Who We Are
Our Mission
The Wichita Audubon Society is committed to providing nature education, promoting environmental conservation, and encouraging appreciation of the natural world.
We are people who love and enjoy nature and work to preserve it. And we love to share the outdoors with those around us.
Education and Conservation
Our major education and conservation project for 48 years has been the development of Chaplin Nature Center. This 230 acre preserve near Arkansas City features a Visitor’s Center staffed by a full time naturalist. The Visitor’s Center features educational exhibits, a library and meeting spaces. Our naturalist conducts programs for school classes from across south central Kansas, as well as civic organizations, youth groups and the public. The trails through the woods and prairies, leading to the sandbars of the Arkansas River, are open to the public from sunrise to sunset year round. Our members support the Chaplin Nature Center with donations of money and time, including fund-raising, maintenance and construction projects, and staffing the Visitor’s Center.
Our ACTIVITIES
From September through May we have monthly programs that inform us and expand our horizons. Throughout the year we take field trips to interesting places near and far. All of our activities are free and open to the public. Our volunteers also participate in park cleanup projects, Christmas Bird Counts, environmental advocacy, and a large variety of other activities in support of our chapter and its mission