William T. Hornaday Awards

The William T. Hornaday Awards were a series of awards presented by the Boy Scouts of America for service in conservation and ecology. The program is designed to encourage learning about natural resource conservation and the environment, teach sound stewardship of the natural resources and the environment, and recognize those who are outstanding in this field.
The new BSA Distinguished Conservation Service Award, a replacement of the Hornaday Awards will continue to recognize the conservation efforts of Scouts, Venturers, Sea Scouts, adult volunteers, and other individuals, corporations, and institutions that contribute significantly to natural resource conservation and environmental protection. The main difference in the new program involves a significant reduction in the amount of conservation projects required for the highest award (from 4 projects to 2), and the elimination of the Gold Badge for adults.
Awards.
The program was first established in 1915 as the Permanent Wild Life Protection Fund Medal (P.W.L.P.F.) by Dr. William Temple Hornaday, founder of the Smithsonian's National Zoo. The first medal was awarded on June 29, 1917, to Margaret Olivia Sage. Between 1917 and 1974, a total of 897 medals were awarded. In 1975, the program was revamped into a three-tier structure (Badge, Bronze, Silver) for youth recipients and introduced the Gold Medal for adults serving at least 20 years in conservation. Between 1975 and 2019, a total of 148 Bronze Medals, 154 Silver Medals, and 54 Gold Medals have been awarded by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, making them the most prestigious conservation awards in the United States. In 2015, Indy Nelson became the first scout to earn all three youth awards (Silver Medal on February 9, 2010; Badge on May 24, 2013; Bronze Medal on January 27, 2015) https://www.indynelson.com/hornaday/. 
Recipients of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Medal may wear the corresponding square knot insignia, with a blue, green, and white knot on a tan background, on the BSA uniform. Recipients of the Badge (2,705 awarded thru 2019) or Gold Badge (introduced in 2000 with 652 awarded between 2000-2019) may wear the corresponding badge on their uniform.
Program.
The awards are presented at several levels:
Origins.
This awards program was created to recognize those that have made significant contributions to conservation. It was begun in 1915 by Dr. William T. Hornaday, director of the New York Zoological Park and founder of the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Dr. Hornaday was an active and outspoken champion of natural resource conservation and a leader in saving the American bison from extinction. He named the award the Wildlife Protection Medal. After his death in 1937, the award was renamed in Dr. Hornaday's honor and became a Boy Scouts of America award.
In 1975, the present awards program was established with funding help from DuPont. At that time, the late Dr. Hornaday's idea of conservation was broadened to include environmental awareness.
Since 1915, a total of 1,253 medals have been awarded as of the end of 2019. These awards represent a substantial commitment of time and energy by individuals who have learned the meaning of a conservation/environmental ethic. Any Boy Scout, Varsity Scout, or Venturer willing to devote the time and energy to work on a project based on sound scientific principles and guided by a conservation professional or a well-versed layperson can qualify for one of the Hornaday Awards.
Recipients.
List of William T. Hornaday Award Youth Medal recipients
List of William T. Hornaday Award Gold Medal recipients