Spring is a great time of year to focus on birds. It's an even better time of year to focus on raising money for conservation education in the Ozarks--and Birdathon combines the two!

Birdathon is a fundraising event that supports the education efforts of the Greater Ozarks Audubon Society (GOAS), the Springfield, Missouri,-based chapter of the National Audubon Society. The organization’s flagship program is its Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems (GLADE), an annual week-long, service-learning, peer-mentoring experience for local high school students, to be held again this year at the Boy Scouts of America’s Frank Childress Scout Reservation, located near Diamond. GLADE will celebrate its 16th year this June! Its impacts are profound throughout the Ozarks and beyond, as GLADE alumni are taking prominent places among the newest generation of conservation leaders. In 2025, GLADE grad Veronika Yerina was named the Conservation Federation of Missouri’s “Youth Conservationist of the Year”—the eleventh GLADE alum to be so honored in the last 14 years! In addition to that unprecedented recognition, the program has produced a long list of professional conservationists and community activists.

Birdathon works like walkathons and similar fundraisers--interested birdwatchers join teams and head out to spot as many bird species as they can in a single day, and your job as a supporter is to pledge a donation that rewards their success!

GOAS Birdathon 2026

Help Us Develop the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders in the Ozarks!

Team Leaderboard

Team Members