President's Corner
What Comes Next?
by John Shenot
While all of us are still getting used to the organization's new name, and there is still work to do in rebranding our website and publications, most of the name change transition work is behind us. Some members are now asking, “What comes next?”
Changing our chapter name creates a unique opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to the public in Larimer and Weld counties. The hard truth is that most people in Northern Colorado have never heard of the Bird Alliance or the Audubon Society. They don't recognize either name and don't know what we do. We need to focus now on increasing our visibility and recruiting more members, not merely for the sake of growing our organization, but because we need more allies to fulfill our mission of conserving and restoring ecosystems. Every time we announce or explain our new name, we have the chance to do more to protect wild birds.
If I'm honest, we've been on autopilot for several years in terms of recruiting new members. In July 2021, we had 1,297 members. Four years later, we now have 1,322 members. That's a tiny fraction of the number of people in our region who care about ecosystems and wildlife, and I don't think our modest growth is keeping up with the increasing urgency of the challenges that bird populations are facing.
For all these reasons, the Board of Directors has decided to launch a membership drive. We aim to add 100 new members by the end of the year, and we need your help. If you know someone who cares about birds and other wildlife, please tell them about the Bird Alliance. Share this newsletter with them. Invite them to join you at one of our programs or field trips. Give them a gift membership! Let me know how those conversations go, and I'll keep you appraised of our progress in upcoming newsletters. 
