The Ohio Biological Survey wishes to honor those individuals who have made significant contributions to our understanding and conservation of the natural heritage of Ohio.
The Ohio Biological Survey, in honor of its founder, established the Herbert Osborn Award to recognize noteworthy accomplishments and service in the field of biology as pertaining to the objectives of the Ohio Biological Survey. The Award is presented on an annual basis, and was initiated in 1991.
Affiliation Ohio Division of Wildlife: Division of Wildlife | Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ohiodnr.gov)
Eugene is a fisheries biologist by training and applied-limnology jack of all trades in practice; Program Director for Aquatic Ecosystems with Ohio State University Extension; and charged with outreach, classroom teaching, and research. He joined the Ohio Biological Survey Board of Trustees in 2018 and is active with several additional advisory committees and professional organizations. Fully embracing nerd status, he moonlights as a classical musician and serves as Artistic Director of the Columbus Guitar Society’s concert series.
Affiliation: Ohio State University, School of Environment and Natural Resources (https://senr.osu.edu/)
Dave McShaffrey is Professor of Biology, Environmental Science and Leadership at Marietta College. He completed his BS and MS at the University of Akron and his PhD in Entomology at Purdue. Since joining Marietta College in 1989 he has worked with the Ohio Odonata Survey (later to become the Ohio Odonata Society); he did field work and museum research as well as writing 5 chapters and co-editing the 2002 book “Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio” published by the Ohio Biological Survey, and wrote portions of the ODNR pamphlet on Odonata. He has been on both the advisory board and the board of trustees of the OBS. His photographs have appeared in a number of journal articles, magazines, textbooks and field guides. He is currently working on a field guide to Ohio Odonata.
Executive Director Toledo Metroparks (retired)
Steve has been on the OBS board for over ten years.
He has worked for four different park districts across Ohio, serving as the Director of three of those. He is still actively engaged with many conservation initiatives.
Professional Affiliations
National Association of County Rec. and Park Officials (past President)
Cleveland Museum of Natural History Trout Club (Board Vice President)
Ohio Biological Survey (Board)
Conneaut Creek Conservation Club (Past President, Consultant)
Parks and Recreation Association (NRPA)
Ohio Parks and Recreation Association (OPRA)
Steve is a performing musician, writing songs often inspired by Ohio history and landscape.
Jim Lane is an award winning American wildlife photographer, naturalist and author who has contributed to an appreciation of wildlife and the natural world immediately around us. The son of an amateur nature photographer Lane continues and deepens that tradition. His view of the world zooms out to sweeping natural sunrises and zooms in to reveal the detail on a bird’s plumage. While he has been to remote locales like Galapagos and the Caribbean, he is also known for his dozens of photographic articles on wildlife you don’t have to travel to appreciate. He offers an in-depth, detailed look at what is often right in front of us and overlooked. He is the author of a book series on Ohio’s wildlife and his art graces homes across the country and you can find it @jblane001 on Instagram. His day job is strategy consulting for the firm he founded and leads: Redbank Advisors LLC.
My affiliation is www.redbankadvisors.com
Mark Dilley earned a B.S. in Natural Resources (Fisheries Management) in 1991 and a M.S. in Environmental Science (specializing in wetlands) in 2003, both from The Ohio State University. He and his wife Christine are co-owners of a WBE, WOSB, and EDGE-certified environmental consulting firm, MAD Scientist Associates, specializing in ecological and wetland consulting. He is also a lecturer at The Ohio State University, where he teaches Wetland Ecology & Restoration.
Mark has nearly 30 years of experience as a field biologist, ecologist, and wetland scientist. He is an EPA-certified Level 3 Qualified Data Collector (QDC) for fish and habitat studies in Ohio, a Certified Senior Ecologist, Certified Ecological Restoration Professional (CERP), and Professional Wetland Scientist (PWS). Mark has conducted ecological surveys and ecological risk assessments on RCRA and Superfund sites in over 11 states for a variety of clients, including Department of Energy, NASA, the U.S. military, landfills, and the manufacturing industry. His academic research has focused on biological monitoring of streams and rivers and atrazine (agricultural herbicide) fate and transport processes in constructed wetlands. In his current role, he manages several dozen projects annually involving ecological surveys; environmental education; wetland delineation, permitting, and assessment; and wetland restoration and creation – ranging conventional storm water detention basin wetland retrofits and landscape-scale restoration projects covering dozens to hundreds of acres. Mark and the MAD Scientist Team also provide construction oversight, planting and invasive species control services for a wide variety of public and private clients.
Mark joined the OBS Board in 2013 and became Board President in 2015, a role in which he continues to serve.
Affiliation MAD Scientist Associates: https://madscientistassociates.net/