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Maine Audubon


Question:

How does Maine Audubon build a sustainable cooperative business structure with National Audubon and Audubon Chapters to continue residential nature education programs at Hog Island?

MAINE AUDUBON AT HOG ISLAND

We have an opportunity to engage Maine Audubon, National Audubon, and Audubon chapters in rebuilding a landmark Audubon education program on the Maine coast. After declining for the last 20 years, the facility closed before completing the 2008 schedule due to low enrollments, leaving a substantial deficit to be absorbed by Maine Audubon.  The Maine Audubon Board of Trustees has suspended programming for the summer of 2009 to allow space for planning the facility’s future.  While many partnerships may be possible (and will ultimately be explored in other venues), we are focusing this Springboard discussion specifically on how Audubons could collectively create a sustainable business structure to support nature education at this facility.

Mission:  The Hog Island Audubon Center conducts environmental education programs on the Maine coast.  An experience at Hog Island inspires, motivates, and teaches skills – connecting people with nature and fostering a commitment to conserve the natural environment. 

Maine Audubon’s mission is to conserve Maine’s wildlife and wildlife habitat by engaging people of all ages in education, conservation, and action.

National Audubon’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.

Programs:  The Hog Island Audubon Center, located near Damariscotta in Muscungus Bay, offers week long residential nature education programs between June and August for adults, teens, and children.

  • Two one week co-ed children’s camp sessions serve 55 children ages 10-13
  • A variety of one week natural history based educational programs for teachers, birders, and families
  • A one week session for Teen birders

Maine Audubon is the only organization in Maine working to conserve wildlife in three ways:  providing hands-on environmental education for people of all ages, conducting research and wildlife conservation projects statewide, and taking action to help shape effective science-based conservation policy.  Maine Audubon’s operating budget is approximately $3.5 million per year.  Hog Island represents approximately 25% of the funding devoted to programs.

History:

1936:  Founded as National Audubon’s 1st nature camp.

1936-1990:  Successful growth of nationally prestigious program

1990-99:  Slow decline in attendance

2000:  Maine Audubon affiliates as a state office of National Audubon

2000-07:  Maine Audubon struggles to operate the facility

2008:  Low attendance forces session cancellations & MA Board suspends Hog Island operations for 2009

Organizational Structure:  National Audubon owns Hog Island.  As part of the affiliation between the organizations in 2000, NA turned HI operations over to Maine Audubon and MA took title to all the buildings.  Maine Audubon currently holds all financial & operational responsibility.   Under the affiliation agreement both MA and NA remain independent 501(c)3 organizations with separate Boards of Directors.  Over 78 National Audubon chapters (also independent 501(c)3 organizations) have sent participants to Hog Island on scholarship.

Financial:  The 2007/08 Hog Island Operation cost $555K

Revenues

Program income           $340,000

Earned income               $55,000

Gifts & Campaign          $80,000

Maine Audubon             $80,000

Costs

Personnel                     $250,000

Ops & Maint                $152,000

Advertising                    $10,000

Inventory sold               $20,000

Capital investment         $58,000

Maine Audubon            $65,000

Demographics:  Of the 2,100 participants since 2000 -- Adults:  50%, 88% from outside Maine; Family and youth: 37%, 78% from outside Maine; Special programs 13%, 50% from outside Maine.  26% of participants received chapter scholarships.

Success:  Program quality remains outstanding;  Hog Island is recognized and thriving as “the” Audubon education facility;  Maine Audubon is not solely responsible for the Center;  Collaborative business structure moves chapters from customers to investors;  and the business model is strong enough to survive turnover of staff/volunteers in MA, NA & chapters.

Challenges:  Program & facility – short season; small size; old facilities need updating; diversity of audiences being served means complex marketing; high fixed costs of operating on an island.  Maine Audubon – financially and operationally risky program out of scale with other MA activities.  Wider Audubon – questions about program itself; current economic conditions; fractured nature of Audubon where all parties are organizationally independent.

Question:  How does Maine Audubon build a sustainable cooperative business structure with National Audubon and Audubon Chapters to continue residential nature education programs at Hog Island?

Why is Hog Island Audubon Center important?

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