Justin Weber, age 11, of Austin, Tex., for his question:

HOW OLD IS THE AUDUBON SOCIETY?

The Audubon Society is an organization devoted to "promoting the conservation of wildlife and the natural environment and educating man regarding his relationship with, and his place within, the natural environment as an ecological system."

The first Audubon Society was founded back in 1886 and named for the American naturalist John James Audubon. Audubon societies were formed in many locations and in 1905 they were consolidated into a national organization with headquarters in New York City.

Today the National Audubon Society has several hundred local chapters. The sanctuary program of the society provides protection for 50 different areas of land and water, ranging in size from small offshore islands to a 26,000 acre tract of coastal marshland. its educational services include nature centers and summer workshops for adults and children and publication of a variety of teaching materials on conservation and nature.

A magazine called "Audubon" is published by the society. The group also publishes a journal about birds in North America and a newsletter covering developments in conservation legislation and related matters.