t protect that which we haven’t perceived to be
in decline, and we can’t tell what we’ve lost if we don’t know what we have to
start with. Therefore, all of us need to
learn what’s out there and watch with educated eyes. That’s what this section of the web site is all about: sharing our collective knowledge and
teaching each other how to look carefully.
We’ll be posting and updating checklists for our region – in some cases,
county by county – so we can chronicle and celebrate our area’s natural abundance
and help each other watch for declines in things that were once more numerous
or widespread.
We’ll also give some hints as to what field guides we’ve
found are dependable to get you started or to confirm rarer finds, whether
you’re a beginner or a seasoned naturalist.
Of course, all the books in the world can’t substitute for actual
observation in nature. Our chapter is
blessed with experts on many different taxa, and they give generously of their
time and knowledge throughout the year to provide programs, lead outings and
sustain ongoing projects. Please join
us in this educational effort, employ the tools provided here and develop a
deeper enjoyment of the natural richness of our bioregion. Dennis McNair, President, Allegheny Plateau Audubon Society
The Allegheny Plateau Audubon Society hosts, sponsors and
participates in a number of research activities and projects that
explore, count and report the variety and number of wild life species
in our area. These activities promote our understanding of the quality
of our environment. Check out our Events Page for the times and places of these activities. If you want to join in, contact the leader of the event and check our home page for announcements and changes in plans. The results and data of these activities are presented as they become available.
