Audubon Pennsylvania, one of the state’s leading conservation organizations, is proud to announce the selection of one of the Commonwealth’s best-known conservation leaders as its new Executive Director.

Phil Wallis, former head of Natural Lands Trust and founder of Keystone Conservation Trust, will lead Audubon Pennsylvania as it embarks upon a bold new vision to protect birds and habitat across the state through science, education, and policy.

Audubon Pennsylvania is a division of National Audubon Society, America’s oldest conservation organization, whose mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife, and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

In Pennsylvania, Audubon works with 21 local Audubon Society chapters, oversees 85 Important Bird Areas, connects children with the wonder of nature, and engages citizen scientists in the monitoring of bird species and projects that protect habitat.

Mr. Wallis will be based at the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove located in Audubon, Pennsylvania. He will also spend considerable time working in Audubon’s Harrisburg office as he shapes the organization’s conservation policies and priorities while building partnerships with other organizations throughout the state.

Joe DeMarco, Chair of the Audubon Pennsylvania board says, “We are delighted Phil has joined Audubon Pennsylvania. He is a well-known conservationist whose reputation for achievement and success has preceded him. The board and I are looking forward to working with him.”

“Connecting people to nature is one of my primary lifetime goals,” Mr. Wallis states. “I intend to build upon my experience in conservation by helping Audubon’s people, science, and programs achieve powerful conservation results in the years to come. Together with its conservation partners, Audubon can help to define a bold, new course for conservation as we all tackle the daunting and daily issues of energy, responsible stewardship of our resources, and basic costs of living.”

A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, Phil has led several conservation organizations over the past 20 years.

Directing land protection for The Nature Conservancy and managing Natural Lands Trust as its President, Phil brings solid experience as a conservation leader. As a board member, he has engaged a variety of conservation organizations across Pennsylvania – the PA Land Trust Association, GreenSpace Alliance, the PA Governor’s 21st Century Environmental Commission, and the Radnor Conservancy.

Phil comes to Audubon Pennsylvania from Keystone Conservation Trust, where as President and CEO, he created the innovative and very successful Legacy Property Fund, which (through gifts of real estate and tax incentives) has distributed $1.8 million in capital for critical projects of 30 conservation organizations.

Phil will lead Audubon Pennsylvania as it focuses on conserving high priority bird species and habitats within the Commonwealth’s 85 IBAs; restoring and reinterpreting the John James Audubon Center at Mill Grove; creating bird sanctuaries within the City of Philadelphia at Fairmount Park and at the Audubon Hawk Watch at Waggoner’s Gap near Carlisle; and advancing the connections of children and families to nature through its award winning Audubon at Home program.

Audubon Pennsylvania is the state office of the National Audubon Society, an organization celebrating more than 100 years of service to the nation in conservation and public education.

While Audubon Pennsylvania is part of the national organization and shares the national mission and public policies, Audubon Pennsylvania is mandated to establish statewide conservation and education programs and independently pursue local funding to support these efforts.

Audubon Pennsylvania’s mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity in Pennsylvania.

7/25/2008