Urban Buffer Design Charrette

October 2021,

Hybrid

Urban and suburban sites present unique challenges for implementing or preserving riparian buffers.  In this course, we focus on how to effectively design an aesthetically pleasing urban buffer that overcomes these challenges while helping meet water quality and habitat restoration goals. This interactive three-part workshop will combine online learning with an optional field trip to one of three sites in Virginia.  Participants will then work collaboratively in small groups to develop a design for an urban buffer.  The course will be led by CBLP instructors and guest speakers and will also cover:

• Introduction to riparian habitats and ecology
• Regulatory and legal considerations for working on urban buffers
• Common design challenges for urban buffers and strategies to address them
• Buffer case studies: inspiration for design
• Business and marketing opportunities

Collaborations for Sourcing Native Plants

July 2021

Amy Highland, Mt. Cuba Center

Sam Hoadley, Mt. Cuba Center

Leslie Cario, Chesapeake Horticultural Services

Panel discussion and breakouts featuring several Bay area native plant growers

 

Workshop participants will:

• Develop an understanding about the importance of local native plant sourcing
• Learn about research from recent trials comparing native cultivars with straight species
• Review and discuss various online plant selection resources
• Connect with native plant growers and learn from them about improving collaborations

An Invitation to Bid: Maintenance Cost and Estimating

February 2021

Instructor: Swope, CBLP-D, I

This interactive online course builds on CBLP’s summer 2020 workshop about creating sustainable landscape maintenance plans, but attendance at the previous class is not required.  “An Invitation to Bid” will take sustainable maintenance planning to the next level, with a focus on cost estimating, developing contracts and responding to RFPs for landscape maintenance. Participants will work in small groups to develop a plan in response to a sample RFP for a small commercial site. This workshop will be useful for landscape designers and installers as well as maintenance contractors.

Living Shorelines for Landscape Professionals

October 2020

This interactive online workshop will introduce landscape professionals to living shoreline benefits, best practices, site evaluation, permitting, incentives and opportunities. Guest speakers will provide varying perspectives on the design installation and maintenance of living shorelines in Maryland.

An optional field tour of shorelines in the Annapolis area is included.

Learning Objectives:

• Raise awareness of living shoreline practices among landscape professionals in Maryland, to facilitate more business opportunities and more practices in the ground
• Introduce living shoreline concepts & terminology, as well as basic design features
• Review incentive programs and permitting requirements & process for shorelines in Maryland
• Discuss the role of landscape professionals in design/installation/maintenance of living shorelines
• Tour a living shoreline and discuss its features
• Observe and evaluate shoreline conditions in the field

Urban BMP Plant Design Charrette

September 2020

Led by landscape designer, Kelley Oklesson, this highly interactive course will engage design professionals to work collaboratively to redesign plantings in the urban bioretention practices at an historic site in Arlington.

Learning Objectives:

• Become familiar with stormwater management goals at the site
• Discuss and evaluate the effectiveness of planting palettes in existing vegetated stormwater practices on site
• Review natural plant communities of Arlington County which may be an appropriate reference for design
• Work in teams to:
  • Discuss/review site conditions and programmatic requirements
  • Develop an appropriate plant palette for the design
  • Create a planting plan
  • Present plan to the group

Sustainable Landscape Maintenance Workshop

July 2020

Speakers will include:  Carol A. Heiser, Habitat Education Coordinator, VDGIF and Jason Swope of Beechfield Landscaping, with Beth Ginter and Shereen Hughes from CBLP.

An interactive online workshop, using Zoom.  Participants will be asked to watch several short presentations and complete a short survey prior to the class.  Course materials and handouts will be mailed and emailed to participants in advance.

SPONSORED BY the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) Habitat Partners© Program, and organized in conjunction with CCLC and the CBLP program, this workshop will explore the specialized practices which are required for ensuring that the habitat quality of native plant gardens remain highly functional, to sustain biodiversity and retain aesthetic appeal. Participants will work collaboratively to develop a sample landscape maintenance plan for a residential site, and will explore what specifications are needed for successful maintenance contracts.

Invasive Plants Management: An Overview for Landscape Professionals

October 2019, Charlottesville, VA

Speakers

Leif Riddervold, Environmental Scientist, Virginia Forestry and Wildlife Group

Rod & Maggie Walker, founders, Blue Ridge PRISM

Carol Heiser, Habitat Education Coordinator, Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries

Organized by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

Invasive plant species are highly detrimental to natural plant communities, and their presence must be taken into consideration when designing a space for a client.  In this workshop we’ll describe invasive plant species that are most problematic; explain various methods for controlling them; show site characteristics that encourage the growth of invasives; and demonstrate the thought-process needed to troubleshoot invasive species in a case study area.  The training includes indoor instruction, an outdoor field activity in small work-groups, and a short design exercise that will be used to provide basic recommendations to the property owners.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how invasive plant species displace native plant communities and reduce biodiversity;
2. Learn invasive plant species’ growth characteristics and the challenges and techniques of controlling them;
3. Examine a case study on site to observe existing conditions and learn various options for control and restoration;
4. Practice designing a small space with native plants to meet the needs of the property owner.

Lunch is included.

Riparian Buffers For Landscape Professionals

September 2019, Paradise, PA

Instructors:  Ryan Davis, Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay; Kristen Kyler, Penn State; Nick Myers, LandStudies.

Riparian buffers are increasingly being used to help state and local governments meet their water quality goals.  Landscape professionals have an opportunity to collaborate with landowners, municipalities, and watershed groups to improve the overall success of these practices.

Join us for a one-day workshop that combines classroom instruction with field exploration of existing buffers, and hands-on activities.  This course is designed specifically for CBLPs, but is open to all interested professionals.

CBLP Update Workshop

February 2019, Arlington , VA

Only for certified CBLPs!

Come back to learn about what’s new with CBLP, including an opportunity for those who were certified before 2018 to complete our new BMP verification training.  Carol Heiser, from the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Habitat Partners, will speak about designing with native plants for habitat.  Tom Schueler, from Chesapeake Stormwater Network will demystify the verification process. We will pose several topics for discussions and offer dedicated time for you to connect with other certified professionals.

Lunch Included

Native Plant Sourcing Workshop

February 2019, Annapolis, MD

Developed specifically for CBLPs, the goal of this workshop will be for participants to gain understanding and assemble tools to help them source native plant species for landscape projects.

Speakers, Amy Highland, Mt. Cuba, Britt Slattery, Maryland DNR, and Leslie Hunter Cario, Chesapeake Horticultural Services, will revisit the USFWS Chesapeake Native Plant Guide, discuss How to Source Truly Native Plants, give a review of Online Resources, and explore Working with Native Plant Growers.

Know Your Bioretention Workshop Series

July- September 2018, Derwood, MD

Instructor: Darlene Robbins

Take a journey from the practical to the inspirational. In this series of three workshops, we will evaluate common elements and issues in bioretention facilities and examine ways to maximize stormwater management performance, aesthetics, and ecology- while minimizing upkeep.

Choose one workshop or all three. Discounts for certified CBLP professionals and for those who attend all three workshops.

1. Getting the Plants Right: Selecting Species to Survive and Thrive
2. Determining Friend or Foe: Common Bio Weeds and What to Do About Them
3. Building a Better Bio: Blending Design & Ecology into Stormwater BMPs