Where Birds Thrive, People Prosper

Today, more than one-third of North America’s bird species are at risk of extinction unless we take significant conservation action. Habitat loss and degradation is a big challenge for birds.  So is climate change.  

The good news is that when we protect South Carolina's birds from these threats, we also its protect people and communities, iconic coast and landscapes, clean air and water, and $29 billion tourism industry.

And here’s why there’s every reason for hope.  In 1896, two Boston women launched a campaign against the “plume trade,” which killed millions of birds each year to decorate women’s hats.  Their savvy grassroots efforts launched Audubon —  and saved egrets, herons, terns, and other treasured birds from extinction.

In South Carolina today, we’ve got the people power to do something equally amazing.  Nearly 400,000 South Carolinians are birdwatchers. More than 750,000 — one in six of us —  feed wild birds.

Acting together, we can give our state's birds a fighting chance in a rapidly changing world.  The result will be protection of South Carolina's cherished landscapes, and a more sustainable future for us all.