LA PLATA, Md. – Esther Bonney, age 17, of La Plata, Maryland, has been named a winner of the 2024 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes. The Barron Prize annually honors 25 outstanding young leaders who have made a significant positive impact on their communities or the environment. Fifteen top winners each receive $10,000 to support their service work or higher education.
Esther founded Nurture Natives to protect native species and biodiversity while empowering youth. Her nonprofit educates adults and children about the increasing problems non-natives pose to agriculture, pollinators, and homeowners. To promote native plantings, her youth-led group hosts plant giveaways across Maryland, where they have distributed more than 47,000 native seedlings and 550 sapling trees and shrubs. Nurture Natives has also planted 2.2 million seeds and distributed $24,000 worth of native plants to underprivileged communities. Collaborating with horticulture experts, Esther has published “Nurture Natives: A Guide to Invasive Species and their Native Look-Alikes,” distributing hundreds of copies to nurseries across seven East Coast states.
Esther’s program grew out of personal tragedy when, at age 13, she lost her older brother to suicide. Seeking solace and refuge in nature, she filled her days with walks along the creek near her home. There, she learned to identify native plants and pollinators, rediscovering herself in the process. She became a 4-H Pollinator Ambassador, leading presentations at schools and libraries. After attending the National 4-H Summit on Agriscience, she returned home eager to address a local agricultural problem. Through discussions with local farmers and scientists, she identified a critical concern: the proliferation of invasive plant species threatening local crops and native ecosystems. Nurture Natives became her way to help through education and native plant giveaways.
Esther’s team has also helped pass state legislation banning Callery pear trees, a fast-growing non-native used in landscaping, and is working on new legislation that will enforce the integration of native plants into public landscaping. “My experiences have reinforced my belief that a flourishing environment is inseparable from the health of the communities it sustains,” says Esther. “I am committed to advocating for a future in which both our youth and environment thrive.”
The Barron Prize was founded in 2001 by author T. A. Barron and named for his mother, Gloria Barron. Since then, the Prize has honored 600 young people who reflect the great diversity of America. All of them demonstrate heroic qualities like courage, compassion, and perseverance as they work to help their communities or protect the planet.
“Nothing is more inspiring than stories about heroic people who have truly made a difference to the world,” says T. A. Barron. “And we need our heroes today more than ever. Not celebrities, but heroes—people whose character can inspire us all. That is the purpose of the Barron Prize: to shine the spotlight on these amazing young people so that their stories will inspire others.”