During their recent spring meeting, the Boone and Crockett Club presented Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, with its Conservation and Stewardship Award. The Club’s most prestigious award for conservation partners, the Conservation and Stewardship Award is given annually to the organization or individual that best exemplifies excellence in natural resource conservation and stewardship—core values of the Boone and Crockett Club and its founder, Theodore Roosevelt. Bonnie accepted the award after presenting keynote remarks during the Club’s annual spring dinner on March 27 at the 89th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

“The Boone and Crockett Club’s Conservation and Stewardship Award was created to recognize an individual or organization that plays an essential role in implementing Theodore Roosevelt’s vision of Conservation: acts of guarding, protecting, developing, and using natural resources wisely and sustainably; and Stewardship: planning for and managing natural resources responsibly,” commented James L. Cummins, President of the Boone and Crockett Club. “Robert Bonnie clearly represents this vision through his actions to implement collaborative conservation on working landscapes across this country. I have personally worked closely with Robert for many years, as have many other members and staff of the Club—we all agree that he is most deserving of this prestigious award for his commitment to conservation and stewardship throughout his career.”

Robert Bonnie is an avid outdoor enthusiast and a dedicated conservation leader. For four decades, he has worked toward developing innovative approaches to conserving America’s natural resources by creating incentives for farmers, ranchers, and forest owners to implement stewardship activities on private lands. From August 2013 to January 2017, Robert served as Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and in 2021, he began serving as USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation. In these roles, he has developed collaborative, landscape-scale conservation approaches, including policies to restore ecosystems, address climate change, conserve endangered species, and protect watersheds. Bonnie has also led USDA’s efforts to improve habitat for big game migration corridors through the department’s highly successful Working Lands for Wildlife initiative.

Cummins concluded, “The Boone and Crockett Club is honored to recognize Robert’s tireless and selfless devotion to furthering conservation and stewardship of our natural resources on public and private lands across America.”