Sierra Club Announces 2025 National Award Winners

Oakland, CA - Twenty-six environmental leaders from across the country are receiving national awards from the Sierra Club this year.

The organization's top honor, the Sierra Club Changemaker of the Year Award, goes to Dolores Huerta. A legendary labor and civil rights leader, Huerta has long linked farmworker rights, racial justice, and environmental health-mobilizing generations to see climate and conservation as inseparable from human dignity and public health.

The Club's top award for volunteers, the William E. Colby Volunteer Leadership Award, goes to Mary Ann Ruizof California. A member since 2000 and life member since 2015, Ruiz has led at every level-group, chapter, state, and national-building alliances with environmental justice partners, strengthening fundraising and unity, and mentoring emerging leaders.

The Environmental Service Award, which honors persons in public service for long-term commitment to the environment, goes to Howard Watts, a Nevada Assembly Member whose leadership has advanced renewable energy, wildlife crossings, sustainable transportation, and water conservation across the state.

The William O. Douglas Award, which recognizes outstanding use of the legal/judicial process to achieve environmental goals, goes to Eric Schaeffer. As former EPA Enforcement Director and founder of the Environmental Integrity Project, Schaeffer has spent decades holding polluters accountable and strengthening protections for air, water, and frontline communities.

The Ansel Adams Award, which recognizes excellence in conservation photography, goes to Pete McBride, whose acclaimed films, books, and photojournalism-from the Colorado River to the Grand Canyon-have inspired national action to protect fragile landscapes.

The Rachel Carson Award, which recognizes excellence in environmental writing and journalism, goes to Cameron Oglesby, a powerful voice for environmental and climate justice whose reporting has elevated frontline communities in the U.S. South and informed policy and education.

The Environmental Justice Awardgoes to Catherine Coleman Flowers, a MacArthur Fellow and nationally recognized advocate confronting the sanitation crisis in rural America and advancing environmental health equity.

The Edgar Wayburn Environmental Champion Award, the Club's top honor for public officials championing environmental causes, goes to Chairman Shannon Wheelerof the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee for his leadership in salmon recovery and Tribal-led clean energy innovation.

The Environmental Alliance Awardrecognizes Sierra Club members who advance environmental goals through collaboration with non-Sierra Club constituencies and goes to the Michigan Chapterfor more than a decade of leadership in the Oil and Water Don't Mix coalition to protect the Great Lakes.

The Chapter Strong Award, recognizing outstanding work to build chapter strength and capacity, goes to the Florida Chapterfor landmark statewide policy wins, innovative fundraising, and equity-centered grassroots expansion.

The Communication Excellence Awardhonors the best use of communications by volunteers to further the Club's mission and goes to John Hankinsof California, who has produced the Condor Callnewsletter for fifty years-one of Santa Barbara's most trusted sources of environmental news.

The Emerging Changemaker Award, which includes a $500 prize, goes to Sayed Bahauddin Mirbachaand Gwendolyn Springof Idaho-youth leaders whose organizing, public art, and peer mentorship are shaping the next generation of climate leadership.

Others receiving national awards from the Sierra Club this year are:

Atlas Award(for administrative contributions critical to chapter/group success):

• Chris Miller(Vermont) - Two decades of trusted financial stewardship and national service on finance and audit committees.
• Linda Smithe(Florida) - Revitalized the Loxahatchee Group with effective outreach, campaign leadership, and member engagement.

Madelyn Pyeatt Outdoors for All Award(expanding inclusive access to outings; includes a $500 prize):

• Eileen McManus(Missouri) - Three decades of leadership, mentorship, and partnerships connecting Kansas City communities to the outdoors.

Oliver Kehrlein Award(sustained service to the Sierra Club Outings Program):

• Mike Darzi(Virginia) - 22 years of exemplary leadership, from beloved holiday hikes to coordinating the region's One Day Hike.

Outings for Action Award(combining outings with education and advocacy):

• Niles Seldon(Texas) - Built a vibrant Austin outings community that turns outdoor experiences into conservation action.

Volunteer Achievement Award(single act of particular importance):

• Adriene Barmann & Rhonda Roff(Florida) - Created Save the Manatees, a film elevating threats to Florida's iconic species.
• Amy Mower(Pacific Northwest) - Led a landmark 130-page response to the Northwest Forest Plan Draft EIS protecting mature and old-growth forests.
• Dan Firth(Tennessee) - United bipartisan stakeholders behind the "Tennessee Waste to Jobs" coalition to drive recycling and task-force action.

Volunteer Service Award(strong, consistent commitment over time):

• Chris Applegate(Colorado) - Strategic, inclusive chapter building and donor engagement.
• Dick Hingson(Arizona) - Four decades safeguarding natural quiet in national parks and reducing air tour noise impacts.
• Karen Maki(California) - National forest protection leadership, public education, and policy advancement.
• Mark Woodall(Georgia) - 35 years of legislative advocacy, water protection, and volunteer mentorship.
• Steve Banashek(Virginia) - Statewide EV policy leadership, coalition-building, and volunteer mobilization.

A virtual celebration to honor the Sierra Club's 2025 award recipients will be held on Oct. 8, 2025 @ 7 PM ET. For details on how to watch, visit https://www.sierraclub.org/awards.

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About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.