Each year, Bay Nature honors Bay Area-based conservation leaders for their outstanding contributions to the people and the natural world of our region.
Local Hero Award winners:
2023
- Environmental Educator: Blanca Olivia Hernández, YES Nature to Neighborhoods
- Conservation Action: Stuart (Stu) Weiss, Creekside Center for Earth Observation
- Young Leader: Alexii Sigona, Amah Mutsun Tribal Band
- Community Hero: Omar Gallardo, LandPaths
2022
- Environmental Educator: Megan Isadore, River Otter Ecology Project
- Conservation Action: Nonette Hanko, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
- Young Leader: Solwazi Allah, Urban Tilth
- Community Hero: Richard Tejeda, Saved by Nature
2021
- Environmental Educator: Clayton Anderson, Golden Gate Audubon Society
- Conservation Action: Wendy Eliot, Sonoma Land Trust
- Young Leader: Emma Lewis, City of South San Francisco
- Community Hero: José González, Latino Outdoors
- Bay Nature Hero: Doug McConnell, OpenRoad and Bay Area Backroads
2020
- Environmental Educator: John Muir (Jack) Laws, Nature Journal Club
- Conservation Action: Sejal Choksi-Chugh, San Francisco Baykeeper
- Young Leader: Avalon Qian, GirlVentures
- Community Hero: Vincent Medina, Cafe Ohlone and mak-‘amham
2019
- Environmental Education: Anthony Khalil, Literacy for Environmental Justice (LEJ)
- Conservation Action: Robert E. Doyle, East Bay Regional Park District
- Youth Engagement: Tina Cuevas, Bay Area Ridge Trail
- Community Hero: Lennie Roberts, Committee for Green Foothills
2018
- Environmental Education: Dr. Lisa Micheli, Pepperwood
- Conservation Action: Walter T. Moore, Peninsula Open Space Trust
- Youth Engagement: Sandra Corzantes, Youth Organizer & Nature Guide
2017
- Environmental Education: Rebecca Johnson & Alison Young, California Academy of Sciences Citizen Science Program
- Conservation Action: David Lewis, Save The Bay
- Youth Engagement: Uriel Hernandez, Canopy
See more about the 2017 winners here.
2016
- Environmental Education: Allen Fish, Director, Golden Gate Raptor Observatory
- Conservation Action: Andrea Mackenzie, General Manager, Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority
- Youth Engagement: Naftali Moed, Student Leader, UC Davis/ Putah Creek Council
- Bay Nature Hero Award: Malcolm Margolin, Heyday Books
See more about the 2016 winners here.
2015
- Environmental Education: Julia Clothier, Education Center Director, Point Reyes National Seashore Association
- Conservation Action: Ralph Benson, Executive Director (now retired) Sonoma Land Trust
- Youth Engagement: Javier Ochoa Reyes, Project Coordinator, Groundwork Richmond
See more about the 2015 winners here.
2014
- Environmental Education: Liam O’Brien, Lepidopterist/Activist/Illustrator
- Conservation Action: Craig Anderson, Executive Director, LandPaths
- Youth Engagement: Cheyanna Washburn, Youth Programs Assistant, John Muir National Historic Site
2013
- Environmental Education: Mia Monroe, Ranger/Site Supervisor, Golden Gate National Parks
- Conservation Action: Seth Adams, Director of Land Programs, Save Mount Diablo
- Youth Engagement: Cindy Moreno, Garden-Based Educator, Full Circle Farm
2012
- Conservation Action: Ellie Cohen, President & CEO of PRBO Conservation Science
- Environmental Education: Robin Grossinger, Director & Senior Scientist of the Historical Ecology Program, San Francisco Estuary Institute
- Youth Engagement: Sean FitzHoward, Founder, Protect the Bay Club, Lowell High School
2011
- Environmental Journalism: Harold Gilliam
- Conservation Advocacy: L. Martin Griffin, Jr.
- Environmental Education: Doris Sloan