Restoring our natural heritage...protecting our watersheds
Download our brochure (pdf file) Mission Statement Steering Committee Get Involved		The Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council is a coalition of individuals and organizations dedicated to researching, promoting, and educating the public about conservation-based gardening and landscaping practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. The Council is committed to fostering changes in public attitudes and the implementation of practices that result in a cleaner, healthier and more beautiful environment benefiting residents and the region's biological diversity.
In late 2003, CCLC members began working to define and guide conservation landscaping practices. In November 2007, CCLC released a working document to be tested, reviewed and refined as needed. CCLC welcomes feedback, recommendations, and new members willing and able to contribute their skills, knowledge and talents to future endeavors. Download Conservation Landscaping Guidelines: The Eight Essential Elements of Conservation Landscaping (pdf file)		THE EIGHT ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS of Conservation Landscaping Ideally, the Chesapeake Bay watershed would be filled with conservation landscapes, identified by the essential characteristics listed below. In practice, only a few model landscapes could claim to meet the conditions set forth by every bullet in this list, but the closer you can bring your own landscape to the one described here, the more you will be helping all life in the Chesapeake watershed. A conservation landscape: 1. is designed to benefit the environment and to function well for human use; 2. contains locally native plants that are appropriate for site conditions; 3. has an ongoing management process to remove existing invasive plants, and to manage the property to prevent future alien plant invasions; 4. provides wildlife habitat; 5. promotes good air quality and is not a source of air pollution; 6. conserves water and promotes good water quality; 7. promotes healthy soils, composts plant waste on site, and amends disturbed soils to encourage native plant communities; 8. works with nature to be more sustainable with less input.
		Calling all Conservation Landscapers! Show off your spectacular gardens and put our guidelines to the test. Submit photos of your work and a description of how the site meets the “Eight Elements of Conservation Landscaping” and you could be chosen as one of our CCLC field trip spots for 2008! Novice gardeners, students, schools, businesses and professionals are all welcome to enter. Complete contest rules and entry requirements will be posted soon at www.ChesapeakeLandscape.org and announcements will be sent to the CCLC listserv.
Join our list serve Our list serve members share questions and advice about a variety of topics related to conservation landscaping.  If you would like to join, send a blank e-mail To: ChesapeakeCLC-subscribe@yahoogroups.com You will be asked to reply to a confirmation e-mail to join the group.		See photos from our "Turning a New Leaf" 2nd Annual Conference Friday, November 9 , 2007 Northern Virginia Community College Annandale, VA 2007 conference details here 2006 conference details here