The organizational records include: an organizational history, account books, Christmas bird count reports, constitution and bylaws, meeting minutes with attachments (earlier years are in volumes), membership lists, miscellaneous, newsletters, newspaper, and magazine clippings (copies), pamphlets, photographs, programs, and property materials. The collection is organized by alphabetically and chronologically. The collection is ongoing.
A copy of William Theunissen’s Chippewa Valley Audubon Club, 1951-1992 history of the Club is separately cataloged in the Clarke.
Processing Note: Duplicate materials and acidic materials, which were copied, were returned to the donor as per the donor agreement.
Organizational History:
The Chippewa Valley Audubon Club (Mount Pleasant, Mich.) (CVAC) was founded in 1951 as the Chippewa Valley Bird Club. Since its founding the name has changed and its programs and presentations have expanded to include other aspects beyond birds, including wildlife, vegetation, trees, conservation, parks and environmentalism. The group has had a variety of fundraising efforts over the years. Funds are used to support several nature conservancy causes and create publications. The club has been involved in community projects and issues including the reclamation of Chipp-A-Waters Park, 1954-1963, which had become a dump site. The Club successfully pushed the city commissioners to expand and increase the number of parks in Mount Pleasant. Another major Club project was the purchasing and designating of 45 acres of property, Audubon Woods, as a nature and conservation area named the Florence Maxwell Wildlife Sanctuary, 1964-2008. The property was donated to the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy in 2008. Annual bird counts have occurred since the club first met. (This information is from the collection.)
