Hog Island by Melanie Furr

available scholarships

Georgia Audubon currently offers two separate scholarship opportunities for adults and youth: 
  1. The Georgia Audubon Scholarship Fund supports scholarships for youth and adult educational fee-based programs hosted by Georgia Audubon. 
  2. Our Summer Ecology Camp Scholarship provides two annual scholarships for one teen and one educator to attend National Audubon's summer ecology camps at Hog Island, Maine.
Please see below for further information about each scholarship opportunity and instructions on how to apply for each. 

Georgia audubon scholarship fund

Georgia Audubon values the diversity of both birds and people.  As part of our efforts to dismantle the systemic exclusion of communities underrepresented in birding and natural sciences, we have established a scholarship fund to cover the cost of program participation for individuals/groups for whom cost is  a burden. These scholarships are applicable to all Georgia Audubon programs for which there is an associated fee, including but not limited to Atlanta Urban Ecologists, Master Birder, Taking Wing, school programs, and webinars and workshops. 

​We are committed to creating educational opportunities that inspire and engage people of diverse backgrounds in conservation by instilling an appreciation for birds and the natural world.
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Students participating in the Atlanta Urban Ecologists program Photo by Melanie Furr
The Georgia Audubon Scholarship Fund is maintained through the generous contributions of our members and friends. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the Scholarship Fund today. For more information, please visit our Scholarship Fund page.
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We have additional scholarship opportunities for educators and teens to attend National Audubon's summer ecology camps. Please see the information below.

summer ecology ​camp Scholarships

For more than a two decades, Georgia Audubon has awarded two annual scholarships to attend National Audubon’s renowned summer ecology camps. This tradition will continue in 2021, providing camp fees and up to $300 travel expenses for one educator and one teen.

Louisa Echols Scholarship for Educators

PictureGeorgia Audubon member Sue Aughey attended Hog Island Educator's Week with a scholarship she received from Georgia Audubon. Photo by Anne Armstrong.
The Louisa Echols scholarship will enable the recipient to attend National Audubon's Camp at Hog Island in Maine to enhance his/her knowledge of the environment and incorporate that knowledge on the job. The scholarship recipient will attend “Sharing Nature: An Educator’s Week” from July 12 to 17, 2020. The recipient will participate in a host of Audubon Camp field trips, including a boat trip to the restored Atlantic Puffin and tern colony on Eastern Egg Rock, inter-tidal explorations, and hiking through Hog Island's unspoiled spruce-fir forest. The camp’s inspiring and experienced instructors will discuss the latest trends in environmental education and share their favorite approaches, methods, and activities for engaging children with nature and citizen science.

More information about the camp is available at http://hogisland.audubon.org/sharing-nature-educator-s-week.

Eligibility:
  • Be a teacher or environmental educator in Georgia currently teaching science, natural history, or environmental education.
  • Be available for an interview with the Georgia Audubon Scholarship Committee.
  • Be willing to participate in three Georgia Audubon activities within a year of camp, including writing an article about the experience for Wingbars newsletter.
  • Be 18 years or older.

Edward Barnsley Scholarship for Youth

PictureSelu Adams, winner of the 2018 Edward Barnsley Youth Scholarship, poses with other campers at the 2018 Hog Island Camp.
The goal of the Edward Barnsley Scholarship is to instill in the recipient a love, respect, and sense of stewardship for the natural world by attending National Audubon’s “Coastal Bird Studies for Teens” at Hog Island in Maine. During this intensive camp session, the scholarship recipient will work with some of the country's best-known birders and ornithologists on field identification, bird ecology, and conservation. The program provides participants with the opportunity to observe Audubon’s seabird conservation field research in action, and it is the only Hog Island program that lands participants on Eastern Egg Rock during the puffin breeding season.
More information about the camp is available at http://hogisland.audubon.org/bird-studies-teens.

Eligibility:
  • Be a student in Georgia with an avid interest in birds.
  • Be willing to participate in three Georgia Audubon activities within a year of camp, including writing an article about the experience for Wingbars newsletter.
  • Be 14 to 17 years old. Note: For campers that are 14 years old, due to airline restrictions, you CANNOT fly independently to camp.
How to Apply for the Louisa Echols or Edward Barnsley Scholarships:
Scholarship applications are available for the 2020 summer camp season by clicking the "Download Scholarship Application."  The completed application should be submitted via email to Melanie Furr, Director of Education, no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, February 14.  Winners will be notified by March 1.  For additional information, email Melanie Furr, Director of Education, or call 678-973-2437.  

The Georgia Ornithological Society also offers youth scholarships. Please visit GOS Young Birders' Scholarships for more information.