The William T. Hornaday Award is an award that was created in 1914 to recognize scouts who have made significant contributions to environmental conservation. Over the past 80 years, only about 1,100 awards have been issued to scouts across the nation. Troop 26 has created a program to promote this long-time award and to encourage scouts to take on Hornaday projects in conjunction with earning their Eagle Award.
There are several Hornaday Awards that are available. The awards are as follows:
- Unit Award – A BSA unit can earn a Hornaday award by completing an approved Hornaday conservation project as a complete unit. The requirements for involvement of all members is very stringent and this project requires the involvement of most members of the organization to earn the award.
- Hornaday Badge – To earn a Hornaday badge, an individual scout needs to complete a set of pre-defined merit badges and complete one pre-approved Hornaday conservation project.
- Hornaday Bronze Medal – To earn a Hornaday Bronze Medal, an individual scout needs to complete a set of pre-defined merit badges and complete two pre-approved Hornaday conservation projects.
- Hornaday Silver Medal – The Hornaday Silver Medal is the highest Hornaday honor to be achieved. To earn a Hornaday Bronze Medal, an individual scout needs to complete a set of pre-defined merit badges and complete two pre-approved Hornaday conservation projects.
To learn more about the Hornaday Award, visit the BSA Hornaday Award page.
The Troop 26 Hornaday Award Program
In an effort to encourage Troop 26 scouts to pursue opportunities to improve and help conserve the environment that we all live in, Troop 26 has established a program to help scouts earn a Hornaday award while also working to earn their Eagle award. Assistant Scoutmasters Shane Anderson (Hornaday Program Director), Dr. Kaveh Ashenayi, and Christopher Smith are leading the efforts to develop the Troop 26 Hornaday program into a quality program that has the potential to significantly impact the world we live in.
All Troop 26 Star and Life Scouts are encouraged to consult with the Hornaday team to determine if the Hornaday is a good fit for their Road to Eagle program. Scouts should fill out the Hornaday Award Program Form to request to be a participant.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What are the requirements for the Hornaday Project?
A: A Hornaday Project is similar to an Eagle Project, however it is required that a Hornaday Project be a conservation project. For more details, check out the Hornaday Conservation Project Workbook.
Q: What merit badges are required for the Hornaday Award?
A: To earn an individual Hornaday award, scouts have to earn a certain number of merit badges from both of the merit badge groups. The list of Hornaday merit badges is listed below.
| Group I Merit Badges | Group II Merit Badges |
|---|---|
| Energy | Bird Study |
| Environmental Science | Fishing |
| Fish and Wildlife Management | Gardening |
| Forestry | Geology Insect Study |
| Public Health | Landscape Architecture |
| Soil and Water Conservation | Mammal Study |
| Nature | |
| Nuclear Science | |
| Oceanography | |
| Plant Study | |
| Pulp and Paper | |
| Reptile and Amphibian Study | |
| Weather |
The following table lists the requirements that must be achieved to earn each level of Hornaday Award:
| Award Class | Group I | Group II | Projects Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hornaday Badge | 3 Merit Badges | 2 Merit Badges | 1 Hornaday Project |
| Hornaday Bronze Medal | 4 Merit Badges | 2 Merit Badges | 3 Hornaday Projects |
| Hornaday Silver | 6 Merit Badges | 3 Merit Badges | 4 Hornaday Projects |