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Activities
Historically, the Selborne Society worked with the local legislature to encourage policies on conservation and environmentalism. It was one of the first organizations to raise public awareness in England concerning environmental issues, and acted as an leading example to international movements such as the American Ornithological SocietyAlthough the Society originated from Selborne, its rise as a national society allowed for the rise of a network of branches across the United Kingdom.

Today, the Selborne Society owns and operates Perivale Wood Local Nature Reserve in London.

Reserves
The Selborne Society purchased local land enclosures for posterity in cultivating rare animal and plant wildlife. Volunteers were enlisted to maintain the enclosures and to report on the progress of reclaiming endangered species from extinction. In 1923, land in the Perivale Wood was purchased and memorialized to Gilbert White by an anonymous donor for approximately £5000. This reserve now house more than 600 species of fungi, nearly 300 species of plant life, and over a hundred species of birds.

Protests
The Society approached actively utilized legal pressure to further their goals to protect the environment. Rampant advertising, the draining of marshes, and the hunting of rare birds were often the target of criticism for the League. In 1893, the Society drafted an advertisement regulation bill to the local parliament and suggested boycotting commodities advertised offensively. In 1903, The Society hired paid inspectors to investigate 1,298 cases of smoke pollution and report these to the local authorities. Protests also surfaced through public outcry in the Society's published magazine itself, usually in the form of letters to the editor.

Magazines
The Selborne Society published a members-only magazine for nearly three decades.

Nature Notes
Nature Notes was first published in January 1890.

The magazine acted as a record of progress in the knowledge of natural objects and environmental awareness. Its editors combined scientific accuracy with digestible topics to further the Society's goal informing the public of environmental issues of international policies, laws, or other concerns that could threaten natural species. Abstracts of scientific reports, correspondence between noted authorities, and sketch competitions were utilized to encourage public interest in environmental pursuits. Poems, letters, and observations of the environment were published from the Society's members and local hobbyists.

International Response
The Selborne Society acted as a model for international environmental movements. The American Audubon Society and American Ornithologists' Union Committee on Bird-Protection cited the Selborne Society as the main model for addressing environmental awareness in the United States. The Society also published international correspondence in its magazine from botanist and zoologist enthusiasts across Europe and as distant as Ceylon, India.

Finances
The Selborne Society was funded almost exclusively by its members; in 1900, over 90% of the society's annual income of £41 came from subscriptions and donations, worth a total of $30,486 when adjusted for inflation. By 1924, over 60% of the society's income came from the sales of Nesting Boxes and Bird Baths. The World Wars had a drastic impact on the Society's income due to the necessity of the war effort, forcing many of its branches to cease function by the 1950's.