William T. Hornaday Award
This Award is meant for All scouts, Venturer scouts.
Discontinued - replaced by Distinguished Conservation Service award.
The William T. Hornaday Award recognizes Scouts and Scouters for their service to conservation and ecology efforts in their communities. There are seven different Hornaday awards with varying requirements. The youth individual awards are based on earning certain merit badges and completing one or more significant conservation projects.
- The Silver Medal award is the highest possible attainment in conservation for a Boy Scout
- The Gold Medal is the highest possible attainment in conservation for a Scouter. The gold medal may be considered when a qualified Scouter is recommended by his or her council, by an established conservation organization, or by any recognized conservationist. The nominee must have demonstrated leadership and a commitment to the education of youth on a national or international level, reflecting the natural resource conservation/environmental awareness mission of the Boy Scouts of America. Nominations must be approved by the BSA's national conservation committee.
- A Unit Certificate can be awarded to a pack, troop, or crew of five or more Scouts when at least 60% of then participate in completing a unique, substantial, conservational project, but the square knot is reserved for those earning one of the medals.
These are the merit badges used for the Hornaday awards:
| Energy | Fishing | Nature |
| Environmental Science | Fly-Fishing | Nuclear Science |
| Fish and Wildlife Management | Gardening | Oceanography |
| Forestry | Geology | Plant Science |
| Public Health | Insect Study | Pulp and Paper |
| Soil and Water Conservation | Landscape Architecture | Reptile and Amphibian Study |
| Bird Study | Mammal Study | Weather |
The categories for conservation projects are:
- Energy conservation
- Soil and water conservation
- Fish and wildlife management
- Forestry and range management
- Air and water pollution control
- Resource recovery (recycling)
- Hazardous material disposal and management
- Invasive species control
Hornaday Awards:
- Hornaday Badge - Scout earns three of the bold merit badges, plus two others. Complete a project in natural resource conservation, from one of the project categories listed.
- Hornaday Bronze Medal - Scout earns the Environmental Science merit badge and at least three other bold merit badges, plus two others. Complete three projects from three separate categories listed.
- Hornaday Silver Medal - Scout earns all bold merit badges, plus any three others. Completes four projects, one each from four of the eight project categories listed.
Knot Description: Green/blue/white on green/blue/white knot on tan background with tan border.
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Comments:
Mar 12, 2013 - Ken Zabel
If you are interested in working on a Hornaday Project - and if you have any questions, please read this booklet that I put together and send me an e-mail.
www.ebbids.com/pdf/Hornaday%20Awards%20-%20K%20Zabel.pdf
Mar 12, 2013 - Charles Stokes
Just found out that one of my scouts (SPL) earned the Silver Medal. I'm very proud of him. He earned it while also doing his Eagle project during his senior year. He is now in college doing well. This was a monumental feat. Took about 6 months to find out he got the silver award. I'm curious to see how many others made it in 2012
Mar 12, 2013 - Yukon Jack
@ Charles. As of 2011, the Silver Hornaday Medal (youth only) has been awarded 94 times since 1924. The Gold Medal (adults only) less than 50. The Bronze Medal just over 1100 (youth). Total Hornaday awards number just under 7,000, so the extra thousands are the certificates, the silver (youth) badge, and the gold (adult) badge.
May 06, 2013 - Chuck Douglass
Question for the forum... if a boy pursues and is awarded the Hornaday Badge, does this single project then also "count" toward the three minimum for the Bronze Medal when he applies for the medal at a later date? The official BSA Hornaday Awards pamphlet alludes to, but does not explicitly state, this case. And, the submission form for the medal does ask whether the candidate has earned the Badge. Anyone?
May 06, 2013 - Yukon Jack
@ Chuck. Yes. The badge->bronze medal->silver medal should be cumulative, not three separate awards. After all, you can't earn the merit badges twice, can you? Bottom line, if a scout earns the silver medal, he should also have already earned the bronze and badge in past years. Of course, some just wait to send in all three (or two) applications at once. Just don't do what I did and send in your applications after the 18th birthday, they'll reject you (even though the scouting.org website says nothing about a paperwork deadline, only a requirements deadline).
Oct 08, 2013 - Gene
Does anyone know if a cub scout pack has ever earned the Hornaday Unit Award? What kind of service project could one realistically plan for kids 7-11 years old?
Oct 08, 2013 - Scouter Paul
@Gene - Yes, I expect many have earned it. Pack 81 in Loveland, CO; Pack 303 in Minnetonka, MN; Pack 307 in Alamosa, CO
Pack 307 project is at: rmcbsa.org/HighMountain/News/2013FirstWilliamTHornadayUnitAward
Other prjoect ideas: collecting prairie grass seeds, building bluebird houses, removing invasive species, see longspeakbsa.org/conservation/projects/ProjectIdeas.html
Nov 03, 2013 - Ken Zabel
@Yukon Jack & Chuck Douglass
CORRECTION: The first project CAN be used for the Hornaday badge and one of the medals. However, if you apply for a Hornaday Bronze Medal (3 projects) you CANNOT use the same projects towards the Silver Medal (4 projects). I tell scouts after they complete the third project to decide if they want to complete #4 - or apply for the Bronze Medal. ALL projects are also eligible to earn Hornaday Unit Awards (if 60% of the scouts work on the project).
Nov 04, 2013 - Yukon Jack
Interesting, that is definately something I'd never heard. Can you please provide a link or scout manual or something that details that nuance, because for the life of me it's not on any of the application forms nor scouting.org. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time National had some minute rule that is not clear (or even written down anywhere for scouters to find) that they throw at you without any means to overcome. (Yes, I speak from experience getting awards denied at National and told that any appeal would be denied due to Rule X that I can find nowhere but in their email.)
Nov 04, 2013 - Ed Kelly
RE; Badge project & Medal awards. Thanks Ken...I posted last week the same info plus awards dat for past 5 years but it has been removed?? Anyway, you are correct..It states in the actual youth medal application..."You may also use one project for which you have already earned the William T. Hornaday badge." It should be noted that a scout may complete a total of 4 projects and apply for the silver award but it is possible that he may only be awarded the bronze based upon national's assessment of the project, its learning opportunities and scope. It has happened and there is a post out there in a news article.
Nov 04, 2013 - Ed Kelly
Five year award data from BSA National (Susan Fitzhugh)
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Badge 71 100 111 122 116
Bronze 7 4 1 5 4
Silver 6 3 9 5 4
Mar 21, 2014 - Lowell
Was wondering if the unit award can be earned at the same time as the badge award?
Apr 26, 2014 - Marc
Because the Hornaday awards require the completion of merit badges, how do the young women in our Venture Crew earn this award if they do not earn merit badges?
Apr 28, 2014 - Yukon Jack
@ Marc. The Hornaday youth badge and medals have different requirements for Venturers and Boy Scouts. Girls in a crew are 100% able to complete the Venturing requirements. A boy who is both in Venturing and Boy Scouts must pick which requirements he wants to do...cannot pick and choose. A boy who is only registered as a Venturer, but is still earning merit badges for Eagle is technically not a boy scout, and should use the Venturing requirements, not the boy scout (i.e. merit badge based) requirements.
Jun 16, 2014 - DL Wayne
Our Pack built wood duck houses and installed them this spring on DNR managed land, the local Parks staff made certain areas available to us but it wasn't really a joint project. Could this still qualify for Hornaday?
Jun 20, 2014 - Scouter Paul
@Wayne - The BSA Hornaday page linked above has details and application forms. If you feel your project meets the stated requirements, then you can complete the unit award form and submit it to your council. The council will accept it or not, and then pass it on to the national office. The application requires the contact information of the conservation advisor that was involved.
Typically, planning a project for the award makes more sense than applying for the award as an afterthought after doing the work.
Jul 04, 2014 - Ken Zabel
@ Wayne - for a cub scout level project, building and installing duck houses definitely will qualify the pack for a Hornaday Unit Award - IF 60% of your pack participated. If not the pack, perhaps a den? I would be glad to be your Hornaday Advisor and help you with the application. Send me a message - HornadayAdvisor@gmail.com
Dec 20, 2014 - Jules Hannah
My son just earned the Hornaday Silver Medal. I have been trying to find out the actual amount of silver medals earned but it seems no one can tell me. Yukon Jack stated a number of 94 as of 2011. Where can I verify that information?
Jan 18, 2015 - Ken Zabel
114 Silver Hornaday Medals between 1975 (year begun) and 7/15/2013
(from BSA National) Number of Hornaday Awards (year introduced) presented nationally as of July 15, 2013:
Hornaday Badge (1914): 2,177
Hornaday Medal (1914-1974): 897
Hornaday Bronze Medal (1975): 127
Hornaday Silver Medal (1975): 114
Hornaday Unit Award (1940): 726
Hornaday Gold Badge (2000): 357
Hornaday Gold Medal (1975): 39
Hornaday Gold Certificate (1990): 15
Feb 05, 2015 - Ed Kelly
BSA National Hornaday Awards 5 year
Year � � � � 10 � �11 � � �12 � � �13 � � �14
Badge � � �111 �122 � 116 � �100 � 115
Bronze � � �� �1 � � � 5 � � � 4 � � � �5 � � � 1
Silver � � � �� � 9 � � ��5 � ��� 4 � � � �8 � � � 7
Feb 23, 2015 - Ricky Luckett
Couple of Questions:
Can a Troop work together to earn the Hornaday Badge (per however many Scouts work on the project), provided the Scouts still earn their individual, respective merit badges? Or is this an individual project per individual - like an Eagle Scout project?
When a Hornaday Badge is awarded, where on their uniform is it worn?
Feb 23, 2015 - Scouter Paul
@Ricky - The projects are similar in scope to Eagle Scout Service Projects. Each project needs to be counted by one, single scout - a single project can't be counted by multiple scouts.
The Hornaday Badge is worn in the same location as square knots - above the left pocket.
Jul 27, 2015 - DMP Scouter
I would like to offer the Hornaday Certificate award for our pack of cub scouts. Trying to get ideas for our conservation projects. I was thinking of maybe having the pack build bat houses. Does the Hornaday award have the same requirement as a eagle scout project as where it can not be done on a BSA property?
Jul 27, 2015 - DMP Scouter
reading the comments above it mentioned a den could possibly earn the Hornaday certificate award? Is that correct or is it only done at the pack level?
Jul 28, 2015 - Scouter Paul
@DMP - Building, and installing, bat houses sounds like it would
be a great project for a Pack, as long as it is addressing some
environmental need and has been approved by your Hornaday advisor
first. There is an application form in the BSA literature (linked
to above) that is completed and sent in.
The project can be done on BSA property.
According to the BSA literature, a den would not be able to earn a Hornaday certificate. It needs to be 60% of the Pack participating.
The project can be done on BSA property.
According to the BSA literature, a den would not be able to earn a Hornaday certificate. It needs to be 60% of the Pack participating.
Aug 26, 2015 - Ken Zabel
If any scout or "unit" would like a Hornaday Advisor - please feel free to ask me. HornadayAdvisor@gmail.com
Aug 26, 2015 - Ken Zabel
@DMP: Clarification from BSA National on a "unit" - a den or patrol is not a BSA unit. It is only available to a unit, a Pack or a Troop.
Feb 20, 2016 - ed Kelly
BSA has released (2016) an online free workbook to provide more structure to Hornaday applicant project write-up's. It can be found at www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/Hornaday_Award_Conservation_Project_Workbook.pdf. It is aligned with Eagle Workbook. It is not required, but recommended. For those candidates with projects already in the pipeline or near submission, make sure your project write-ups contain important info noted in the workbook.
Aug 25, 2016 - Paula A Mazurkiewicz
My son is a First-Class Boy Scout. He completed a conservation
project for a local state park. He built brush shelters and
participated in Cornell University's feeder watch. Would he
qualify for this award? Thanks, Paula
Aug 26, 2016 - Scouter Paul
@Paula - The scout needs to "plan, lead, and carry out a
significant project", not just participate in a project as a
member of a group. If he's interested in earning this award, he
should talk to his scoutmaster about finding a Hornaday Advisor
and start discussing what project to do.
Apr 26, 2018 - Wayne
Who received the first Silver Hornaday Medal? I have this
strange feeling that I was the first as I received it in August
1975. Because it was established in 1975, my guess is that I
have to be the first or one of the first to receive it. I am
trying to verify that fact. When it was presented, no one knew
why the medal was silver. Everyone presumed that National had
just changed the design from bronze to silver. It was not until
years later that I learned how special the award is. In fact,
unlike today, there was no certificate given. Just the medal
with my name engraved on the back.
Nov 30, 2020 - Yukon Jack
All. Be aware, the Hornaday awards, all seven of them, are gone.
As of November 11th, 2020 they have been completely replaced by
the BSA Distinguished Conservation Service (DCS) Awards.
All three youth awards are consolidated into one, requiring two projects. It most closely resembles the old bronze medal. The award is a certificate and the square knot. No medal.
Adults can only receive a national award, most closely resembling the old 20-year gold medal. Also now a certificate and knot, no medal.
The badges and unit award are totally gone. No more entry level recognition or club scout opportunity. The organization certificate remains.
All three youth awards are consolidated into one, requiring two projects. It most closely resembles the old bronze medal. The award is a certificate and the square knot. No medal.
Adults can only receive a national award, most closely resembling the old 20-year gold medal. Also now a certificate and knot, no medal.
The badges and unit award are totally gone. No more entry level recognition or club scout opportunity. The organization certificate remains.
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