Outreach Programs of the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society

by Philip W. Walsh, Ph.D., Lecturer, Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Liberal Studies - September 22, 2026

In an undated statement of the Audubon Society, one purpose of the organization is for members to dedicate themselves "to the pleasant task of opening the eyes of young and old that all may come to enjoy the beauty of the outdoor world, and to share in conserving its wonders forever." The San Fernando Valley branch of the Audubon Society has achieved this goal through publications and educational programs, and evidence of this outreach can be viewed in the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society Records in Special Collections and Archives.

Some of the materials, such as the Audubon Junior Member’s Scrapbook, come directly from the headquarters of the National Audubon Society itself. This pamphlet, published in 1957, features suggestions for exploring meadows, seashores, marshes, and other natural environments. It also includes art projects, instructions to create an imitation tide pool at home with construction paper, wax paper, and rubber cement, and directions for putting together an explorer’s knapsack.

The collection also includes materials created by the San Fernando Valley Society itself, such as the training guide for the Audubon Student Naturalist Association. ASNA was a grass roots organization which arose from a one-time Tujunga Wash Field Day in 1966. The event attracted over one thousand people to "L.A.’s Desert in the City," as called by an article in Sunset Magazine. Student guides led visitors to points of interest in the wash, where volunteer naturalists would educate them on significant features of the biome. Some of these students expressed a desire to become naturalist educators themselves, and so ASNA was born. The training guide points out the attraction of Big Tujunga Wash to naturalists: the convergence in the wash of "Desert, Chaparral, Streamside Woodland and Fresh Water Pond Communities provides a great variety of wildlife." ASNA disbanded in June of 1977; a letter cites declining membership and participation as the cause but points out that thousands of people had visited the space during ASNA’s duration, and that many students involved in the program subsequently pursued nature-oriented careers.

Another program overseen by the San Fernando Valley Audubon Society is the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Education Program, whose purpose includes informing students of the value and critical importance of wetlands, "one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth." Visitors to the basin might see waterfowl such as white pelicans, cormorants, and egrets, as well as birds which live in the drier scrub and chaparral surrounding the basin. Educators have the opportunity to attend workshops prior to visiting Sepulveda Basin with their students and are provided with materials to prepare for the tour. The 1993 version of the packet includes a set of six drawings of birds for students to color; each student is given one of these and a student work sheet, prompting them to research the common and scientific names of the bird, its dimensions, and sounds and colors characteristic of the bird. While most tours have taken place in Tujunga Wash and Sepulveda Wildlife Basin, docents also lead visitors through other spaces set aside for preservation, including Chatsworth Reservoir and Malibu Creek State Park. The collection includes letters written by schoolchildren to docents after a trip to one of these places.

Another important publication is The Phainopepla, which began in 1928 as the bulletin of the California Audubon Society, becoming the title for the San Fernando Valley branch in 1959. Early issues featured wild animal tales, most often featuring birds, in the tradition of authors Ernest Thompson Seton and John Burroughs, as well as news of the campaign to select a state bird, reports of bird migrations, and guidelines for forming Junior Audubon clubs. Other features include advice for writing letters to state and national representatives regarding wilderness and wildlife preservation, accounts of birdwatching trips, and announcements of upcoming Audubon conferences.  

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