COLUMBUS – Do you know someone who has made it their life’s work to improve the quality of life in Ohio through their love and dedication to the state’s natural resources? The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) is accepting nominations for the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame.

For more than 50 years, the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame has been the state’s top honor for individuals who have improved the quality of life in Ohio through natural resources management, environmental education, or scientific achievement.

To be considered for induction, nominees must have been born in Ohio or made a significant contribution specifically to Ohio’s natural resources. Nominations may be made by any individual or organization in Ohio.

For more information on selection criteria and to request a nomination form, email Stephanie O’Grady at Stephanie.O’[email protected]. Online and mail-in nominations must be received by Monday, July 20. Nominations submitted by mail should be sent to ODNR Communications, 2045 Morse Road, Building D-3, Columbus, OH 43229, Attn: Hall of Fame.

Created in 1966, the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame has honored more than 170 Ohioans to date, including John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed); explorer John Wesley Powell; conservationist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author novelist Louis Bromfield; pioneering botanist Lucy Braun; and farming conservation advocate, Bob Evans. The 2019 induction class included lepidopterist Dr. Jerome Wiedmann and wildlife conservationists Dick Tuttle and Dick Phillips.

Selection of this year’s inductees will be announced in early August.