How You Can Help

There are many ways to help the birds, wildlife and communities that depend on a healthy Gulf of Mexico. Individual actions add up to a powerful force for recovery and restoration, whether you live on the Gulf Coast or far away. Here's how to get started:

• Download our Hope for the Gulf online action kit and learn how you can protect habitat, save energy, take civic action, and fundraise to support Gulf renewal efforts.
• Support dedication of BP penalty funds to restoration. Under the Clean Water Act, BP and other responsible parties will be required to pay fines for the harm they have caused to the environment. But the only way to make sure that these fines actually help repair the enormous damage caused by the disaster is for Congress to pass a new law that dedicates this money to restoration of America’s beautiful, vibrant and vital Gulf Coast. So contact your lawmakers today!
• Become an Audubon activist. Lawmakers care about your views and opinions, and they need to hear that birds and ecosystem health matter to you. When you become an Audubon activist, you’ll get information throughout the year about what’s going on and how you can speak up and make a difference. Sign up today to start speaking out. (And then invite your friends to participate too!)
• Donate to support Audubon's Gulf Coast recovery programs. Your donation will help our scientists, policy experts, advocates, educators, leaders and organizers address the oil spill disaster and many other grave threats that continue to affect birds and other wildlife across the Gulf Coast. Invest today in Gulf Coast renewal and recovery.
• Volunteer with your local Audubon chapter. Audubon has nearly 500 chapters engaged in hands-on conservation efforts across the United States, and many of these activities are helping some of the same migratory birds that also depend on Gulf Coast habitats. Whether your skills or interests are in education, activism, gardening, bird identification, wildlife or administration, you can find a way to get involved and make a difference. Find a chapter near you and get started.
• Protect and restore bird habitats near your home. By gardening with native plants, reducing yard chemical use, removing trash from local waterways, removing invasive species, joining workdays in nearby parks and refuges, and speaking up for the special places near you, you can make a difference for birds, many of which may migrate through the Gulf region at some point during their lives. Learn more about helping birds in your own backyard.
• Help count birds. If you enjoy watching birds, turn your hobby into conservation action by becoming a volunteer citizen scientist. Your expertise can help scientists learn more about what’s happening to birds and what needs to be done to help them. Whether reporting on your backyard birds anytime on eBird, or participating in a scheduled census like the Christmas Bird Count, your observations truly count. Learn more about citizen science or, if you live on the Gulf Coast, sign up for Audubon Coastal Bird Survey.
• Reduce your personal energy use and advocate for a cleaner, smarter, safer future. By driving less, turning off your computer at night, adjusting your thermostat, using reusable shopping bags, and encouraging those around you to make similar choices, you can chip away at our out-of-control demand for fossil fuels. And by making your voice heard in the public arena, you can help tackle the big challenges that we all have to solve together. 12 things you can start doing today.
• Stay informed. The more you know, the more effective a conservationist you can be. Sign up to receive updates on Audubon's work across the Gulf Coast and beyond.