Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame

Background

The Missouri Conservation Hall of Fame is located in Runge Conservation Nature Center in Jefferson City. Established in 1988, the Hall of Fame is Missouri’s top honor for individuals – past and present – who have made significant contributions to preserving and protecting the state’s fish, forest, and wildlife resources.

The Hall of Fame honors living or deceased citizen conservationists, former employees of the Department of Conservation, and other conservation-related government agencies, universities, or organizations (including conservation law enforcement and conservation education-related activities) who changed the landscape of conservation in the state of Missouri in the field of fisheries, forestry, or wildlife resource management.

Current and former Conservation Commissioners and Conservation Directors are recognized in an appropriate manner in the Department headquarters and are not eligible for this award.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for consideration for recognition, the individual nominated must have been a member of the Missouri conservation community whose career in conservation significantly changed the dynamic of managing and protecting the fish, forest, or wildlife resources of the state and whose contributions were of paramount impact.

Nomination Instructions

Candidates may be nominated by any person, including committee members. Nominations should be submitted on the designated form and include a brief biography and detailed information pertaining to the individuals’ contributions to conservation. If confirming documentation is available, it should be included.

Provide as much information and detail as you can. Information submitted on this form is the only information used by the Hall of Fame Screening Committee. The Committee does not have resources to do background research on nominees or complete gaps in applications. Nominators are encouraged to work with others who may be able to assist with their efforts.

The Screening Committee Chair will notify the nominator the nomination application was received. Updates will be provided after consideration by the Conservation Commission. Not all those who are nominated will be selected. To uphold the integrity of this prestigious honor the selection process is very rigorous, and induction into the Hall of Fame is not guaranteed.

Screening Committee

The Hall of Fame Screening Committee is appointed by the Director of the Department of Conservation, and is composed of two active Department staff members, two retired Department employees, and the President and Executive Director of the Conservation Federation of Missouri. One active Department staff member will serve as chairman. The 2 Revised 2/2024 committee meets annually shortly after the first of the year to consider nominations submitted during the previous year. Recommendations for inclusion in the Hall of Fame are then submitted to the Conservation Commission for their consideration. The Conservation Commission is the final authority on induction into the Hall of Fame