Loudoun Soil & Water Conservation District

Leesburg, VA (March 28, 2017) – The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Leesburg Environmental Advisory Commission (EAC), will offer rain barrel workshops in Leesburg during April and May 2017. While the workshops are open to all, Leesburg residents can receive a discount on rain barrel purchases, through a Town of Leesburg program sponsored by the EAC.

Talking about rain barrels, EAC Commissioner Helik Shemer stated, “These rain barrels are great for retaining rainwater for later use on flower beds and gardens. I have seven of them. At this price, they are a real bargain, too.”​

The rain barrel workshops will be held at Tuscarora Creek Park (425 Solitude Court SE).  The 2017 workshop dates are:

• Wednesday, April 19th
• Thursday, April 20th
• Tuesday, May 16
• Wednesday, May 17

Each workshop runs from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. It takes about twenty minutes to make a rain barrel.

Participants have the choice of making a rain barrel or purchasing a pre-made barrel.  Kits to make a rain barrel cost $60 each; the pre-made barrels cost $80 each (prices include tax).  As a bonus, Leesburg residents can receive a $25 discount on the purchase of a rain barrel as an incentive to promote water conservation.  There are a limited number of discounts that will be given on a first-come first-serve basis (limit two per household).

Participants are reminded to dress appropriately if they will be constructing their own barrels.  Complete the registration form and return to LSWCD, 30 Catoctin Circle, SE, Suite H; Leesburg, VA 20175.  For more information, call Suzanne Brown, District Operations Manager for the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, at 571-918-4530, ext. 105.

The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District is partnership with the Town of Lovettsville will hold a rainbarrel workshop on Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 p.m.  The workshop will be held at Quarter Brach Park, 6 Lang Drive (at the intersection of Quarter Branch and Lang Dr).

The make-your-own barrels are $60 each and the pre-made barrels are $80 each.  As an added incentive from the Town of Lovettsville, a one time $20 credit on your utility bill will be offered to residents of the Town of Lovettsville.

Pre-registration is required.  Please complete the Lovettsville Rain Barrel registration form and return with check payment to the LSWCD at 30 Catoctin Circle, SE., Suite H, Leesburg, VA 20175.

If you are currently enrolled in grades 9 through 12 and are interested in learning more about our natural resources, and studying subjects such as aquatics, soils, forestry, watersheds and water quality, wildlife, and environmental problems, you should consider spending a week this summer at Youth Conservation Camp, July 9th – 15th. You will learn about natural resources through field trips and activities, make new friends with other high school students who share your interest in the environment, and enjoy many recreational activities in the area.

The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District is looking for two interested students in Loudoun County (must be residents of the County) who would like to participate. The fee for camp, $550 will cover the students meals, lodging, activities and transportation while at camp. Students are responsible for obtaining their own means of transportation to and from Virginia Tech for the beginning and end of camp, plus personal items. The District is offering two partial scholarships of $400 each.  For highlights and application form. For more information, please contact Suzanne Brown, Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District at suzie.brown@lswcd.org or call (571) 918-4530, ext. 105. Applications are due to the District office by Friday, April 28, 2017.

Loudoun SWCD and Loudoun County will hold a workshop on January 25^th at 6:00pm at the Loudoun County Government Center at 1 Harrison Street in Leesburg in the Lovettsville Room to roll out their 2017 Non Agricultural Stream Buffer Planting Program.

 This will be the 4^th year of the program which helps HOAs, businesses, and private landowners plant trees and shrubs along perennial streams to help protect water quality and enhance the habitat on their property.  The program can assist with costs for both plant material, labor, and deer protection of up to $7000.00 per acre of buffer planted.  The buffer being planted must be at least 35 feet wide, and can be up to 100 feet wide.

Those who can’t make the workshop can check out the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District website at www.lswcd.org and find a fact sheet, application, past vendor list, and species guide for the program.  The deadline for applications is March 15^th and plantings must be completed by May 1^st.  To learn more contact LSWCD at 571-918-4530 or e-mail chris.vanvlack@lswcd.org

Project Funding Now Available to Homeowners!

Through the statewide Virginia Conservation Assistance Program, the Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District provides financial incentives to Loudoun County homeowners and business owners to create more watershed-friendly landscapes.  Eligible practices include: conservation landscaping, rain gardens, impervious surface removal, porous pavement/pavers, cisterns, dry well, vegetated swales, bioretention, and infiltration trenches.  For more details about the program, see our VCAP fact sheet.

The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Loudoun County government, is hosting an informational workshop on a riparian buffer planting project beginning  at 6:00 p.m., Thursday, January 28, 2016. The workshop will be held in the Purcellville Room of the Loudoun County Government Center, 1 Harrison Street, S.E. in Leesburg.

Private residential, industrial, commercial, and homeowner association (HOA) landowners in Loudoun are all eligible to apply for funds to plant buffers along perennial (year-round) streams and water bodies.  An effective technique for improving water quality, this program reimburses landowners for planting materials and labor costs.  Urban/Ag Conservationist Chris Van Vlack of LSWCD will brief workshop attendees about the project’s planting options and application deadlines. This project complements the existing agricultural buffer planting program offered through the state Agricultural BMP (Best Management Practices) Cost-Share Program.  Funding is limited and anticipated to be highly competitive, so interested landowners are strongly encouraged to attend the workshop to enhance their application opportunities.

Last spring, a total of four acres of forested riparian buffers were planted by HOAs and private landowners.  These buffers help filter pollutants from stormwater runoff, which improves water quality for people and wildlife and makes streams, creeks, and rivers safer for recreation.  Forested buffers can also reduce mowing costs and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife. 2016 marks the fourth year of the stream buffer planting partnership between Loudoun County and the LSWCD.

Leading the workshop will be Chris Van Vlack, Urban/Ag Conservationist, LSWCD; John Zuiker, Urban Forester, Loudoun County; and Laura Edmonds, Environmental Review Team Leader, Loudoun County.

Article by: Nancy McCormick, Loudoun County Government

Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District Urban/Ag Conservationist Chris Van Vlack attended the August 27^th meeting of the Loudoun Winegrowers Association held at Two Twisted Posts Winery in Neersville to present on the state’s tax credit program for Integrated Pest Management. Over 30 vineyard owners and operators were in attendance at the meeting which also included presentations by Virginia Cooperative Extension and Browning Equipment.

The “WQ-10” Integrated Pest Management Practice as it is known in Virginia’s Agricultural Best Management Practices program provides a 25% tax credit on the expenses and time spent scouting for pests and disease. In addition to documented labor hours scouting, other eligible expenses include the cost of traps, sweep nets, and envirocasters (weather stations) that can aid in pest scouting.

Producers are eligible to apply for the program on the same field twice (one application per year, maximum of two years.) The program can also be used on crops other than grapes, including other fruit orchards, corn, alfalfa, and soybeans. More information on the practice can be found on the Department of Conservation and Recreations website at http://dswcapps.dcr.virginia.gov/htdocs/agbmpman/TaxCredit/WQ-10_2015.pdf.

For more information on the Loudoun Winegrowers Associations visit: http://www.loudounwinegrowers.org/

For more information or to sign up for the program, contact Loudoun SWCD at 571-918-4530, ext. 107 or chris.vanvlack@lswcd.org

In order to help farmers document conservation work already taking place on their farms and to implement further practices, Virginia has created a new program known as Resource Management Plans or RMP’s. Farmers who obtain an RMP and fully implement all of the conservation practices developed for their farm will then be given nine years of “safe harbor” from any additional water quality or other environmental regulations that might affect their operation.

The Commonwealth is currently in the process of certifying RMP developers who will be able to write plans for producers. Locally, Loudoun SWCD will serve as the review authority for plans developed for farmers in the county. After a Loudoun farmer obtains a plan, it will be presented to the Loudoun Technical Review Committee for approval. Once that approval is obtained, the farmer is free to implement all the needed practices within the plan.

Loudoun SWCD also has cost share available through the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices Program that can help pay for the development of the RMP plan up to $10.00 per acre planned to a total maximum of $6,500.00 per plan. The District also continues to have cost share available that can help with the construction of conservation practices like stream fencing, cover crops, and water systems that might be included as required components in a farmers RMP.

More information including a list of certified plan developers can be found at http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/soil_and_water/rmp.shtml .

For more information on RMP plan development cost share check out http://dswcapps.dcr.virginia.gov/htdocs/agbmpman/BMPs/RMP-1_2015.pdf .

Leesburg Today (Revised article): http://www.leesburgtoday.com/business/state-rolls-out-new-farm-resources-management-plan/article_8dbe8952-2ec8-11e4-81ad-0019bb2963f4.html

Still have questions, call Loudoun SWCD at 571-918-4530.

(l to r) Jeff Smith, Facilities & Grounds Manager; Wendy Taylor, General Manager; Kevin Turner, Board President – South Riding Proprietary; Chris Van Vlack, Conservation Technician, LSWCD; Supervisor Matt Letourneau, Dulles District; James Christian, Chairman and Chris Simmons, Vice Chairman-LSWCD.

August 13, representatives from the South Riding community, Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, Loudoun County Government, and Dulles Supervisor Matt Letourneau gathered to celebrate the successful completion of three acres of riparian tree planting in South Riding.

The funding that Loudoun SWCD utilized to assist South Riding in planting their three acres of riparian buffer originated with the Loudoun Board of Supervisors.  The District received $70,000 to plant 10 acres of riparian area that was not eligible for planting through our state agricultural cost share program.

After the county decided not to pursue the enactment of the Chesapeake Bay Act Local Ordinance, the Board was looking for some voluntary measures that could help achieve some water quality improvements.

The Board of Supervisors  required as a condition of receiving the funds for planting that the sites planted have a Declaration of Restriction placed on them and recorded at the courthouse, insuring that the area planted would be protected from clearing.

The District worked closely with Dana Malone and Laura Edmonds from Loudoun County Government as well as Virginia Dept of Forestry Forester Bryant Bays.  Dana and Bryant created an extensive list of species that interested HOA’s and landowners could draw from to design their plantings.  The only requirement was that there be a variety of species and that there were some canopy and some understory trees included in the plantings.

In 2012 approximately six acres were planted at three sites utilizing the funds.  These sites included Exeter in Leesburg, Four Seasons condominiums in Ashburn, and Eco Village in Taylorstown.  The remaining funds were used this year to plant the three acres in South Riding, and an additional one acre on a private landowner’s property in Waterford.

All of 2012’s planting sites have been inspected and have passed their 75% survival requirement.  Although no funds remain to pursue further non-agricultural riparian planting projects currently, Loudoun SWCD stands ready to continue to the program if Loudoun County chooses to continue the program.

The Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District, in partnership with the Loudoun County government hosted an informational workshop on a unique riparian buffer planting project on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, at the Loudoun County Government Center,in Leesburg.

Private residential, industrial, commercial, and Homeowner Association (HOA) landowners in Loudoun are all eligible to apply for funds to plant buffers along perennial (year-round) streams and water bodies. An effective technique for improving water quality, this program reimburses landowners for planting materials and labor costs. Conservation Technician Chris Van Vlack will brief workshop attendees about the project’s planting options and application deadlines. This project complements the existing agricultural buffer planting program offered through the state Agricultural Best Management Practice (BMP) Cost-Share Program. Funding is limited and anticipated to be highly competitive, so interested landowners are strongly encouraged to attend the workshop to enhance their application opportunities.

Last spring, a total of six acres of forested riparian buffers were planted through the program in Loudoun by HOAs. These buffers help filter pollutants from stormwater runoff, which improves water quality for humans and wildlife and makes streams, creeks, and rivers safer for recreation. Forested buffers can also reduce mowing costs and provide habitat for birds and other wildlife.

Presenters at the workshop include Chris Van Vlack, Conservation Technician, LSWCD; Jim Christian, Chairman, LSWCD; Dana Malone, Urban Forester, Loudoun County; and Laura Edmonds, Environmental Review Team Leader, Loudoun County.

The deadline for applications is March 1, 2013.   Applications should be submitted to Loudoun SWCD, Attn: Chris Van Vlack, 30 Catoctin Circle, SE., Suite H, Leesburg, VA 20175.  For more information, please contact Chris at (571) 918-4530, ext. 107.