Marlene Hoffman found her passion in bird watching and carried it over to her organization. Now president of Audubon Miami Valley, she said she joined the organization in the late 80s to 90s after she recognized her love for birds influenced by her mother.
The group plans many activities throughout the year, and last week hosted a bird art exhibition March 15 at the Oxford Community Arts Center (OCAC). Hoffman said the event was a community outreach initiative aimed at increasing awareness of the environment.
The event featured artwork from students in K-12 in a 30 mile radius of Oxford; students picked different birds to illustrate. This year marks the 11th annual exhibition. Hoffman said she hopes kids learned something new about birds. The program was part of the organization’s mission of community outreach.
“It’s a goodwill thing,” Hoffman said. “But then it is education.”
Hoffman said the event was not a contest. Students could bring their families in to view their artwork and engage with materials Audubon provided like plush birds and information on plants dedicated to repopulating butterflies.
“We don’t need contests,” Hoffman said. “The kids love to see their pictures hanging.”
Kate Schmidt, a senior biology major at Miami University, attended the event. She said she saw something about it online and thought it was focused on a younger audience, but she still had a good time.
“I liked getting to see all of the kids’ art projects,” Schmidt said. “I was shocked at how talented some of them were.”
The artwork will be displayed in the north parlor of the OCAC until March 21.
Community outreach is just one aspect of what the Audubon Miami Valley does. Hoffman said the purpose of the organization is to promote awareness of the natural world and educate generations to come.
“Audubon tries to perpetuate a healthy outdoors,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman was raised on a farm near Oxford. She moved to town after she got married and then had a child. Afterward, she went to nursing school. She said since she retired around 13 years ago, she can dedicate more time to Audubon.
According to Hoffman, the organization underwent an identity change several years ago. The goal was to move towards an environmental organization rather than just a “birder.” She said they partnered with Oxford gardening, creating projects such as the gardens outside of the OCAC.
“It’s realizing that everything is interconnected,” Hoffman said. “Birds are definitely an indication of how healthy the environment is. If we don’t have a healthy environment, we’re not going to have healthy birds.”
Hoffman said Audubon struggles to find people willing to commit to long standing roles, but that the Miami Valley chapter is active and younger members recently joined. She said the organization’s biggest accomplishment is it is continuing to expand after almost 50 years since its founding in 1976.
Audubon has a honeysuckle removal day in the works for April in Hueston Woods and needs volunteers.
