“Made by Students, for Students. Young hearts, green minds, hands-on action; empowering youth, restoring nature, and fostering community through environmental stewardship in Loudoun County, Virginia.”

Our Story: The Origins of the Loudoun Nature Conservation Project

What sparked the Loudoun Nature Conservation Project?

The Loudoun Nature Conservation Project (LNCP) began with a simple yet powerful observation. In 2024, Christian, Carter, and I (Ryan) attended an Earth Day festival at Claude Moore Park to earn volunteer hours. What struck us was the absence of student representation. We were the only students there. It got us thinking: Why weren’t more students engaged in environmental efforts in our community?

Shortly after, I joined Keep Loudoun Beautiful as an area leader. Despite being a part of this established organization, I felt hesitant as I was the only student/teenager on the team. That experience only fueled my desire to create a space where youth could take the lead in conservation efforts.

Later, when we attended the Loudoun Environmental Education Alliance (LEEA) SEAS event at the Academies of Loudoun, we were inspired by the many student projects we saw. It became clear to us that we needed to do something different that allowed young people to take real action for the environment;

We saw a lot of awareness organizations but a lack of tangible and hands-on action.

Encouraged by another student, Solomon Afework (of now Virginia Tech), we devised the bold idea to start our conservation organization. That idea became LNCP.

When did we officially start?

The LNCP was officially registered with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the IRS on April 26, 2024. From April to August, we focused on building relationships with local parks, setting up our internal structure, and planning our first initiatives. As the school year began, we launched full operations—meeting with parks, organizing cleanups, and promoting our mission.

Mission Statement

LNCP’s mission is simple yet impactful:
“Made by Students, for Students. Young hearts, green minds, hands-on action; empowering youth, restoring nature, and fostering community through environmental stewardship in Loudoun County, Virginia.”

Shoutouts

While I’ve taken the lead as Director, organizing cleanups, posting educational content, and meeting with parks, I couldn’t have done this alone. I want to thank Justin Bridges, a dedicated member who’s been with us since the start alongside Christian and Carter. Though Carter and Christian have been busy with the Marching Band, their involvement in the early stages of LNCP was crucial to where we are today.