About Van

With deep Pennsylvania roots, Van Wagner blends his work as an educator and forester. In the classroom, he teaches Agriculture Science at Danville Area High School. He has been selected as Conservation Educator of the Year in 2005 from Schuylkill County and in 2007 and 2009 in Union County.

In 2012 he was awarded the Sandy Cochran award for natural resource education from the Pennsylvania Forestry Association. In 2015 the Red Cross presented Van with the Robert N. Pursel Distinguished Service Award. Outside of the classroom he educates audiences with his music and programs on Pennsylvania History. He received an Outstanding Achievement Award in 2018 from the Pennsylvania Heritage Songwriting Contest.

In 2021 he was recognized with an outstanding alumni award by the Danville High School alumni association. 

He is the 2025 recipient of the Penn State University School of Forest Resources alumni of the year award. In 2025 he completed his goal of climbing the tallest tree on the tallest mountain in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties in an effort to raise awareness about forestry in the state.