Over the last four years, Bennett has led and developed four large-scale conservation initiative which included education and promotion to get others involved in solutions. He founded “Nest Boxes for Nuthatches” to help Audubon build 10,000 nest boxes to restore the Brown-headed Nuthatch in North Carolina, and he enlisted students to build boxes in habitat states. Additionally, he led projects for students to help restore pollinators and then expanded nationally by founding “The Scout Pollinator Garden Challenge.” His third initiative brought students together to clean rivers and properly dispose of tires. Continued conservation efforts included education and service to prevent invasive species and restore native habitats. So far, over 1000 people have directly participated in these initiatives, contributing over 3000 hours.
For all of his great conservation work, David was awarded the William T. Hornaday Silver Medal, which is scouting’s highest conservation honor, and the rarest award with less than 150 awarded in over 100 years.