We are very excited to announce a new column debuting in this edition of Buffalo Audubon’s Outlook: “A Look Back.” This special segment invites you to step back in time and explore the rich, unfolding history of our organization and this very magazine.
For decades, The Outlook has been your guide to the birds, our programs, conservation, and the goings on of Buffalo Audubon and Beaver Meadow. But have you ever wondered how it all began? “A Look Back” will transport you to the early days of Buffalo Audubon, unearthing stories from archives that have shaped who we are today.
Each installment will reveal moments from our past, whether it’s a historical summary of early chapter achievements, a bird count from the 1950s, a conservation victory led by our founders, or a glimpse of The Outlook’s early issues. Through reprinted articles, vintage photographs, and modern reflections, we’ll connect the dots between yesterday’s challenges and today’s triumphs.
More than just reminiscing, it’s a celebration of the passionate community that has sustained us for generations. We hope this journey will deepen your appreciation for our shared mission and inspire the next generation of stewards.
Join us in this issue as we turn the page back to rediscover where we’ve been and renew our commitment to where we’re headed!
From Hand Cranks to Hard Drives
In the spring of 1952, the Buffalo Audubon Society truly “came of age” with the launch of the Audubon Outlook. But producing those first 500 copies was no small feat—it literally took 11,000 cranks of the Almendinger arm to run the printing press!
The quarterly newsletter was lovingly edited by a series of dedicated volunteers, starting with Mrs. Bradley Fisk, followed by Mrs. Leroy C. Melburg and Mrs. Elek D. Csont. In that very first issue, Vice President William Almendinger (the gentleman who did all the cranking) noted that The Outlook’s true value lay in its power to unite our membership and educate our community—a mission that still rings true today.
While the passion and purpose remain unchanged, our current editor, Sydney Bucholtz, has it a little easier.
Thanks to amazing technological improvements over the years, she can create each issue with out a single hand crank required!
Instead, she relies on computer programs, images, graphics, and illustrations—all digital—to develop each edition, before sending the design off to a commercial printer and addressing each copy. Admittedly, much less manual work!
Yet, despite the decades spanning between one of the first Outlook magazines featured here and the one you are reading now, the same goal and sentiment continue to ring true: The Outlook continues to be one of our most prominent ways to unite membership and educate our community—past, present, and future.
nostalgia to look forward to
“A Look Back” is a recurring column from Director of Operations Kate Watson that unearths stories from archives that shaped who we are today. Do you have news stories or items to share from years past at Buffalo Audubon? Reach out to us at sydney@buffaloaudubon.org!
This story originally was published in the Fall 2026 edition of The Outlook, a birding and nature magazine by Buffalo Audubon. Read more stories from The Outlook magazine online, or upgrade to subscribe and receive printed editions mailed right to you.
