In presenting the award to Dave Woodside, Ron Walker termed him “the last of the Grand Old Naturalists.” Woodside began his wildlife career assisting famed botanist and ornithologist George C. Munro in banding seabirds. He spent 27 years with the State of Hawaii, working his way to Wildlife Branch Chief in the Division of Fish and Game. His work in restoring the nene to Hawaii through the Pohakuloa Captive Propagation Facility and the Wildfowl Trust in England inspired similar endangered waterfowl restoration programs throughout the world. He also was one of the founders of the Hawaii Audubon Society.

Woodside helped establish several state and federal wildlife sanctuaries and refuges in Hawaii, including the Alakai Wilderness Preserve on Kauai, Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge on the Big Island, and Oahu Forest, Palmyra Atoll, and Kingman Reef National Wildlife Refuges. For a time, he managed the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands under contract to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. After he retired from the State, he went to work for the Service and spent another decade working to protect Hawaii’s native ecosystems.

“After 49 years of government service, he retired,” said Walker, “but he remains dedicated to the conservation of Hawaiian wildlife and their habitats and continues to mentor all who seek him out.”