Inspiring Personal Responsibility for our Environment and Natural Resources
Services
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Free Technical Assistance
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Conservation Plans
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Nutrient Management Plans
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Soil Sampling
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State Cost-Share/
Tax-Credit Programs
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Conservation Capsules (Classroom Education)
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Farm Field Days
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Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience (MWEE)
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Envirothon
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Adopt-A-Stream
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Water Quality Monitoring
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Chemical Monitoring
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Floatables Monitoring
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Plastic Pollution
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Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP)
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Gardener's Gold (brochure on farms that have free manure/compost available)
Youth Education, Water Quality, and Home Owners services are now available to City of Manassas and Manassas Park residents! All services are available to Prince William County residents.
Native Plant Symposium
Registration is open for the 8th Annual PWC Native Plant Symposium! We have lots of new and old exciting break-out sessions. Our guest speaker this year is Bill Cullina with The F. Otto Haas Executive Director & Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania.
Prices (in-person includes lunch)
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In-Person: $45 - available Jan. 9 - Feb. 10
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At the Door: $55 - lunch not guaranteed
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Student (in person): $10 - available until Feb. 10
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Virtual Tickets: $25 - available until Feb. 13
For more information or to buy tickets, visit: https://8pwcnps.eventbrite.com.
Farmer and Landowner Outreach Meeting
Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026, 6-8pm, Windy Knoll Farm in Nokesville, VA
If you can attend, please RSVP so we can have a general head count.
VCAP needs your help!
At this time, the Virginia Conservation Assistance Program (VCAP) is not in the governor's budget. If we want VCAP to continue being funded, we need help!
VCAP provides financial, technical and educational assistance to property owners installing eligible stormwater best management practices (BMPs). These BMPs can be installed in areas where resource concerns like erosion, poor drainage, or poor vegetation occur. Some of the many benefits VCAP has provided to homeowners, HOAs, schools, places of worship, etc. include:
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Natural solutions for controlling Erosion, Bare Soil, and Excess Runoff
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Habitats for Virginia's wildlife 🐝
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Improve soil health
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Decrease nutrients from entering our waterways
To help keep VCAP going, and for more information on VCAP and the benefits it provides to our environment, please visit Support VCAP.
If you want to share your stories and photos of VCAP projects on your property, please send them to Alex Murphy and Nicole Slazinski.
Reforest Prince William County
Riparian Forests For Landowners Program
Reforest PWC is a voluntary County program that partners with private property owners to convert suitable open, grassy areas into long-term native forests at no cost to the landowner. Through an application and onsite consultation process, County Arborists work directly with participants to evaluate property conditions, identify ideal planting areas, and guide the project from planning through installation. Once approved, the County coordinates tree planting by a supervised contractor, installs protective measures to ensure successful establishment, and conducts follow-up inspections to support long-term survival. The result is a diverse, self-sustaining forest that enhances wildlife habitat, improves water quality, increases climate resilience, and provides lasting environmental benefits for both the property owner and the broader community.
For more information, visit the county's website. You can also come to our Farmer and Landowner Outreach Meeting (see below for more information)! County representatives will be attending and can answer any of your questions.
The Department Of Forestry's "Riparian Forests for Landowners (RFFL)" program provides flexible, no-cost riparian forest buffer installation and one year of maintenance to landowners. This program is open to private property owners including property/homeowner’s associations or civic leagues in rural, urban or suburban areas.
The program covers the planning, site preparation, planting, and one year of maintenance for riparian forest buffer plantings. Buffers may be pine, hardwood or a mix of both. Buffers must be at least 35 feet wide and no greater than 300 feet wide per side from the water’s edge. Land must have less than 20% coverage by invasive plant species to qualify for this program. The landowner must agree to retain the buffer as forest for 15 years.
For more information, visit Virginia Department of Forestry's website.
Scholarship Opportunities
Youth Conservation Camp
The VASWCD Educational Foundation scholarship program promotes the education of Virginia citizens in technical fields with a natural resource conservation and environmental protection emphasis. The program provides financial support to students majoring in or showing a strong desire to major in a course curriculum related to natural resource conservation and/or environmental studies. Annually the Foundation provides four $2,000 statewide scholarships in addition to the many local SWCD scholarship opportunities.
Requirements for 2026 Prospective scholarship candidates include:
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Virginia residents
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full-time college freshmen or high school senior students who have applied to a college freshman level curriculum.
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class ranking in the top 20% of his or her graduating class or a 3.0 or greater Grade Point Average or appropriate equivalent of individual scholastic achievement.
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Most recent official high school transcript must accompany the application.
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Applicants shall demonstrate an active interest in conservation.
Applicants who were high school seniors in 2025 are encouraged to apply again in 2026 as scholarship guidelines allow those “enrolled in a freshman college curriculum or applying to a college freshmen level curriculum” to be considered. Applications are due by April 1, 2026
For more information and an application, visit Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District's website. All applications from Prince William County, City of Manassas, or Manassas Park can be sent to education@pwswcd.org.
The VASWCD The 2026 Youth Conservation Camp will take place at Virginia Tech, July 12-18, 2026. Fill out this application and submit it to our Education Specialist Josie Anderson by e-mail or snail mail at Attn: YCC, 8850 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, VA 20109. Applications are due by April 15, 2026. The District does have scholarship opportunities to help offset the majority of the costs.
For over 40 years, the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts has sponsored a week-long summer conservation camp for Virginia high school students (currently enrolled in grades 9th-12th) on the campus of Virginia Tech. The program brings together about 70 interested students for a week of learning about Virginia’s natural resources from conservation professionals and faculty from Virginia Tech. Most of the instruction is hands-on and outdoors.
Topics in the past have included:
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Lake Ecology
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Watersheds
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Forestry
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Hiking
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Macroinvertebrats
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Soils
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Tours of a farm
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and more!
Youth Conservation Camp is open to all Virginia students enrolled in High School for the current year. For more information and an application, visit Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District's website. All applications from Prince William County, City of Manassas, or Manassas Park can be sent to education@pwswcd.org.
Virginia Farm Voluntary Ag BMP Inventory
From the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts:
Virginia is embarking on a survey to help us learn more about voluntary conservation practices on Virginia farms in the Chesapeake Bay watershed…like yours! The information you provide in response to the survey will help Virginia tell the story of what farmers are doing to conserve
soil and improve water quality. This is incredibly important information that can help agriculture achieve its water quality goals for the Watershed Implementation Plan for the Chesapeake Bay.
The survey should take around 30 minute to complete.
For more information, go to: https://vaswcd.org/virginia-farm-voluntary-agricultural-bmp-inventory/.
About Us
The Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District (PWSWCD or District) is focused on protecting and enhancing our water and soil resources by providing leadership in the conservation of soil, water, and related resources to all Prince William County citizens through technical assistance, information, and education.
Is This a District Question?
We get lots of questions every day and we want to make sure you are guided in the right direction!
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Find out what serves the District provides. This will tell you who from District staff can help you out!
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Here is a list of recourses for services the District does not provide. If your question is not on the list, contact any of us and we'll do our best to help!
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Got questions, but not in Prince William County (or City of Manassas)? Find out how to contact your local soil and water conservation district!
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Freedom of Information Act
Rights of Requesters and the Responsibilities of the Prince William Soil and Water Conservation District under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act: The Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), located § 2.2-3700 et. seq. of the Code of Virginia, guarantees citizens of the Commonwealth and representatives of the media access to public records held by public bodies, public officials, and public employees.To request records from our District, direct your request to the FOIA Officer, Linda Dunn. He can be reached at 8850 Rixlew Lane, Manassas, VA 20109, phone (571) 379-7514, email pwswcd@pwswcd.org.