Each year, Bay Nature honors Bay Area-based conservation leaders for their outstanding contributions to the people and the natural world of our region. The most recent Local Hero Awards took place on March 26, 2023 and can be viewed here.
Local Hero Award winners:
2023
- Environmental Educator: Blanca Olivia Hernández, YES Nature to Neighborhoods
- Conservation Action: Stuart B. (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