Archive Information -SFAS Website – 2019-2026
70th year – (2026)
Celebrating 70 years of conservation leadership, education, advocacy, and community service.
The South Florida Audubon Society celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2026, marking seven decades of protecting birds, wildlife, and the natural ecosystems of South Florida. The year became an especially significant chapter in SFAS history as the organization expanded its conservation programs, restoration initiatives, environmental education efforts, and community presence.
A New Home at Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary
One of the most important milestones in SFAS history occurred in 2026 when the organization established its new home at the Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary in the Town of Davie.
Located at 5300 Griffin Road in Davie, Florida, Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary provides SFAS with a physical home and a place to bring its conservation mission directly to the community.
The sanctuary will serve as a center for conservation, environmental education, birding programs, school and community activities, volunteer opportunities, and public engagement. Having a permanent home creates new opportunities for SFAS to welcome the public, develop hands-on educational programming, and inspire future generations of conservationists.
After 70 years of conservation work throughout South Florida, establishing a home at Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary represents an important step in the organization’s continued growth and long-term future.
Coastal Dune Restoration & Resilience
SFAS continued expanding its commitment to coastal habitat restoration and resilience throughout Broward County.
Multiple coastal dune restoration projects were completed along the Broward County shoreline with support from corporate sponsors, community partners, volunteers, and individual donors. These projects help restore native coastal vegetation, stabilize dunes, improve habitat for wildlife, and strengthen the coastline’s natural resilience to storms, erosion, and sea level rise.
SFAS continues working to expand these efforts, including restoration initiatives at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park, furthering the organization’s commitment to protecting and restoring South Florida’s coastal ecosystems.
Plants for Birds & Urban Habitat
SFAS’s Plants for Birds initiatives continued to grow in 2026, demonstrating how native plants can transform urban and suburban landscapes into valuable wildlife habitat.
Projects at locations including M.E. DePalma Park continue to provide habitat and food resources for birds, butterflies, pollinators, and other wildlife while giving the public opportunities to learn about the importance of Florida native plants.
These projects strengthen urban ecosystems while demonstrating how communities, businesses, municipalities, and individual residents can contribute directly to wildlife conservation.
Expanding Conservation Education
Environmental education and community engagement remained central to SFAS’s mission in 2026.
Through birding programs, conservation activities, volunteer opportunities, habitat projects, and public outreach, SFAS continued to connect people with South Florida’s natural environment and to provide opportunities for residents to become directly involved in conservation.
The establishment of the Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary as SFAS’s home creates even greater opportunities to expand these programs and provide a central location where people can learn about birds, wildlife, native plants, habitat conservation, and environmental stewardship.
Support for a Growing Conservation Mission
SFAS continued receiving important support for its conservation work in 2026.
Support from the National Audubon Society through the Audubon in Action program, together with an Audubon Florida Plants for Birds grant funded by Florida Power & Light, is helping SFAS expand conservation programming, native habitat initiatives, environmental education, and community engagement.
These partnerships, along with the continued support of donors, volunteers, community organizations, municipalities, and conservation partners, allow SFAS to increase its impact throughout South Florida.
Looking Toward the Next 70 Years
The 70th anniversary represents both a celebration of SFAS’s history and the beginning of a new chapter.
From protecting birds and restoring habitat to educating the public and advocating for South Florida’s natural resources, SFAS continues to build on the work of the members, volunteers, conservationists, and community partners who have shaped the organization over the previous seven decades.
With a new home at Sunny Lake Bird Sanctuary, expanding restoration projects, growing educational programs, and continued community partnerships, SFAS enters its next chapter with new opportunities to strengthen conservation throughout South Florida.
After 70 years of protecting birds, wildlife, and their habitats, the South Florida Audubon Society now has a place to call home and a foundation from which to build the next 70 years of conservation.
69th year – (2025)
With the support of a significant grant from the Community Foundation of Broward, SFAS expanded its impact through a strategic partnership with Adopt-A-Dune, focusing on large-scale coastal dune restoration projects at Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park.
Grant funding enabled critical infrastructure improvements, including the refurbishment of the park’s grow house and the installation of a new irrigation system, enhancing long-term capacity for native plant propagation and restoration efforts.
SFAS continued additional dune restoration work along the Broward County shoreline while supporting another successful sea turtle nesting season through its permitted hatchling rescue program.
Urban habitat initiatives also expanded through Plants for Birds projects at locations such as M.E. DePalma Park, creating vital habitat for birds and pollinators while engaging local communities in hands-on conservation.
68th Year – (2024)
Thanks to a grant from the Community Foundation of Broward, Center for Nonprofit Excellence, SFAS has a new logo and a revamped Website.
SFAS continued to advance key conservation initiatives across Broward County, with a strong focus on coastal resilience and wildlife protection.
The Sea Turtle Hatchling Volunteer Rescue Program, conducted under a Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Marine Turtle Permit, engaged 25 trained volunteers in nighttime surveys on Pompano Beach to locate and rescue disoriented hatchlings, helping improve survival rates along highly urbanized shorelines.
SFAS also led multiple coastal dune restoration projects along Broward County’s 23-mile coastline. Hundreds of volunteers, including students and community members, planted thousands of sea oats and other salt-tolerant native species to stabilize dunes, reduce erosion, and strengthen natural coastal defenses.
Additional conservation efforts included participation in the Christmas Bird Count, EagleWatch, and other bird-monitoring and community-science initiatives, contributing to long-term data collection and conservation planning.
67th Year – (2023)
SFAS was very active with volunteers leading the way with our key conservation activities: planting thousands of sea oats and other ocean resistant / diversity plants on Broward County beaches for our coastal dune restoration projects, up to 50 permitted sea turtle hatchling volunteers aided disoriented hatchling to the ocean shoreline during the sea turtle nesting season, March to October on Broward County beaches, more weeding, mulching and native plantings at M.E. DePalma Park, Wilton Manors, Florida with volunteers helping at our ‘Plants for Birds’ demonstration bird sanctuary / butterfly garden and Tropical Fruit Tree planting at a school in Pembroke Pines.
66th Year – (2022)
As the Coronavirus Pandemic was greatly reduced due to vaccinations readily available ONGOING activities / programs / projects began to resume: ‘Plants for Birds’ program at M.E. DePalma Park, Wilton Manors, Florida continued with the help of community and student volunteers helping with the management and maintenance of the Butterfly Garden / Bird Sanctuary: weeding, mulching and addition of 100s of native plants, Eaglewatch of two Bald Eagle nests in Broward County started up again. In addition, Coastal Dune Restoration projects on Pompano Beach, utilizing student and corporate volunteers, saw thousands of sea oats and diverse plants planted, including outreach / education to participants. Thousands of disoriented sea turtle hatchlings were rescued by our permitted volunteers.
65th Year (2021)
The following ONGOING activities / programs / projects have been delayed in 2021 due to the continuation of the Coronavirus Pandemic: project estimates for the construction of a viewing tower adjacent to the urban conservation easement at Port Everglades as well as fundraising for the viewing tower, sea turtle hatchling rescue volunteering has been drastically restricted for the sea turtle nesting season due to very strict enforcement which does not allow people on the Broward County beaches, coastal dune restoration projects postponed and outreach / education to schools, community groups and business leaders indefinitely postponed.
64th Year (2020)
The following ONGOING activitiies / programs / projects have been delayed in 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. Broward County, Florida, has transferred ownership of approximately 60 acres of wetland habitat at Port Everglades, including a successful 16.5-acre Wetland Enhancement project, to the State of Florida for its permanent protection as a conservation area. In addition, the State signed a memorandum of understanding with the South Florida Audubon Society to manage the conservation area. The land transfer completes a critical component of the Port Everglades Southport Turning Notch Extension project that will increase berth space for cargo ships at the berth-constrained seaport. SFAS with funding from FPL (Florida Power and Light) has developed a proposal for a viewing area adjacent to the urban conservation easement at Port Everglades so that small groups of students can be brought on-site for outreach / education. LONG TERM – fundraising for the development of the viewing area requires at least 3-5 years.
63rd Year (2019)
We engaged with the public in the following ways: guided local bird walks, birding tours to other states and countries, presentations to student and adult groups, citizen science: bird counts and sea turtle hatchling rescue, volunteer events: beach clean-ups, invasive plant removal, sea turtle hatchling rescue, and coastal dune restoration. Additional activities included: ‘Plants-for Birds’ projects and outreach, advocacy with local and regional government, injured bird and animal rescue, and Tropical Fruit Tree planting.
62nd Year (2018)
It was another great year, which included conservation projects involving sea turtles, burrowing owls, coastal dune restoration, bird walks, and educational outreach.
Zachary Lee becomes the youngest President at the age of 19.
61st Year (2017)
This year we were able to help save a local burrowing owl population by trans-locating them from the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to a preserve in Davie. This very successful project was due to a partnership between the Airport staff, SFWC, the Town of Davie, and SFAS’ Project Perch volunteers. SFAS volunteers continued to help the disorientated sea turtle hatchlings throughout the county. Recent coastal dune restoration projects were shown to have truly helped keep our beaches intact after Hurricane Irma devasted South Florida in September.
60th Anniversary (2016)
Our more recent accomplishments include partnering with other organizations on conservation projects which include: Project Perch, sea turtle hatchling rescue, coastal dune restoration, educational bird walks, outreach to schools and the community, coral reef initiative, climate change and sea-level rise education, and everglades restoration.
58th Anniversary (2014)
January 11, 2014, marked the 58th year of service for the Broward County Audubon Society dba the South Florida Audubon Society. Our more recent accomplishments include partnering with other organizations on conservation projects which include: urban reforestation, invasive exotic plant and tree removal, hosting edible gardening workshops, planting edible gardens, increased education and outreach to schools and the community, participation in the Audubon Urban Oases for Migrating Songbirds Program, sea turtle hatchling rescue and international projects in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
54th Anniversary (2010)
At the Florida Audubon Society’s annual Audubon Assembly, Eric Draper, Executive Director, and Jacqui Sulek, Chapter Coordinator, presented the 2010 Best Chapter Award to the South Florida Audubon Society. This award was “for phenomenal growth as conservation leaders in South Florida.”SFAS Best Audubon Chapter in Florida
BIOS Awards are presented by the South Florida Audubon Society to South Florida citizens who exhibit extraordinary stewardship and communication for issues related to conservation, wildlife, and the environment.
2010 winners were
- Grant Campbell, Director of Wildlife Policy and Conservation Chair
- Aqua Save, distributor of FlushChoice, water conservation conversion kits
- Island-Sky, manufacturer of Skywater air-to-water machines which convert humidity in the air to water.
8th Anniversary (1964)
Feb. 16, 1964, The Broward County Audubon Society worked with the City Council of Wilton Manors to declare that the city is designated as a “Bird Sanctuary” as stated in Resolution no. 252.