Programs & Main Events

All Chapter meetings till further notice will be conducted virtually on ZOOM, please contact Don for more information – Greatauk4@gmail.com

April 28, 2026 at 7:00 pm

More Life in the Meadowlands

Don Torino will discuss the wonders of bird migration, the essentail role of native plants and urgency of habitat conservaton.
Flat Rock Broook, 443 Van Nostrand Ave., Englewood

May 13, 2026 at 7:30 pm

Teresa Doss: What’s new in the NJ Meadowlands

Terry Doss is a Certified Restoration Practitioner who serves as Director and Chief Restoration Scientist for the Meadowlands Research and Restoration Institute, the science arm of the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority. Over the past 40 years, Terry has served as a local leader in restoring the natural areas located within the urban wildlands of NY and NJ, with a primary expertise in managing coastal and wetland restoration projects to reduce flood risks while improving resilience in coastal communities. Terry has nurtured projects from baseline assessment, through design and permitting, to the final construction and monitoring of these natural areas. Since joining NJSEA, Terry’s primary focus has been on assisting the Authority with meeting their stated mandate to protect the delicate balance of nature.

Friday, May 15 at 7pm

“The True Story of Alice and Al and how the community saved a Bald Eagles nest”

Puffin Cultural center Teaneck
Don Torino- President of Bergen County Audubon will present a program on a pair of Bald eagles and and how against all odds we protected them and now have a national day in their honor FREE TO ALL

June 10,2026 7:30 PM

Chris Garza: Ornithomycology: Where birds and fungi intersect

With birds in the air and fungi in the soil, you may think that the two aren’t interconnected. However, there are several documented ways that fungi and birds play roles in each other’s lives. In this talk, we will explore some of the known interactions and observations that have been studied or documented. From collecting for food, to nest building, or even to impress mates, birds have proven to utilize fungi in several interesting ways. Join us to learn about these and the other ways that birds and fungi interact.

Chris Garza is a Certified Ecologist, ISA Certified Arborist, and Certified Ecosystem Restoration Practitioner. Chris has a M.S. in Forestry from Texas A and M University and a B.S. in Biology from St. Edward’s University. Chris currently works as senior environmental scientist for GFT. Some of Chris’ other interests include botany, entomology, mycology, foraging, and rock climbing.

September 9, 2026 7:30 PM

Sophie Osborn: Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds

Birds are visible, vocal sentinels that alert us to environmental harms through their declining numbers or their failure to thrive. In her book Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds, Sophie Osborn shares her personal experiences reintroducing endangered Peregrine Falcons, Hawaiian Crows, and California Condors to the wild. While immersing readers in the triumphs and tribulations of being a wildlife biologist, Sophie explores the threats that imperiled these birds, and reveals that what harmed them threatens us, too. She will discuss what led to the endangerment of these three captivating species, recount the efforts of biologists to recover their populations, and read a few excerpts from her book that describe what it was like to work with these magnificent birds.

Sophie A. H. Osborn is an award-winning writer and wildlife biologist whose work has included the study and conservation of more than a dozen bird species in the Americas. She contributed to reintroduction efforts for several endangered birds and served as the field manager for the California Condor Recovery Program in Arizona for four years. Her first book, Condors in Canyon Country, won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award for Nature and the Environment. Reviewers for the American Birding Association chose her second book, Feather Trails, as their favorite bird book of 2024. Sophie has written articles for Bird Conservation, BirdWatching, and Wyoming Wildlife magazines, and co-edited an anthology of short stories Wild Work—Adventures of Women Field Biologists (out September 2026). She also writes the “Words for Birds” blog on Substack.

November 11 at 7:30 pm

Marina Richie: Feathered Forest: Aloft with Birds in Ancient Trees

Join Oregon nature writer Marina Richie for a photo-filled presentation, entwining the lives of birds with a hidden vertical world of wild trees. Be ready to immerse in old-growth forests as miraculous and interlocking as feathers. Beginning with an ascent of a 200-foot-tall Douglas-fir with a bird biologist, Marina leads us into the ancient forests of Cascadia, a bioregion rivaling the Amazonian rainforest in significance for climate and biodiversity. Birds are guides to cool havens within multilayered, centuries-old groves that are critical refugia in a time of climate crisis. Their songs and flights show us what we must protect for the future of threatened birds, forests, and humankind. While Marina’s focus is on the West, her messages of biodiversity and complex ecosystems that birds rely on are true for the forests of the East. Featured birds include the Spotted Owl, Marbled Murrelet, Great Gray Owl, Hermit Warbler, Pacific Wren, Pileated Woodpecker, and Varied Thrush.
Marina’s website is www.marinarichie.com

Pre-order: Feathered Forest: Aloft with Birds in Ancient Trees. //www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/827850/feathered-forest-by-marina-richie/

Marina is the author of the award-winning Halcyon Journey: In Search of the Belted Kingfisher. She presented to Bergen Audubon in March of 2026. Marina would be grateful for book reviews on Amazon and Goodreads—helpful for sales and momentum for both of her books.

All programs and events are free and open to the public. We are supported by memberships and donations.

If you have suggestions or would like to help with future programs, please contact Marilyn Sadowski msadowskibcas@gmail.com