Al Van Huyck Honored by the Loudoun Environmental Commission

On Tuesday April 14 the Loudoun County Environmental Commission announced its annual Environmental Excellence Awards given to organizations and individuals for their leadership on environmental and conservation issues within Loudoun. The 2025 winners include Al Van Huyck, who received the Lifetime Achievement Award after 50 years of championing environmental conservation. Al was a founding member of Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains in 2006 and served as its president for several years.

In addition to starting Friends, Al served on the Loudoun County Planning Commission for six years and spent four years on the Agricultural District Review Committee. Al has been instrumental in shaping Loudoun County policies on agriculture, historic sites and natural resources. He also helped form and lead the Loudoun Preservation and Conservation Coalition and recently launched the Loudoun Cemetery Conservancy. In October 2024 Friends honored Al with a lifetime achievement awarded at its annual meeting.

The other people and organizations honored with the 2025 environmental excellence awards are “What About the Turtles,” Beth Sastre, Loudon Water, Ryan Nisay, and Phil Daley.

Phil Daley also received the Lifetime Achievement Award for environmental education, protection, and advocacy in Loudoun County since 1980. He has volunteered with a variety of organizations including Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy, the Goose Creek Scenic River Advisory Committee, the Audubon Naturalist Society, Banshee Reeks Nature Preserve and many others.

What About the Turtles, led by Tanya Finch, is an initiative to protect wildlife impacted by construction. Finch mobilized community volunteers and coordinated with a local construction company and a wildlife advocacy group on a rescue operation for box turtles trapped in a construction site.