ODNR Awards Conservation Honors

Kent’s Larry Rosche presented with Cardinal Award

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) honored Larry Rosche and other leading conservationists who have made outstanding contributions to the protection and enjoyment of the state's natural resources.

ODNR Director Sean D. Logan presented Rosche with the agency’s Cardinal Award for Conservation for his efforts to research and inform others about Ohio’s valuable natural resources. The Cardinal Award honors individuals and organizations that demonstrate exceptional awareness and concern for ideals reflected in the department’s mission statement: to ensure a balance between the wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all.
“Larry Rosche’s research and writings have been useful tools to outdoor enthusiasts,” said Director Logan. “He is a true friend to conservation and is very deserving of the Cardinal Award.”

After being frustrated by his inability to identify species of dragonflies, Rosche took it upon himself to change that and wrote a book, Dragonflies and Damselflies of Northeast Ohio. The book laid the foundation for other field guides to be written, aiding naturalists and citizens in identifying these species.

From there, Rosche began focusing on birds and wrote field guides concentrated on the nesting, distribution and migration of Neotropical species. In addition to writing, he updated numerous digital maps including range maps for Eastern Birds, Eastern Butterflies, Hummingbirds of North America, and Reptiles and Amphibians.

Rosche has also worked on numerous field projects, including the Impact Study for the U.S. Route 30 extension in Stark and Columbiana counties. He is known nationally for his work as a member of organizations such as the American Birding Association and The Cleveland Bird Calendar.

Rosche is an active member of the North American Butterfly Association, Ohio Odonata Society, and the American Field Ornithologists. A retired math teacher, he is now a field researcher for the Conservation Outreach Program of The Cleveland Museum of Natural History and an avian and odonate biologist for BHE Environment, Inc.

ODNR also presented Cardinal Awards to Doug Adams of Camden, D’Arcy Egan of Marblehead and Tom Stockdale of Columbus.

During the awards ceremony, which was held at ODNR headquarters in Columbus, Helen Black of Cincinnati, the late Judge Guy B. Findley of Elyria, Tim Gerber of Worthington and Dean Sheldon, Jr. of Greenwich were inducted into the Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame.

The Ohio Natural Resources Hall of Fame recognizes a lifetime devoted to the preservation, protection and wise management of Ohio's natural resources. 145 individuals have been accorded the honor, including the legendary Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), Ohio-born explorer John Wesley Powell, botanist Lucy Braun and conservationist/novelist Louis Bromfield.