Audubon North Carolina flocked to the capital for our second annual Lobby Day!
Lobby Day brings together Audubon NC members from across the state to talk bird conservation and habitat preservation with lawmakers in Raleigh.
Representing 30,000 member-supporters statewide, over 40 volunteer chapter leaders, board members and bird advocates met with NC lawmakers over the course of the day. Together, we shared our love for birds and concerns about their conservation.
We were particularly proud to present Representative Chuck McGrady with the T. Gilbert Pearson Outstanding Lawmaker Award.
In each of our meetings, we requested lawmakers’ support for the following key policy priorities in 2018:
- Land protection and habitat management: As part of the Land for Tomorrow Coalition and NC Forever coalition, Audubon supports reliable, stable funding for the state’s three trust funds dedicated to habitat protection and land conservation.
- Coastal protection: Audubon opposes any new legislation that would further weaken protections for the few remaining natural inlets on our coast that are critical to Piping Plovers, Red Knots and other imperiled shorebirds.
- Expand bird-friendly renewable energy: Given the significant threat that carbon pollution poses to birds, Audubon supports responsible wind and solar development. We hand-delivered names of 3,000 constituents who signed our petition in support of responsibly sited wind and solar energy.
The most valuable part of Lobby Day is the chance to meet our local lawmakers face-to-face and connect on a personal level. Representative Susan Fisher of Asheville shared a wonderful story about her granddaughter, whose middle name "Chidori" means "1,000 birds" in Japanese.
With the in-person support of our members, we strengthened relationships with key lawmakers and made progress on priority issues. Thank you to all who helped make this day a success!
