Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation selected “super volunteer” Glenn Pollock to receive the 2024 Lawrence and Eula Hagie Heritage Award. The award is given annually to a person who has demonstrated extraordinary personal service and commitment to improving the quality of Iowa’s natural environment while encouraging others to do the same.
“Glenn epitomizes the spirit of the Hagie Heritage Award,” said Joe Jayjack, external affairs director at INHF. “He has used his time, expertise and passion to care for Iowa’s prairies and to educate others about their importance.”
Glenn grew up in Denison, where many residents were able to recall a time when Iowa still had large, unplowed prairies. Their stories, along with fishing trips in the Loess Hills with his father, sparked Glenn’s interest in conservation. “Protecting Iowa’s natural environment is simply a part of who Glenn is,” said Chad Graeve, a Natural Resource Specialist at Pottawattamie County Conservation. Glenn spent his career working in biomedical engineering, but he spent a lifetime volunteering to protect and restore the natural world.
As one of Pottawattamie County Conservation’s longest-serving volunteers, Glenn has led prairie walks, conducted plant surveys and helped with prescribed burns since 1991. He has been instrumental in the protection of multiple nature preserves, including Hitchcock Nature Center near Honey Creek and Vincent Bluff State Preserve in Council Bluffs, where he has been the Stewardship Coordinator since the late 1990s. He is also active in the Audubon Society of Omaha, which serves southwest Iowa. With ASO, he was instrumental in the acquisition of two remnant prairies in Nebraska he now stewards, often with his own equipment and funds.
Glenn also spearheaded the installation of Motus Wildlife Tracking stations at several parks, including Hitchock Nature Center, Waubonsie State Park, Willow Lake Recreation Area, and Yellow Smoke Park. He even designed and installed interactive exhibits to engage visitors with real-time tracking data.
Alongside Glenn’s clear dedication to protecting and restoring Iowa’s nature, he shows just as much care and commitment toward mentoring the next generation of stewards. Chad Graeve credits Glenn for serving as an inspiration and actively providing opportunities that led to his career. “Glenn’s work to preserve the delicate, vital beauty of Iowa’s natural resources is creating a brighter future for all of us,” Graeve said.
Glenn was honored as the 2024 Hagie Heritage Award recipient at the Iowa Nature Summit in Des Moines. He was also celebrated at a small reception following a prairie seed harvest at Hitchcock Nature Center in October. CONGRATULATIONS GLENN from Audubon Society of Omaha!
