New Canaan, CT - The Conservation Movement Loses A Hero to the Cause: It is with great sadness that we must share news of the passing of Donal O'Brien Jr on Sunday, September 8, 2013.
Donal served on Audubon's national board for 25 years between 1976 and 2003, 15 of those as Chairman. He was the 51st recipient of the Audubon Medal in 2010. Don, as he was known by most, passed on peacefully at his home surrounded by his family. Thank you for joining with the Audubon family in remembering Donal's wife, Katie, and his children today.
Few, if any, are more passionate about birds and bird conservation than Donal O'Brien, who served 25 years on the National Audubon Society's Board of Directors, including 15 years as its chairman. During his Board tenure Donal co-chaired the Society's monumental Strategic Planning process; an effort that charted Audubon's current conservation course and led to the establishment of Audubon's network of state offices across the country. These offices, in turn, launched the Important Bird Areas program now totaling over 2,500 Important Bird Areas across the U.S., helped open 43 new Audubon Centers that reach new and younger audiences inspiring our future conservation leaders, and empowering our grassroots network of nearly 500 community-based Audubon Chapters.
Donal has not only charted Audubon's course, he has given it momentum with his legendary fundraising efforts. These efforts have included the Annual Bird-a-Thon he and his wife, Katie, have conducted for 31 consecutive years seeing as many as 207 species of birds in a single day and raising over $3 million for Audubon's bird conservation initiatives.
When Donal stepped down as Audubon's chairman in 2003, his friends and former directors established the Donal C. O'Brien Chair in Bird Conservation and Public Policy to catalyze Audubon's bird conservation agenda across the country and throughout the Hemisphere....and, no surprise, Donal has continued to work to conserve essential sites our birds need to breed, winter, rest and re-fuel during migration right till his last day.
Donal was retired Chief Legal Counsel for the Rockefeller Family and Associates and a partner in the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy. He was appointed as Chairman and a member of the Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality by 3 governors. He was the Chairman Emeritus of the Atlantic Salmon Federation and was the founding Chairman of Birdlife International, a global network of conservation organizations focused on birds in 110 countries and territories worldwide. Donal was a decoy carver and has twice been the US National Amateur Champion. His carvings of terns and puffins helped Audubon's program to restore the Atlantic Puffins to the coast of Maine as a breeding species after a 100 year absence. Most recently one of his early puffin decoys adorned the cover of the National Audubon Society's Magazine. Donal is survived by his wife Katie, 4 grown children and 11 grandchildren. We ask you to join with us in remembering Donal's wife, Katie, and his children today.
To enjoy a touching video tribute created for Donal's Audubon Medal presentation in 2010, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hApiJaNpcZk
