The Bird, Tree & Garden Club began on July 26, 1913 with the first public meeting being held on August 7 to elect Louise Igoe Miller as the first president of, as it was then called, The Chautauqua Bird and Tree Club. The BTG was started, “for the purpose of adding to Chautauqua’s uplifting influences a concrete expression of the altruistic principles of the conservation movement.” 

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Miller co-founded the Bird, Tree & Garden Club with Henrietta Ord Jones in 1913. Miller also served as Bird, Tree & Garden Club President from 1913-1923 and 1929-1931.

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The BTG has held a few different names over the course of its history: Bird and Tree Club (1913-1944), Bird and Tree Garden Club (1944-1962), and The Bird, Tree and Garden Club (1962- present).

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Information collected from 100 Years of Beauty by Mary Lee Talbot