Pitches wanted (birds, climate, environment) | 50 cents to $1.50 per word

COMPANY/PUBLICATION: AUDUBON

Hannah Waters, Editor at Audubon Magazine, is looking for pitches:

I am looking forward to another year of Audubon journalism about how climate change is affecting birds and ecosystems, and new approaches to address the crisis. Writers, pitch me! Here are some examples of recent stories to show what I'm looking for:

• Scientific deep-dives into big unanswered questions in climate ecology, such as this Scott Weidensaul feature essay on how warming springs are altering bird migration and reproduction: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/spring-2022/a-matter-timing-can-birds-keep-earlier-and
• Stories that reveal how climate disasters can create opportunities to rethink conservation practice, like this lyrical, deeply reported Sarah Gilman feature on Big Basin's redesign after it was burned to the ground by wildfire: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2022/rebuilding-iconic-california-state-park-birds-and
• Explainers and reader service on present and future drivers of climate change, such as Spoorthy Raman on the air-conditioning conundrum: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer-2022/how-air-conditioning-creates-climate-conundrum
• As landscapes transform, conservationists are experimenting with new restoration methods, such as in this Jared Brey narrative news story about efforts to move NJ cedar swamp inland away from sea-level rise: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2022/how-new-jersey-plans-relocate-flooded-ghost-forests
• Stories that surface the deep tensions in renewable energy-wildlife conflict, like Kathryn Miles's rich feature on the obstacle course for migratory birds offshore the Atlantic slated to go up in the next decade: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/spring-2022/off-east-coast-massive-network-wind-turbines
• I can't resist a study story that reveals new challenges climate change presents for birds, backed by clean science, such as Lauren Leffer on how wildfire smoke can derail bird migration: https://www.audubon.org/news/new-study-first-explore-how-wildfire-smoke-derails-bird-migration
• And then there are the happy surprises amid dire climate impacts, such as Virginia Gewin's story on wetlands that emerged even as the Salton Sea shrinks: https://www.audubon.org/news/surprise-bird-rich-wetlands-emerge-dry-lakebed-shrinking-salton-sea
• One more: Experimental solutions to help wildlife survive what looks like inevitable extinction, like Lorraine Boissoneault on using biocontrol methods to address mosquito-board disease threatening Hawaiian birds: https://www.audubon.org/news/mosquitoes-rescue-last-ditch-effort-save-kauais-endangered-birds

Those are some approaches I am interested in — and many more, too. Here are Audubon's pitch guidelines: https://audubon.org/news/how-pitch-stories-audubon. I would love to work with you in 2023, don't hesitate to reach out and introduce yourself: hwaters@audubon.org

Rates are roughly $.50/word online and $1/word for print.

CONTACT INFORMATION (please do not share the email address publicly):

• Submissions: hannah.waters@audobon.org
• Website: https://www.audubon.org/

TO HELP YOU CRAFT YOUR PITCH:

• Learn more about the publication: Audubon magazine is a journalism enterprise of the National Audubon Society with a rich history of publishing work that celebrates bird life and probe many of the most pressing issues facing the planet today. Audubon's educational programs and materials combine with Audubon Magazine to introduce schoolchildren, families, and nature-lovers of all ages to the wonders of nature and the power of conservation at home and around the world. More information here.
• Read through a selection of recent articles/stories on its website.
• Review the submission guidelines here.
• Check out our collection of pitch excerpts on this page and find more sample pitches at The Open Notebook Database and at SuccessfulPitches.com.
• Do not forget to end your pitch with (1) a short introduction about yourself; (2) a paragraph highlighting your writing experience, relevant credentials and publication credits; and (3) links to your strongest work or portfolio, and online profile.

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