The award was established in 2015 in honor of the late Terry Hershey, who dedicated much of her life to ecological conservation efforts in Houston and throughout Texas. Mrs. Hershey was a former member of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission and a founding board member of Bayou Preservation Association, Houston Audubon Society, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Research Center, The Park People, and Urban Harvest. She was also a past board member for Audubon Texas, the National Audubon Society, National Recreation and Park Association, and The Trust for Public Land.