Audubon Society of Rhode Island (ASRI), independent and unaffiliated with the National Audubon Society, was founded in 1897. The purposes of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island are to foster conservation of wild birds and other animal and plant life, to conserve wildlife habitat and unique natural areas through acquisition or other means, to carry out a broad program of public conservation education, to focus public attention on natural resource problems, to provide leadership when action on natural resource problems is necessary, and to take other actions to foster better management of the natural environment for the benefit of humans and all other life.