For the first time that I can remember, my company has an initiative whereby every employee is rewarded $50 to give to whatever organization or charity they wish. Although it would be nice if it was just a $50 reward bonus for ourselves, I don’t object to using the money to support an organization of our choice. The reward expired today, so which organization did I support? A tough choice – there are literally thousands of them to choose from. From local to national to international causes. My thinking went like this – I wanted to support something environmental. I remember a very long time ago that I did some volunteer work at an RSPB site, and I like to see lots of birdlife – whether it be hummingbirds in my back yard, or an excursion to go see some bald eagles feeding at a local river. What is the closest American equivalent to the RSPB? I ended up donating my $50 to The Audubon Society – specifically The Seattle Audubon Society – an organization that protects birds and the places they need. A worthy cause that I’m glad to support, even in only this very small way. However, I have since found out that John James Audubon – the society was named in his honor – has a tarnished legacy with accusations of plagiarism and scientific fraud, a history of racism and slavery, and who was also a body snatcher. Yikes. Perhaps it might be time to rename the society.
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