Robert O. Elstone is being recognized for his lifelong efforts to protect and share his passion for the natural world, starting with building and erecting bird boxes in elementary school.
A past president of the Hamilton Naturalists’ Club and the first editor of the Wood Duck, Bob led the formation of a junior naturalists club in the 1950s that trained many of Hamilton’s future naturalists and provided them with life-long inspiration.
His leadership of youth has also extended to the YMCA, church groups, and Rotary International. He organized weekly television programs on natural history and was an early campaigner for the separation of sanitary and storm sewers to protect water quality.
Now in his eighties, Bob is active in the formation of a land trust to protect escarpment lands.