Landscaping for Water Quality Workshop 2023
“This was the best workshop on this topic I have attended to date” was one of the many positive comments from landscapers, students, municipal officials, eco-friendly business owners, clean water organization members and others who gathered in late March at Richardson Park and Whitcomb Hall in Swanzey for the two-day “Landscaping for Water Quality Workshop 2023.”
The workshop was designed to provide professional landscapers and land managers with fresh perspectives, new skills, and greater confidence with water quality-friendly landscaping. This year’s workshop was the result of a partnership among UNH Extension agriculture specialists and NH Sea Grant water resources staff, NHDES Water Division staff, a highly knowledgeable ecological landscape business owner and practitioner, plus collaboration with the Town of Swanzey, the Swanzey Lake Association, various generous local sponsors, and several experts in their fields.
This interactive workshop, capped at 30 individuals, featured substantial hands-on sessions during which the participants assess a site in need of renovation and then collaborate to redesign the site’s landscape. The redesigned landscape highlights elements to reduce erosion and stormwater runoff while enhancing ecological functions, like water filtration and habitat formation. At the end of the workshop, the redesigns are shared with the site manager.
Here’s the rest of the comment from a 2023 participant:
“This was the best workshop on this topic I have attended to date. The two days were an excellent use of my time, especially at the beginning of our season, not only to add to my knowledge but to speak with other landscape professionals and hear their experiences on the topics….”
The workshop and its precursors have been offered approximately every other year since 2010 in different parts of the state and are typically offered in conjunction with a municipality or watershed organization. For more information, check out this year’s event webpage or contact Lisa Loosigian at lisa.loosigian@des.nh.gov or Julia Peterson at Julia.peterson@unh.edu.