Protecting Natural Resources // What it's all about
The Hornaday Unit award is a special award given to a unit that has completed a significant conservation project in which 60% of the registered members must participate. The Hornaday awards were started in 1914 by Dr. William Hornaday, director of the New York Zoological Park and founder of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Dr. Hornaday is well known for saving the American bison from extinction. The Hornaday Awards are given to Scouts and/or units that are dedicated to natural resource conservation and provide public educational awareness on conservation. Very few awards are given out and only a little over a thousand have been given out in the past 95 years.
A Unit can choose one of several categories related to conservation; Energy Conservation, Soil and Water Conservation, Fish and Wildlife Management, Forestry and Range Management, Air and Water Pollution, Resource Recovery, Hazardous Material and Disposal Management, and Invasive Species Control. Once a topic is chosen the unit consults with conservation professionals to identify the best conservation practices for the proposed project, ensure the project will continue into the future, as well as, provide an educational component.