About

Our Story

National Audubon History

Protecting waterbird populations has been part of Audubon’s mission even before the official establishment of the National Audubon Society. Outrage over the slaughter of millions of waterbirds, particularly egrets and other waders, for the millinery trade led to the foundation, by Harriet Hemenway and Mina Hall, of the Massachusetts Audubon Society in 1896. In 1905, the National Audubon Society was founded, with the protection of gulls, terns, egrets, herons, and other waterbirds high on its conservation priority list.

Dunes-Calumet Audubon History

The Dunes- Calumet Audubon Society exists as a stand alone 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1972. It is considered a chapter of the National Audubon through a cooperative agreement. The chapter's mission is to promote birding through education, conservation, and scientific research for the betterment of Northwest Indiana natural habitats. The DCAS is operated by a board of directors, serving three year terms and led by officers serving two year terms.

Our Board of Directors

President- Kim Ehn (2023)

Vice-President- Matt Kalwasinski (2022)

Treasurer- Amanda Kalwasinski (2023)

Secretary- Cookie Ferguson (2022)

Board Members:
Dan Barriball (2021)
Matt Igleski (2021)
Libby Keyes (2022)
Michael Topp (2022)
Brad Bumgardner (2023)
Julie Bonnema (2023)

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement

Dunes Calumet Audubon Society believes that birding and the outdoors should be safe and accessible for everyone. We respect the individuality of each person, and we are committed to building a better birding community free of discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, national or ethnic origin, politics, or veteran status.
Protecting and conserving nature and the environment transcends political, cultural, and social boundaries. Respect, inclusion, and opportunity for people of all backgrounds, lifestyles, and perspectives is essential for the future of birding. We pledge to support those with these shared values, and continue efforts towards a more safe and equitable outdoors experience.

Steps we’re taking:

We are a small non-profit with a Board of Directors and no staff. However, we do work with contractors on occasion. We pledge to increase our diversity by encouraging BIPOC (black and indigenous people of color) volunteers and contractors to make their interest in working with DCAS known. We also welcome and are actively seeking BIPOC representation on our board of directors and other volunteer positions.
It is clear that BIPOC birders are less represented within DCAS than they should be. To address this, we would like to actively facilitate the process of adding BIPOC members by offering a minimum of 10, one year chapter memberships at no cost.
DCAS is active and accessible online and via social media, and we are eager to help amplify the voices of BIPOC birders. We offer our media channels to those voices that wish to be part of the conversation and our birding community.

DCAS Bylaws & Standing Rules

Dunes-Calumet Audubon Bylaws
File Size:	18 kb
File Type:	docx

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