The New, The Noteworthy & Upcoming Events

  • Event May 2023

    May Event:
    The Life of the Prairie Bandit

    Thursday, May 11th, 2023

    Please come listen to Rachel Belouin, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies, explore how compatible uses create habitat and resilience on our Great Plains. Join us May 11th, 2023 Learn more here.

  • Black footed ferret youtube

    YouTube recording of Kimberly Fraser ”The Life of the Prairie Bandit“

    Kimberly Fraser - 3/9/23

    Watch Now

  • photo gallery

    The photo gallery needs your bird pictures! Please submit your favorite photos for inclusion. Find out more here.

  • Education Grant

    The Alex Cringan Memorial Grant, sponsored by FCAS, provides funds to raise environmental awareness for future generations. Dr. Alex Cringan was a Colorado State University Professor of wildlife biology, a founding member and past president of the Fort Collins Audubon Society, a frequent field-trip leader, and a friend and a role model for many FCAS members. Shortly after his passing in October 2012, FCAS created the Alex Cringan grant to provide money for educational purposes. The purpose of the grant is to provide financial assistance to teachers and students involved in a project teaching or researching natural resources so they can enhance their skills and share their knowledge with others.

    Teachers, and students! The Fort Collins Audubon Society has an exciting opportunity for you to learn more about conservation. You can apply for a $300.00 Alex Cringan Memorial Grant and use the funding to do a project, take a workshop, sign up for an online class or research a topic of interest to you! Now would be a great time to learn more about birds and connect with nature!

    Click here for an application.

  • FCAS Welcomes New and Renewing Members

    • Charles V. & Sheila Baker
    • Louise Bower
    • Rodney & Mary Ellner
    • Roberta Erickson
    • Susan Glenn
    • David Hartley
    • Ted Huston
    • Sue Kenney  
    • Phoebe Larson
    • Kathleen Carty Mullen
    • Rosemary Rader 
    • Jennifer Rutherford 
    • Allison Shaw 
    • Doug Swartz 
    • Kevin Tempel 
    • Thomas Trout 
    • Pamela Turner 
    • Robert Umbreit
    • Beckie Wagner 
    • William West 
    • Alice Wood 

    Thank you for your membership! Your support makes our programs and conservation efforts possible and helps us achieve our mission of connecting people to the natural world.


    FCAS welcomes new National Audubon Society members by sending one complimentary copy of our newsletter. Join us at our monthly programs on the second Thursday of the month. National dues do not cover the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter, so if you’d like to keep receiving the Ptarmigan, please support your local chapter and subscribe.

President's Corner

New Name for the Chapter?

by John Shenot

This April, the FCAS Board of Directors began to con-sider whether it is time to change the name of our organ-ization. There are two major reasons why we are exploring this possibility. First, as reported in this newsletter, we significantly expanded our chapter boundaries in 2021. Since that expansion happened, I’ve frequently found it necessary to explain to local government officials and others that “Fort Collins Audubon” is headquartered in Fort Collins, but represents and serves Audubon members across nearly all of Larimer County and por-tions of Weld County. The organization’s name doesn’t accurately describe who we are or where we work. When I invited members to fill out a survey in September 2021, more than a third of those who responded thought we should change the chapter name for that reason alone.

The second reason to consider a name change is the growing controversy over whether bird conservation organizations should tie their identities so closely to John James Audubon. It is an undisputed fact that Audubon, the man, was a slave owner — in accordance with the laws of his time, but long after many countries in the world had abolished that barbaric practice and abolitionists here in the United States were calling for its end. Does this fact diminish Audubon’s artistic talent or his immense contributions to fostering appreciation for the birds of North America, which eventually led to conservation efforts and the creation of the National Audubon Society? I don’t believe it does, but I also believe the mission of FCAS is more important than our “brand” (i.e., our name). And it may be that honoring a slaveholder in our organization’s name hampers or will someday hamper the achievement of our mission because it offends and repels potential allies in the communities we serve.

To be clear, the Board of Directors has not commit-ted to a name change. In fact, we cannot do so with-out a change in our bylaws that would have to be approved by our members. But long before any name change is proposed, we will be launching a process to solicit input and reactions from our mem-bers and other local stakeholders. Stay tuned for more details in the months to come.End of Story logo

Find FCAS on Facebook for Field Trip Information

FCAS has a Facebook page where we post announcements about upcoming field trips, last minute changes to scheduled trips, and highlights of most of our outings. Just click on the “Like" button in the plugin to Like our page! Our announcements should then appear on your wall. You can also click on "Fort Collins Audubon Society" to be taken directly to the Facebook page. Note: All field trips are also announced in the Ptarmigan and on our website.


Find FCAS on YouTube for Previous Zoom Presentations

YouTube logo

Did you miss the monthly live chapter Zoom presentation? The chapter has recently created a YouTube channel to provide an easily accessible archive of our monthly chapter Zoom meetings. Be sure to Like and Subscribe!


Birding Checklists

The Chapter has prepared a number of birding checklist to aid you when birding.

Find them here: FCAS Birding Checklists

Bird Rescue and Rehabilitation

Trying to help a sick or injured bird? These resources are ready to help!

Fort Collins Audubon Society

Serving Larimer County, Colorado, and Surrounding Areas.

The Fort Collins Audubon Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to nature appreciation, environmental education, and conservation activities.

FCAS Mission Statement

  • To promote the appreciation, conservation, and restoration of ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife, through education, participation, stewardship, and advocacy.