Matt O'Connor to Receive 2026 Hagie Heritage Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Joe Jayjack, INHF External Affairs Director

jjayjack@inhf.org or 515-288-1846 ext. 19

 

Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation has selected Matt O’Connor of Hopkinton to receive the 2026 Lawrence and Eula Hagie Heritage Award. Endowed in 1989 by Jan Shindel and Ila Jeanne Logan in honor of their parents, Lawrence and Eula Hagie, 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.

The selection committee — made up of members of INHF’s board of directors — recognized O’Connor for his decades of work and innovation in conservation in Iowa, and his commitment to promoting good conservation policy.

O’Connor spent more than 30 years working at Pheasants Forever in a number of different positions. He was instrumental in launching the organization’s Iowa Native Seed Program and the Iowa Buffer Initiative, helping to protect and restore thousands of acres of native habitat across the state. He also played a crucial role in Pheasants Forever’s support of the creation of hundreds of public wildlife areas across Iowa.

In 2007, O’Connor developed Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s Habitat Team Program, and was named director of the Habitat Forever Division, where he oversaw a nationwide network of specialists implementing larger scale habitat restoration and improvements.

Rod Marlatt, one of O’Connor’s nominators, is a former director of Fayette County Conservation and the current president of the county PF chapter. Marlatt describes the Habitat Forever Division as an essential part of the organization.

“This program is vital to assisting and leading habitat improvements and establishment of public lands for multiple wildlife agencies. Matt’s 32 years with Pheasants Forever was stellar, innovative and over the top in its vision and success,” Marlatt said.

O’Connor was a champion of Iowa’s Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program, which provides funding for the restoration and protection of Iowa’s natural and cultural resources. O’Connor has also been a leader within the Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy executive committee, working on rallying grassroot support for funding the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund.

In January 2022, O’Connor retired from Pheasants Forever after over three decades with the organization.

O’Connor was nominated by Marlatt, Tom Fuller, Jim Wooley, Todd Bishop and Mike Schmitz. Each of his nominators made note of the overwhelming scope and good character displayed in each project O’Connor worked on at Pheasants Forever. His personality and boldness are described as “infectious,” which has aided him in his fierce advocacy in and outside of his profession. His demonstrable passion for the outdoors is evident in each letter of support.

INHF is elated to award O’Connor the Hagie Heritage Award. “We’re lucky to have had Matt working in conservation in Iowa for such a long time,” said INHF President Joe McGovern. “Pheasants Forever is a frequent partner to INHF in land protection, and Matt helped to make those partnerships successful. He embodies the spirit of the Hagie Heritage Award, and we’re grateful for his lifetime of work.”

Matt O’Connor will be honored at a celebration this fall where he will receive $1,500 and a hand-carved acorn sculpture, crafted by Iowa woodworkers Derek Seward and Logan Heissel.

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Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit conservation group that works with private landowners and other partners to protect Iowa's land, water and wildlife. Since its founding in 1979, INHF has helped protect more than 200,000 acres of Iowa's wild places. For more information, visit www.inhf.org. See a list of past Hagie Heritage Award winners here.