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Blogger Kristen Koch August 12, 2025 I am a moderate person. It takes a lot for me to experience extreme emotional highs and lows. I rarely give a review that is at the highest or lowest ends of the scale. I am not conservative or liberal. I am not outgoing, but I don’t consider…
Blogger Beth Ginter July 2, 2025 Green Roofs: Reaching for the Sky and a Cleaner Bay You may have looked up from a city sidewalk to see leaves and branches peeking over the edge of a tall building or been surprised to see a meadow sparkling with flowers outside an office window. Your eyes…
Bloggers Beth Ginter & Emily Littleton June 10, 2025 Restoring the Chesapeake Bay is a big job. That’s why I’m honored to work alongside an incredible team. Thanks to them, we’ve reached a big milestone: We’ve just certified our 1,600th Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional. It’s why every member of our team is…
Blogger Beth Ginter May 21, 2025 At CCLC, odd numbered years are conference years. Those of you who’ve been involved with our organization for a while know that well before there was a CBLP program, there was Turning a New Leaf. It’s an important part of our commitment to providing quality educational programming…
As our team enjoys a well-deserved winter break, I find myself reflecting on the hard work we have done this year, how far we’ve come since the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional program (CBLP), and the changes coming in the upcoming year. Shereen and Beth at a CBLP Level 2 class …
Location: Washington, D.C, Park Drive between Branch Ave. & 30th St. SE Type of buffer: Urban Partners Involved: D.C Department of Energy and Environment, Biohabitats, Inc. Submitted by: Josh Burch & Matt Gallagher The District of Columbia Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) has recently achieved a significant milestone in environmental restoration on National Park…
Location: Sussex County (Inland Bays Watershed) Type of buffer: Agricultural Partners Involved: The State of Delaware through DNREC and the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation – through Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Submitted by: Phil Miller, The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is part…
Location: Geisinger Woodbine Facility, Danville PA, Montour County Partners Involved: Central PA Stream Team, Native Creations Landscape Services, Geisinger Submitted by: Justin Ulanoski, Native Creations Landscape Services As we passed by the Geisinger facility, we couldn’t help but notice the eroding streambanks that marred the otherwise manicured lawn. It was clear that something…
Location: Bee Tree Preserve in Baltimore County Partners Involved: Gunpowder Valley Conservancy Submitted by: Kim Thomas of the Gunpowder Valley Conservancy & Larry Quarrick of the Chesapeake Conservation Landscape Council In celebration of Riparian Buffer Month, the Chesapeake Conservation Landscape Council (CCLC) is excited to showcase a buffer success story in central Maryland. The…
Location: Lodge Creek Urban Buffer Partners Involved: Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District Type of Buffer: Urban Submitted by: Blair Blanchette In Charlottesville, VA, a remarkable project has taken shape: a 1,500 square foot residential buffer aimed at revegetating 100 feet of Lodge Creek. This initiative not only addresses critical environmental concerns but…
Blogger Katie Pinkham September, 17 2024 In November 2023, the Scotty Scholars Fund was established to celebrate the life and legacy of Scotty Guinn Dilworth. Thanks to the generous contributions from Scotty’s loved ones and supporters of CCLC, we have been able to award ten Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Level 1 Scholarships. …
July 1, 2024 By Blair Blanchette, Virginia Conservation Assistance Program Coordinator, Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts “What we’re going to look for is the spread, right? And disappearance.” Dave Hirschman says as two technicians pour water over a paver-covered parking area. Air bubbles up at the seams between pavers. The…
April 9th, 2024 By Jim Edward About 20 years ago, I started treating myself to a special “outdoors day” on or around my birthday each year. I would go somewhere in the Chesapeake Bay watershed for a hike and take photos all day. Over the years, more often than not, I would wind up going…
March 19th 2024 By Jason Swope One of the most interesting aspects of landscape maintenance is that there is always something more to learn, and I think this is truer today than when I first started in the industry thirty years ago. Conservation landscaping and green stormwater infrastructure wasn’t something that I was…
Landscaping crews gather outside a public library in SE DC for training on shrub pruning and inlet cleaning. February 20, 2024 When we started this blog in June of 2020 it was based on the simple idea that we are much stronger when we work together, and in 2024 that is still a principal…
Many stormwater BMPs start with diverse planting palettes (left side) only to succumb after several years of shaginess to “maintenance by weed-whacker” (right side). PH: Dave Hirschman February 6, 2024 Maintenance, it seems, is always on our minds, and also frequently discussed in training here at CCLC, so we were excited to hear that…
Blogger Kristen Koch December 20, 2023 Nine years ago, I was two years into my career when I was contacted by Connie Schmotzer, a fellow Penn State Extension employee who I had yet to meet. She informed me that she was on the Board of the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, that they were looking for…
Blogger Shereen Hughes November 14th 2023 A year ago, in October 2022, we lost an amazing Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP), Scotty Guinn Dilworth. Scotty practiced what we preach at CCLC. She utilized the Eight Essential Elements of Conservation Landscaping long before becoming a certified CBLP. Scotty designed beautiful conservation landscapes and utilized…
Blogger Beth Ginter October 26th 2023 This week, I traveled to western New York, in the fine company of my husband and dogs, where Dave Hirschman and I led a workshop, “Sustainable Landscaping in Our Watershed,” for the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy (CWC). I don’t often travel such long distances for work events due mainly to…
Guest Blogger Rebecca Lauver October 2nd 2023 As riparian forest buffer plantings become increasingly prevalent, more and more folks are aware of what a successful tree planting looks like in the field. Having a maintenance plan in place, proper native species selection, and appropriate planting techniques are all more commonplace aspects of riparian…
Guest Blogger Lori Lilly July 11th, 2023 My introduction to biochar came about 2018 from my colleague Paul Sturm who has his own nonprofit called Ridge to Reefs that does incredible work around the globe, especially on sensitive island ecosystems. I was kind of an “instant fan” of biochar, which later turned into a minor…
This post first appeared on Dave Hirschman’s blog on June 17th 2023. We felt that it was the perfect tribute to an icon of our field and wanted to share it with our readers as well. Guest Blogger David Hirschman July 5th 2023 It was fifteen years ago, and the meeting conference center meeting…
In Summer 2003, representatives of non-profit organizations, businesses, governmental agencies, and committed individuals from throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed came together to form the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council (CCLC). This new organization was developed to promote the principles of conservation landscaping and encourage its proliferation throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. CCLC set out to…
Guest Blogger Calvin Perry June 2nd, 2023 The outdoors have always been a place of comfort and respite throughout my life. Growing up, there was a Forsythia bush in front of my parents’ house that I would crawl into and hide among the flowers and leaves. There, I was as happy as could be.…
Standardizing Methods for Creating Suburban Native Wildlife Habitats in the NCR Guest Blogger Adrian Willing May 16th, 2023 Bee American, Plant Native LLC is a native plants landscaping consultancy based out of Northern Virginia. What began as a passion for the local ecology and pollinators, has evolved to incorporate a sense of patriotism and…
April 27th 2023 By guest blogger Brian Koehler Inspired by the process of achieving CBLP Level 1 certification, I received permission to implement a small turf reduction project on the Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society (PRPS) office property as a sample bio-swale for others in the industry. The project began in the Summer of 2021…
March 22nd 2023 By Jason Swope The Redbuds were in full bloom as I departed from Western Maryland on a Friday evening in April. I had an appointment the next morning in Norfolk, VA, with fellow Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professionals (CBLPs) and a group of community volunteers who were helping to build a living…
February 14th 2023 By Leslie Hunter Cario What an incredible opportunity for CCLC members to learn about native seed production this past August, when Ernst Conservation Seeds hosted us for a Field Day! Located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, in the northwest corner of the state, it was a journey for some participants, who traveled…
Guest Blogger Tony Campisi January 10th, 2023 Imagine for a minute, life without nature. Imagine a spring morning without a robin, a summer night without fireflies. Think of a drive in the fall without the changing of leaves. Close your eyes and really think of a world without trees. Imagine if children rolled logs…
Blogger Beth Ginter December 21st, 2022 This fall, I had the good fortune to spend five days sailing down the Bay from Galesville, MD, to Norfolk, VA with my friends, Kate and Jack, on their relatively new (to them) Morgan 38. I learned to sail as an adult, taking lessons on a Sunfish in the…
November 9, 2022 By Kristen Parsons DC Green Infrastructure Projects Assistant Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay How do you balance multiple organizational missions while collaborating on a project? What do you do if the community you are trying to help doesn’t understand why you want to remove trees and shrubs in their neighborhood? How do…
Location: Natural Bridge Station, VA Partners Involved: Chesapeake Bay Foundation Type of Buffer: Agricultural Submitted by: Sarah Coffey Landowners/producers Bill and Lea Braford rotationally graze a cow-calf herd on a 250-acre farm in Rockbridge County, Virginia. During a field visit hosted the Upper and Middle James Riparian Consortium in April 2021, Chesapeake Bay…
October 17th, 2022 By Cindy Adams Dunn At the start of my career, I worked as an environmental educator and leader of Pennsylvania’s emerging efforts to improve the quality of its rivers and streams that flowed to the Chesapeake Bay. Then, just as now, I could be found along waterways in the dirt…
Location: Pennsylvania Partners Involved: 238 different partners Type of Buffer: Urban, Costal, and agricultural Submitted by: Brenda Sieglitz How does 1 organized group of partners plant 10 million trees? Collaboration. Dedication. Transparency. Commitment. GUTS. With 236 partners and more signing on every day, it’s been a monumental challenge to figure out how to count all…
Location: Alger Park, Washington D.C Partners Involved: DC Department of Energy and Environment, Department of Parks and Recreation, Department of Transportation, LimnoTech, Biohabitats, Environmental Quality Resources, Hillcrest Community Civic Association. Funders: EPA and NFWF Type of Buffer: Urban Submitted by: Matt Weber Prior to restoration Alger Park was in a highly degraded state with…
August 25th, 2022 By Kelly Morse What does it mean to truly know a place? What’s more, what does it mean to commit to a relationship with a piece of land? Before we bought our first home in April 2021, it was a rental property for ten years. Saplings waved from the gutters, foundation…
March 3rd, 2022 By Shereen Hughes Let’s start with a riddle – Two horticulturists walk into a bar… No, not that kind. I’m talking about the riddle that has stumped the green industry for years – how to attract the next generation of workers to green industry jobs. Recruiting strategies used in…
January 5, 2022 By Leslie Hunter Cario Searching for native plants has been a constant theme in my life. It started in high school biology class with a scavenger hunt that involved locating certain plants native to southwestern Pennsylvania and either photographing details or collecting leaves or seeds. Throughout college and afterwards, there…
Location: Centre County, Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania Furnace, PA) Partners Involved: ClearWater Conservancy, Radzwich Family, ClearWater volunteers, WHM Group, Bud Snyder Excavating, Native Creations Landscape Services, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, R & R Fencing, PA DEP’s Growing Greener Program, Naionall Fish & Wildlife Foundation Type of Buffer: Agricultural Submitted by: Andrea Murrell In spring…
Location: Laurel, MD Partners Involved: Howard County Dept. of Public Works; Bureau of Environmental Services Type of Buffer: Suburban Residential Submitted by: Radhika Wijetunge Stream restoration and riparian buffers are perfect partners.This project is located on a 6.69-acre site and the stream restoration/buffer work took place on a 1.2 acre tract of…
Location: Hartman Run, York County PA (Northeastern School District below Shallow Brook Intermediate School) Partners Involved: Penn State Extension, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, Northeastern School District Type of Buffer: Urban Submitted by: Jodi Sulpizio We began planting this 20 acre riparian buffer in Oct. 2019. We are planting in…
Location: Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) – Beltsville, MD Partners Involved: Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Type of Buffer: Agricultural Submitted by: Laura Connelly & Larry Quarrick Project Description: Located in the mid to lower watershed of the Paint Branch stream corridor these…
Location: College Park, MD Partners Involved: Maryland National Capital Park & Planning Commission (PG Co Dept of Parks; & Recreation); PG Co Dept of Environment; US Army Corp of Engineers; University of Maryland Type of Buffer: Urban Submitted by: Laura Connelly & Larry Quarrick This riparian buffer is located in the…
Location: Sunset Park, Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, PA Partners Involved: Greening the Lower Susquehanna, Harrisburg Rugby Football Club, Dauphin County Conservation District Type of Buffer: Community Park Submitted by: Monique Dykman Sunset Park has a small stream running through the park, and has recently become home to the The Harrisburg Rugby Football Club.…
Location: Chevy Chase, MD Partners Involved: SMC, Empire Landscaping, Capital Flexipave and many more subcontractors Type of Buffer: Urban Submitted by: Bradley Simpson Woodend Nature Sanctuary consists of forests, meadow, and an ephemeral stream nestled within the urban environment of the capital beltway. Large stormwater events, invasive species and overabundant deer have severely…
Location: Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow (New Hope, PA) Partners Involved: Bucks County Master Watershed Stewards, Lower Delaware Wild and Scenic Council Type of Buffer: Suburban Submitted by: Stacy Carr-Poole Bucks County Audubon Society at Honey Hollow is the steward of the historic Honey Hollow Watershed, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary…
Location: Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, PA Partners Involved: Penn State Greening the Lower Susquehanna, Dauphin County Conservation District Type of Buffer: FEMA Residential Property Buy Out Submitted by: Monique Dykman Homes along Swatara Creek Road were once plagued by frequent flooding. Londonderry Township utilized a FEMA grant to buy residents out of…
Location: Romney, WV Partners Involved: James River Association & Conservation Services, Inc. Type of Buffer: Agricultural Submitted by: James Remuzzi This project was a priority for watershed restoration given its location in the watershed and history of agriculture. These landowner received funding from NRCS for streamside fencing and tree planting. They…
Location: Chesapeake VA 23325 Partners Involved: Elizabeth RIver Project, Friends of Indian River, Chesapeake Bay Foundation Type of Buffer: Urban Submitted by: Lynn Hancock Gilbert Riparian buffers are just as important in brackish and salt water environments as in freshwater rivers and streams. Evensong on Indian River in Chesapeake, Virginia provides an…
Location: Multiple counties within south central and south eastern PA Partners Involved: Juniata County Conservation District, York County Conservation District Type of Buffer: Volunteer program working on urban, residential, and agricultural land Summitted by: Rebecca Lauver Riparian Rangers is an Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay project that provides much-needed maintenance support on newly…
Location: Cochranville, Chester County PA (within CB Watershed) Partners Involved: Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Type of Buffer: Agricultural Submitted by: Ryan Davis Elizabeth and Douglas Randolph own and operate an organic vegetable farm, Swallow Hill Farm, in Chester County, PA. They already had an existing riparian forest along most of their stream,…
Location: Nelson County, VA Partners Involved: James River Association & Conservation Services, Inc. Type of Buffer: Rural Residential Submitted by: Anne Marie Roberts Collaborating partners the James River Association, the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation are working across the Upper and Middle James Watershed, through the James River Buffer…
Location: Spring Creek in Dauphin County, PA Partners Involved: Penn State University Type of Buffer: Agricultural During the summer of 2020, Penn State University Assistant Research Professor, Dr. Tyler Groh, and Penn State Extension Educator, Jennifer Fetter, started collaborating on a riparian buffer proposal. This proposal sought to establish a buffer on former…
Location: Cold Stream lake path, Lake Linganore, New Market MD Partners Involved: Lake Linganore Association, Friends of the Lake, Wright Envirnomental Type of Buffer: Lakeside Buffer Submitted by: Erin Johnson This was planted as a demonstration garden on a steep slope to educate the community on how to plant native shrubs, grasses,…
Location: Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Gloucester Point VA Partners Involved: VIMS Center for Coastal Resources Management, Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Gloucester Master Gardeners Type of Buffer: Coastal Plain A sloped lawn area with a concrete bulkhead on the York River was planted with native trees and shrubs in 2000 with…
Location: Stewartstown, PA Partners Involved: Project was done through Farm Service Agency by property owners Type of Buffer: Agricultural Submitted by: Ann English This 4 acre buffer was the first Multi-Functional Riparian Forested Buffer (MFRFB) installed in Pennsylvania (2011). It converted land that had been in corn/soy ag for the past century on…
October 5, 2021 Guest Blogger Bobby Whitescarver October Is Riparian Forest Buffer Month It’s riparian forest buffer month. How cool is that? Let’s celebrate! The way I celebrated was to go to our River Farm in Swoope, Virginia to see how the trees and native plants were doing in the buffers we…
Location: Northend Greenway, Harrisonburg, VA Partners Involved: Momentum Earthworks and the Northend Greenway Steering Committee Type of Buffer: Urban A recent riparian buffer project in Harrisonburg is the Northend Greenway and Blacks Run Stream Restoration Project. The property had historically been used as a field for livestock, and the surrounding area is…
Location: Woodbine, Maryland Partners Involved: Patrick Family (Maple Dell Farm Owners), Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission, Howard Soil Conservation District Type of Buffer: Agricultural Aerial Maple Dell Farm before Restoration Maple Dell Farm, Inc. (“the Farm”) is a 96 acre active dairy and row crop farm, the only…
September 15, 2021 Guest Blogger David Wood Inspiration can strike at any time: in the shower, on your commute, lying very still in a dark room hoping that your toddler is finally asleep. But sometimes, inspiration requires a bit of a nudge. I think this can be particularly true when we talk about something…
August 17, 2021 Blogger Larry Quarrick The Big Decision: Retire or Rewire? Hi everyone! I am Larry Quarrick, a registered landscape architect in Maryland. I retired 5 years ago from my full-time career as the Chief of the Park Planning & Development Division for the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission in Prince George’s…
Yolima Carr, Conservation Landscaping Curator Elizabeth River Project Yolima is a horticulturist and landscape curator with over 25 years of experience working in garden design, wetlands restoration, and conservation of habitat with emphasis in the use of native plants. Yolima received her Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture from Bogota, Colombia and her Associate’s in…
“How many Partners does it take to plant a tree?” Buffer Project Highlights: The Lancaster Clean Water Partners are working in Lancaster County, PA to provide clean and clear local waterways by 2040. This partnership effort has led to an increase in restoration projects across the county and inspired the Buffer Action Team to plant…
Blogger Beth Ginter June 28, 2021 I live in a densely populated suburb of Washington DC, in the Northern Piedmont, atop a hill, with an abundance of mature Oaks, Hickory, Tulip Poplar, and Dogwood. We have a lot of big trees on about ⅓ of an acre. It’s cicada heaven. …
Blogger Dave Hirschman June 15, 2021 I am being followed. Or, rather, I am following. I keep glancing over my shoulder to see if it is still there. Not because I feel threatened, but because it is cheering me along, whether on foot or bicycle. The subject is Packera aurea, known commonly as golden…
Blogger Kristen Koch April 8th, 2021 All Around Me, by Laura Kaczor When I see a gorgeous sunrise or sunset, when I reach the top of a dune and catch sight of the vastness of the ocean, when I gaze at the night sky, and when I see the first Sycamore popping out of…
Katie Pinkham March 8th, 2021 How it Started I feel I must start this post with a confession- I have always been an “indoor cat”. As a child camping made me cry, I had no interest in touching the farm animals on field trips, and caterpillars filled me with terror. If you had…
Blogger Barbara Ryan February 3rd, 2021 How do you think economics relates to resilience? In short, economics drives policy, and policy will dictate our long term success as we work to protect the Chesapeake Bay and address climate change. I am a sustainable landscape designer — and an economist. Prior to working…
Blogger Dave Gantz January 11th, 2021 I have preferred exploring the world with my own two feet for as long as I can remember. In elementary school, I would walk to school in the morning then eagerly wait all day for the “walker bell” to release me to ramble home through a small…
Beth Ginter December 21st, 2020 Now that our children are older teenagers, my main occupation on our annual summer beach trip is reading. But as has been the case for so much of 2020, our summer vacation didn’t exactly go the way we had hoped (pandemic, hurricane, evacuation, etc…) and as a result, I didn’t…
Blogger Jamie Alberti November 11th, 2020 Meaningful Partnerships to Promote Native Plants and Sustainable Landscaping Let’s face it: having a great partner makes a world of difference! That’s true for many facets of life. But, in this year of upheaval, new normals, and reshaping our interactions, leaning on professional partners has been more crucial…
Guest Blogger Skip Stiles October 13th, 2020 My day job with Wetlands Watch has me constantly confronting the reality of climate change, which manifests mostly as sea level rise here in coastal Virginia. As I drive through rising waters on the streets, near-daily reminders of what is coming, I feel a sense of dread. This…
Written by Kim Patten September 15th, 2020 “In the end we will conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught.” – Baba Dioum Back to school And just like that we are back to school. My two girls have just…
Guest Blogger Queen Richardson August 11th, 2020 If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life It Starts with a Seed Since I was a little girl, I’ve always been fascinated by plants. My interest grew during my senior year of high school when I was working for a…
Guest Blogger David Gibson July 7th, 2020 I’d like to begin with a few personal sketches. An Unusual Discovery My wife and I are committed birders. In our backyard, we provide birds with food, water, and places to nest and take cover. We also have a “yard list” of 77 species—the number of bird…
The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) certification program announces a newly-revised Level 1 training for summer 2020. This highly interactive three-day course will combine online learning with a field day. In addition to the safety benefits of remote learning, this course will: Incorporate the expertise of all eight certified CBLP instructors from across the…
This year has brought the CCLC team more unexpected and unique challenges than most of us have faced in our lifetimes, as it has, I’m sure, for most of you. As we have worked through the unprecedented events of 2020, I have tried always to remember that there is tremendous opportunity for growth during times…
On December 5th, 2019, David J. Hirschman will become the fourth recipient of the Marcy Damon Conservation Landscaping Award.
The new Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification Program is working to educate landscape professionals on conservation landscaping, stormwater management, and how to maintain projects for long-term success. One of the study materials is the newly developed, “CBLP Sustainable Landscapes Maintenance Manual” written by Cheryl Corson. This manual provides a condensed review of the most important landscape maintenance considerations. Cheryl was recently interviewed about her experience and the need for this manual.
Cheryl Corson, RLA, ASLA, is a landscape architect and writer in private practice in the greater D.C. metro area. She also instructs landscape architecture licensure candidates in preparing for the design, stormwater management, and construction sections of the LARE exam. Cheryl holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration, and received her master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Certification is a new voluntary credential system for professionals who design, install, and maintain sustainable landscapes. The credential training and examination emphasizes stormwater retrofit best practices and conservation landscaping with native plants to benefit the environment.
The initial Pilot of the training and exam for this new CBLP credential begins this autumn 2016, at locations in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. CBLP will offer two levels of training and certification: Level 1 is a baseline credential in design, installation, and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with emphasis on how to properly maintain stormwater best management practices. Level 2 is an advanced credential for professionals experienced in design or installation of conservation landscapes with emphasis on small, residential-scale stormwater retrofit best practices.
As a matter of courtesy to our neighbors, most of us make some level of effort to keep our yards in check. For many homeowners, a flawless green carpet is the minimum standard to which everyone should be aspiring. But every year, come the beginning of summer, regardless of how much fertilizing and weeding and watering is invested, the lawn seems to give up the ghost, just in time for outdoor parties, tag football games and family reunion photos.
Fortunately, there are a couple of simple tweaks that can be made to our existing lawn care practices that can mitigate this. If you are a meticulous lawn owner, these will reduce your required efforts and hopefully some of the stress. If you are a casual lawn owner, you will have a healthier, more resilient lawn with no additional effort.
The “Sustainable Landscapes Field Day at the US National Arboretum in Washington, DC was held April 23 by CCLC and was co-promoted by the Arboretum and the Potomac Chapter of ASLA. The Field Day included three different topics: the use of grasses in landscape design, stream restoration, and native plant species.
Beautiful pictures of flowering spring native plants (mostly shade perennials), like wood poppy, trillium, woodland phlox and more! See the full album on our flickr page.
Earth Day, an amazing, annual, rekindling of a commitment to heal the environment, is 45 years old today! A movement that was born to raise consciousness about air and water pollution, to recycling world wide, to focusing on climate change and clean energy, has united people of all backgrounds, in communities around the globe, in a common cause. It can be done!
CCLC is pleased and excited to announce that our Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional Certification Initiative has received funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundatio. With this grant, we will develop and pilot the certification in Maryland and Virginia while partnering with Wetlands Watch, Virginia DGIF and University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension. Once the piloting is complete, the goal is to expand the certification Bay-wide and statewide, with a self-financing, market driven certification program managed and administered by a Consortium.
Photographs from a visit to Ladew Topiary Gardens and House in late August 2014; some native plants used in the landscaping as well as close-ups of native butterflies/caterpillars and flowers in the new, seasonal, Butterfly House.
View all photos from the trip on flickr: Ladew Topiary Gardens (Aug 2014).
To mark the 10th Anniversary of Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council’s formation, we have revised and updated our seminal document, Conservation Landscaping Guidelines: The Eight Essential Elements of Conservation Landscaping. In the revised edition, all links have been reviewed and updated. It also reflects recent research on the impacts of climate change and sea level rise in our region. A PDF version of the document is available for download on the CCLC web site, and print copies are available for a small fee.
On November 15, 2013, Britt Slattery, a Maryland educator and biologist, will become the first recipient of the Marcy Damon Conservation Landscaping Award. The award, given by the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council, a regional non-profit, recognizes Slattery for her devotion to sustainable landscaping and environmental literacy within the Chesapeake Bay region.
Currently the Director of Conservation Education for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), Slattery has devoted her 27 year career to restoring habitat, creating sustainable landscapes and reconnecting children with nature. As the DNR staff coordinator for the Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature, Governor Martin O’ Malley’s initiative which supports environmental literacy and outdoor experiences through schools and communities, Slattery works with multiple partners to create opportunities for kids to get outside and learn about and from their environment.
