Henry Shoemaker Conard (1874 - 1971) was a leading authority on bryophytes and water lilies, as well as an early advocate of environmental preservation.

In 1969, Grinnell acquired a 365-acre (1.48 km2) plot of cropland and established the Conard Environmental Research Area, in recognition of the legacy of the longtime professor.

His uncle, Alfred Fellenberg Conard, was a horticulturalist, specializing in the development and sale of rose varieties.

[2] After a short time teaching science in Westtown, he entered the University of Pennsylvania as a Harrison Fellow in Biology in 1899, completing his Ph.D. in botany in 1901 and joining Sigma Xi.

During his tenure at Grinnell, Professor Conard served as chair of the department of botany and, starting in 1935, as Chairman of the Faculty.