The Copper Country Audubon Society (later Copper Country Audubon) was founded in the 1970s among local residents who were passionate about the preservation of the region’s natural heritage and saw the need for a structured group to focus on these issues. This group of like-minded individuals began organizing activities such as bird walks, nature education, and citizen science projects, all aimed at raising awareness about the area’s rich biodiversity and the importance of protecting it.

The group held its first official meeting in January 1976 in the Michigan Technological University’s Forestry building. Early members included Art Weaver, Frank Isaacs, Bob Janke, and Norm Sloan with the intention of conducting a “Christmas Bird Count” in this area. Their first count was in February 1976, followed by its first official Houghton County Christmas Count later that year. In its early years, the Copper Country Audubon Society focused on building community involvement and establishing a foundation for long-term conservation efforts. This included regular birdwatching outings, educational programs for local schools, and citizen science initiatives such as bird counts and monitoring local migratory bird populations.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the Copper Country Audubon Society continued to grow in size and influence. In 1994 they published their first edition of their newsletter, The Brockway Lookout, which keeps members informed about upcoming events, local conservation issues, and birdwatching tips. The CCA also publishes reports on their modestly funded research projects throughout the Lake Superior Basin, which has included funded migration studies from 2002-2016 at Manitou Island and extensive bird breeding work. Bird counts have continued at Manitou as well as the Apostle Islands region, Isle Royale, Houghton and Keweenaw Counties, and Point Abbaye. In 2010 the CCA and Laughing Whitefish Audubon launched Keweenaw Raptor Survey, a 3 year survey at Brockway Mountain to study spring raptor migration in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Education has always been a cornerstone of the Copper Country Audubon Society's mission. In recent decades, the society has focused on expanding its educational outreach, particularly to younger generations and broadening their work in the community. This has included organizing donations of magazines to local libraries, installation of birdhouses locally, offering nature-based workshops and trail-building, and providing resources for educators interested in teaching about the environment and local wildlife.