Three others recognized for promoting conservation
COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) today awarded its highest honor to three individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the protection and enjoyment of the state’s natural resources. Inducted into the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame were lepidopterist Dr. Jerome Wiedmann and birders Dick Tuttle and Dick Phillips.
“Ohio has a long, proud history of conservation,” said ODNR Director Mary Mertz. “These individuals have had a significant, positive impact on the wildlife and natural resources of our state, and it’s our privilege to honor their lifetime achievements.”
The agency also presented its annual Cardinal Award for conservation achievement to arachnologist Dr. Richard Bradley, botanist Jim McCormac and wildlife educator Manon VanSchoyck.
ODNR Director Mary Mertz presented the awards during a ceremony at the agency’s Fountain Square Complex in Columbus.
The Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame was established by ODNR in 1966. To date, 172 individuals have been accorded the honor, which recognizes a lifetime devoted to the preservation, protection, and wise management of Ohio’s natural resources. Previous Hall of Fame honorees include the legendary Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), Ohio-born explorer John Wesley Powell, botanist Lucy Braun, and conservationist/novelist Louis Bromfield.
The ODNR Cardinal Award honors individuals and organizations demonstrating exceptional awareness and concern for ideals reflected in the department’s mission statement: to ensure a balance between the wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all.
For more information on today’s recipients, including biographies, please visit ohiodnr.gov/news/post/odnr-2019halloffameandcardinalaward-dec2019.
ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR website at ohiodnr.gov.
OHIO NATURAL RESOURCES HALL OF FAME 2019 INDUCTEES
Dr. Jerome Wiedmann
As coordinator of the Ohio Lepidopterists Long-term Monitoring Program, Dr. Wiedmann spent weeks during each of the past 20 years surveying butterflies, teaching workshops, and spreading appreciation for butterflies throughout Ohio. Dr. Wiedman keeps the group’s volunteer list, sends the newsletter, and reports the group’s findings to ODNR and metro parks. There are now more than 75 butterfly surveys each year in Ohio, making it one of the top surveyed states in the country, thanks to his tireless volunteer efforts.
Long-term monitoring helps the ODNR’s Division of Wildlife determine the status of Ohio’s native butterfly species and plan programs to help with habitat development. Dr. Wiedmann’s recent publication of the long-term monitoring program results have reached international acclaim. More than 1,380,000 butterflies were counted in his study, setting it apart as one of the most complete and thorough study of any organism. This study is especially important as we see a decline in not only butterflies but honeybees and other insects in our ecosystems and look for ways to help reverse this trend. Having started with Ohio Lepidopterists in 1982, the growth, reach, and the acclaim of the group can be attributed to one person: Dr. Wiedmann.
Dick Tuttle
Tuttle started building bluebird boxes in 1968 as a hobby. He now monitors and maintains over 400 boxes annually. These boxes are responsible for raising more than 47,000 native birds in Ohio.
Tuttle’s unofficial volunteer hours, spent bird monitoring or handing out down feathers for children to throw in the air to passing swallows to build their nests, would eclipse many people’s professional careers. Whether hosting an education program or passing walkers near Hoover reservoir, he is always looking to share his love of birds. Tuttle has been responsible for decades worth of assisting, advising, and mentoring state and metro park staff and visitors, and monitoring and banding bluebirds and swallows while helping to establish the first osprey nesting platforms in Columbus that are still inhabited today. Tuttle has many phrases he is known for, including “What can YOU do about it?” and always ends his letters and blog updates with the sign off “Conserve On!”
Dick Phillips
Working in tandem with his friend, Dick Tuttle, Dick Phillips built, monitored, and maintained hundreds of bird nest boxes, banded birds for ODNR and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and maintained bird counts. Today, he also serves as Conservation mentor volunteer for the Delaware County Preservation Parks District.
Known as the quieter of the two, Dick deserves just as much credit for all the hours he has put in doing the hard work, including spending early spring mornings at 5 a.m. for three weeks attracting purple martins to nesting boxes at Gallant Woods Park.
His commitment to conservation, education, and Ohio’s outdoors has impacted our ecosystem more than we can fathom, but we can see pieces of it when we see an Osprey gliding over Alum Creek.
Tuttle met Dick Phillips while they both were teaching at Big Walnut Schools in Delaware County. They both share a love of the outdoors, education, and conservation. They shared this with their students and, after retirement, with entire classrooms that were invited to Delaware Wildlife Area to observe bald eagles and learn about conservation. The projects Tuttle and Phillips worked on are numerous and include eagle nest monitoring, and recently, the Delaware County Kestrel Project, yielding more than 1000 fledglings by Summer 2019.
OHIO NATURAL RESOURCES CARDINAL AWARD 2019 RECIPIENTS
Dr. Richard Bradley
The Ohio State University
Dr. Richard Bradley has collaborated with the ODNR Division of Wildlife for more than 20 years to inventory and document Ohio’s spiders. Dr. Bradley runs the Ohio Spider Survey (a citizen science project) and wrote and provided photos for the DOW’s Ohio Spider Field Guide for free. A top-notch birder and naturalist, Dr. Bradley has led hundreds of field trips teaching people about Ohio’s flora and fauna and is the author of Spiders of Eastern North America.
Jim McCormac
Retired ODNR botanist and naturalist/active naturalist
With the life goal of getting more people interested in nature, Jim McCormac has said “the more of us who care, the more likely that our natural world will survive.” Writing several books, numerous articles, and his blog, Jim constantly raises awareness for conservation issues in fascinating ways that can grab anyone’s attention.
McCormac was a long-time botanist with ODNR then moved to the Division of Wildlife until his retirement in 2016. He gave hundreds of talks and countless tours of the outdoors as a public outreach specialist. He volunteered outside of his state position, notably as President of the Ohio Ornithological Society and a member of multiple other groups, garnering awards for his contributions to birding in Ohio and for his many books. McCormac still writes a biweekly column for the Columbus Dispatch and continues to inspire Ohioans to get outdoors and explore nature.
Manon VanSchoyck
Ohio Nature Education
A strong collaborator with ODNR and the Division of Wildlife for many years, Manon VanSchoyck is a frequent presenter on wildlife education at the Natural Resources Park during the Ohio State Fair and founded Ohio Nature Education in 1997.
Ohio Nature Education is a private, non-profit volunteer organization which provides a home for animals that can no longer support themselves in the wild. The organization cares for these animals and incorporates them into creative and interactive environmental education programs for people of all ages and a wide variety of groups such as schools, Scout troops, garden clubs, senior centers, metro parks, and community centers.
Manon VanSchoyck’s passion for Ohio’s wildlife and her outreach efforts have had a significant, positive impact in educating and influencing the next generation of conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts.