Amos Butler Audubon Society (ABAS) has a long and successful history of championing the cause of birds in Central Indiana. One major ABAS accomplishment was assisting in the purchase and preservation of the largest rookery of Great Blue Herons in Indiana.  Now called the Millard Sutton/Amos W. Butler Audubon Nature Preserve, ABAS was a major financial contributor toward the purchase of the 76 acres of wooded land along an oxbow of the White River in Johnson County, south of Indianapolis.  To protect the nesting herons, this site is not open to the public.

ABAS assisted in the purchase and preservation of Burr Oak Bend, a 120-acre site along the White River in Hamilton County, north of Indianapolis. The site is an extensive intact forested riparian corridor along a high-quality stretch of the White River. It is being restored from an agricultural field to 31.5 acres of mixed hardwood forest and 12.5 acres of prairie.

ABAS frequently works with the Central Indiana Land Trust, Inc. (CILTI) to preserve quality bird habit.  In honor of our 75th anniversary, ABAS made a $75,000 contribution to the Glacier’s End project.  This is part of CILTI’s Hills of Gold Core Conservation Area in southwestern Johnson County.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, our primary fundraising efforts take place during our annual Birdathon event in the spring. Audubon has had great success with this event and has raised more than $500,000 since 1987 for conservation and education projects.  This consistent achievement is largely the fruit of the notable commitment and work done by the long-time Birdathon Chairperson Donna McCarty.

Our chapter covers Indianapolis (Marion County) and the surrounding counties of Boone, Hendricks, Hamilton, Hancock, Johnson, Shelby and northern Morgan.