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Venturing Crew 621 of Leesburg was recently awarded the Boy Scouts of America's highest conservation award, the William T. Hornaday Award, for their efforts in natural resource conservation.
The Hornaday Award is the nation's oldest conservation award, dating back to 1914. Dr. William Hornaday was a pioneer in wildlife conservation. He helped found the National Zoo in Washington D.C. and went on to found and lead the New York Zoological Society for more than 20 years before becoming the Chief Taxidermist for the Smithsonian Institute. He is generally credited with saving the American bison and other wildlife species from extinction.
In 1914, Hornaday developed the requirements for the Wildlife Protection Medal with the first award made in 1918 and upon his death in 1938, the Wildlife Protection Medal was renamed the William T. Hornaday Award for Distinguished Service to Natural Resource Conservation.
Since the inception of the award, fewer than 1,200 medals have been awarded. Hornaday developed this awards program to recognize Scouts and Scouters who undertook and completed truly exceptional conservation projects and he established demanding standards, believing that only the most outstanding accomplishments deserved recognition.
For its work in natural resource conservation, Venturing Crew 621 was presented the first William T. Hornaday Award for Distinguished Service to Natural Resource Conservation earned by any Goose Creek District Unit.