Virginia Cooperative Extension Loudoun County Master Gardener Site Assessment Program

About the Program

Category: Volunteers (Best in Category)

Year: 2022

Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) Loudoun County Master Gardeners has developed a Pond/Stream/Site Erosion Site Assessment program that provides assistance to resident and community properties. Through this program, volunteers assess ponds, landscapes, and stream sides that, through the years, have grown shady, stagnant and may threaten natural resource conservation during a weather event. The Master Gardeners document the issues through photos, samples of pond weed and water, and survey the surrounding landscape. They then provide property owners a detailed report, including options that can help them better maintain their own landscape and, as a result, a healthy ecosystem. At minimal cost to the county, the Site Assessment program offers a new service to Loudoun County residents and property owners or managers, without any service fee. Expanding the county’s community outreach education, the Master Gardeners assist in best management practices that contribute to natural resource conservation. And in the end, this program contributes to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed improvement plan.