In 1969, local members of the National Audubon Society started birding together. That same year they participated in the area’s first Christmas Bird Count. Also in 1969, they organized the Yakima Chapter affiliate with the help of the Seattle Audubon Society. The first edition of the Calliope Crier newsletter was published in February, 1970. In 1972 National Audubon granted the charter forming the Yakima Valley Audubon Society.

Additional historical details may be found here:

• Helen Wilson on the chapter from its formation in 1970 through 1988, including a short biography of John James Audubon. Read more about this here.
• The first president of Yakima Audubon, Lola Bartol, recounts how it came about in a profile for the Crier written by Jeanne Crawford and published in 2002. Read more about this here.
• How the Calliope Crier Got Its Name, including the masthead from the Vol. 1, No. 2 issue of the Crier dated March, 1970. Read more about this here.