Hoffman collection of Maryland Conservation Federation photographs

Harry Lee Hoffman, Jr. (1895-1980) was a nationally known conservationist. Charter member and first president of the Maryland Outdoor Life Federation, he chaired the organization's first convention in 1934 at the Emerson Hotel in Baltimore. According to the organization's 1939 Annual Report, their purpose was "to coordinate and stimulate interest in the State of Maryland's outdoor life privileges and natural resources". Reorganized in 1950 as the Maryland Conservation Federation, the group promoted conservation legislation in Maryland, and organized outdoor life exhibitions (1938-1939 and 1960-1961). The shows in the 1930s drew over 300,000 visitors.

Mr. Hoffman was influential in the adoption of the Maryland Natural Resources Act, having overseen a statewide referendum on the issue of conservation. He served two terms on the Maryland Commission of Forests and Parks, which saw the establishment of Sandy Point, The Rocks, Susquehanna, and Gunpowder River state parks. Born in Baltimore, Hoffman attended the Maryland Institute, developing skills in advertising, printing, and public relations which proved useful in his conservation work. He ran his own firm known as H. Lee Hoffman Advertising, located at Charles and 22nd Streets.

A personal conservation project by Mr. Hoffman and his wife Charlotte Herbert Feast Hoffman was the establishment of their property, Ivy Hill Forest near Cockeysville, as a nature reserve. The land was sold or donated to Baltimore County, and is now known as Oregon Ridge Park.