Tucson Audubon's Statement on Ukraine

Ukrainian national colors: Blue Tit by Scott Olmstead

Tucson Audubon expresses our solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Although we recognize that we are half a world away from the impact of this violent invasion, and that this statement may seem outside of our area of expertise as a Tucson-based bird and habitat conservation organization, we strongly believe that speaking out is necessary.

Our ecological restoration work in the fragile and at-risk ecosystems of our area has taught us that humans both impact and are impacted by the environment in which they live. In seeking to understand the marginalized human communities of our region, we recognize the impact of invasive violence. We express solidarity with those impacted by this violence in our area and in all areas around the world.

Our conservation biology work has taught us about the huge impact of displacement, in birds and in people. Those displaced by climate change or economic injustice or violence all suffer the consequences of this upheaval.

Our work in our community and within our organization has taught us that the celebration of birds is the celebration of diversity. This celebration includes supporting the experiences of a couple members of our own staff who were born in and/or have lived in Ukraine and have ties to the country and to their loved ones still there.

To show our support, our Ukrainian-born colleague, Olya Phillips, invites you to join her on March 31 at 1pm for a virtual tour presentation of the Birds of Ukraine (register here). Olya also asks us to consider supporting the people of Ukraine by making a financial contribution to the NGO Nova Ukraine, who is actively providing in-country humanitarian aid: novaukraine.org.

We recognize that we have yet to speak out against so many injustices we know have occurred in our region and that are still harming species, people, and cultures today. We vow to correct this omission and work to figure out how best to use our voice in support of causes we believe in, both local and global. We hope you'll join us.