Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District

703-324-1460 TTY 711
12055 Government Center Parkway
Suite 905, Fairfax, VA 22035
Willie Woode
Executive Director

Hands-On Conservation

We like to get our hands dirty, whether it's through build-your-own rain barrel and tumbler composter workshops, homeowner conservation projects, our native tree and shrub seedling sale, sustainable garden tour or volunteer opportunities for stream monitoring and storm drain education. Explore the programs below to learn more about our initiatives.

Conservation Assistance Programs - Technical assistance and funding for homeowner conservation projects, including rain gardens, native plant conservation landscaping, dry wells, and more. Assistance is also available for homeowner associations and places of worship.

Native Seedling Sale - Native tree and shrub seedling packages available each spring for less than $20. Trees and shrubs help cleanse water, prevent soil erosion, provide habitat, cool our climate and clean our air.

Rain Barrel Workshops and Sales - Capture the rain! Attach a rain barrel to your downspout to reuse in your yard. Save money with our DIY workshops or pre-made sales.

Build Your Own Tumbler Composter Workshops - Turn your kitchen scraps into gardener's gold! We provide materials and tools for these DIY workshops.

Sustainable Garden Tour - Get ideas and inspiration for your home, school, or place of worship landscape. Homeowners showcase their rain gardens, porous pavers, green roofs, rain barrels, edible landscaping, native plant gardens, and more.

Storm Drain Volunteering - Contact a community association, obtain approval, learn how to properly affix the storm drain labels, and help us spread the word: Only Rain in the Storm Drain! Storm drains connect directly to our backyard streams and parks.

Volunteer Stream Monitoring - Crayfish, caddisflies and more! See what stream bugs can tell us about the health of our local water resources.

Soil Your Undies Campaign - How healthy is your soil? Find out by burying a pair of white cotton undies (or other white cotton material) for at least 60 days. Then dig it up to see how microbial activity broke it down. More degradation = healthier soil. Runs June-September 2021.

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