Ohio DNR Hall of Fame nominees needed for 2024

Columbus — The Ohio DNR (ODNR) is calling on nominations for the 2024 Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame, which honors people in Ohio who have made significant contributions to preserving and protecting the state’s water, soil, woodlands, wildlife, and mineral resources.

“It’s ODNR’s mission to protect Ohio’s great outdoors and it wouldn’t be possible without dedicated conservationists from all around the state,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “The Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame is a great way to honor those who have dedicated their life to preserve the state’s natural areas and wildlife.”

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The Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame, which was established in 1966, is the state’s top honor to recognize an individual’s work in outdoor conservation.

Previous recipients include John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed), explorer John Wesley Powell, conservationist and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Louis Bromfield, pioneering botanist Lucy Braun, and farming conservation advocate Bob Evans.

Last year’s Hall of Fame inductees included Denis Case, former ODNR division chief who helped start Ohio’s first bald eagle recovery program, Larry B. Mixon Sr., who served on the Ohio Wildlife Council, and Carolyn Watkins, former Ohio EPA chief of environmental education who contributed to outdoor learning education programs.

Nominees must have been born in Ohio or made a significant contribution to the conservation of natural resources in the state.

To submit a nomination, fill out the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame nomination form online.

Nominations submitted by mail should be sent to ODNR Special Projects, 2045 Morse Road, Building D-3, Columbus, OH 43229, Attn: Tina Fronk, Hall of Fame.

Hall of Fame inductees, along with Cardinal Award winners, will be announced during a ceremony at the Ohio State Fair. Cardinal Award winners are nominated by ODNR employees for their commitment to the department’s mission.