James River Soil and Water Conservation District

06/05/2026

Happy World Environment Day!

You can celebrate this beautiful day by visiting the garden at our Chesterfield Office in Central Library. We are in the Chesterfield Cooperative Extension Office, which is also home to the beautiful Giving Garden! Today, we got the chance to snap some photos of many species that call the garden home such as the Blue Dasher Dragonfly, False Milkweed Bug, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Furrow Bee, Delta Flower Scarab, Duskywing Butterfly, and Eastern Carpenter Bee!

Comment below which photo was your favorite!

Come by and snap your own photos to submit to the VASWCD Photo Contest: https://vaswcd.org/photocontest/

06/04/2026

You can turn every rainstorm into a resource 💧 Learn how a rain barrel can conserve water and reduce runoff at our upcoming workshop.

Join the James River Soil and Water Conservation District and Chesterfield Environmental Engineering for a rain barrel workshop!

📍 Chesterfield County Fairgrounds
📅 June 13
⏰ 10 a.m. – noon

During this hands-on workshop, you’ll build your own DIY rain barrel to collect rainwater for gardening and other non-potable uses.

Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3PID2jO

06/03/2026

Supporting the Minds That Will Protect Our Planet

We are honored to announce that Sophia Mellett, a Chesterfield County student, has been awarded a $2,000 Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (VASWCD) Educational Foundation Scholarship!

Sophia truly embodies the spirit of environmental stewardship. She has excelled in many of our youth initiatives, demonstrating an exceptional commitment to our natural resources:

-Envirothon competitor for two years, including serving as Team Leader
-Youth Conservation Camp Participant
-Youth Conservation Leadership Institute (YCLI) Participant

Her dedication extends far beyond the classroom. In addition to her active community involvement, she has completed an internship at Rockwood Nature Center and earned her Wilderness First Aid certification.

With plans to pursue a degree in Wildlife Conservation, we are confident she will continue to make a profound impact on our environment. Please join us in congratulating her on this well-deserved honor and wishing her the best in her future academic endeavors!

Interested in James River SWCD Scholarship Opportunities? College and High School Students are Encouraged to Apply Here: https://jamesriverswcd.org/?page_id=1586

05/27/2026

🌱Join Us in Rooting for Young Environmental Stewards🌱

We are incredibly proud of our local students from Clover Hill High School and the Chesterfield Career and Technical Center (CTC) @ Hull for their outstanding performance at the Dominion Energy State Envirothon. Competing against 15 elite teams from across Virginia, they expertly applied their knowledge of wildlife, aquatics, soils, forestry, and environmental management to bring home impressive state accolades:

Clover Hill High School: 5th Place Overall, 3rd Place in Soils, and tied for 3rd Place in Forestry.

CTC @ Hull: 11th Place Overall and tied for 3rd Place in Wildlife.

These students are developing real-world skills necessary to protect our natural resources, and we are confident they will have a lasting impact on conservation for years to come.

Learn more about our youth education programs: https://jamesriverswcd.org/?page_id=64

05/27/2026

Tonight I attended the James River Soil and Water Conservation District Director's Meeting at the Chesterfield County Parks and Recreation Beulah Recreation Center. I've utilized this role to support conservation and agriculture and to mentor youth in our community.

While on this board, we created a local scholarship, the Donald A Bagshaw Memorial Scholarship, where we provide $1,500 to a high school senior and $1,500 to a freshman, sophomore, or junior. Applicants must be residents of Chesterfield or Prince George Counties. Applicants need to plan to enroll in or be enrolled in a college and pursue education in agriculture, conservation, and/or environmental studies. We are still accepting applications, so please share this opportunity. Applications are due June 16th! https://jamesriverswcd.org/?page_id=1586

05/15/2026

05/14/2026

Reminder: Scholarship Applications Are Open!

Do you plan to pursue a career in natural resources? We are proud to announce that our 2026 scholarship applications are officially open! We are offering $1,500 to help the next generation of environmental leaders reach their goals.

Available Scholarships:

Donald A. Bagshaw Memorial Scholarship: Open to graduating high school seniors.

James River SWCD Environmental Stewardship Scholarship: Open to current college freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

Deadline for both applications is June 16th, 2026.

Invest in your education and your passion for conservation. Apply today!

Application Information: https://jamesriverswcd.org/?page_id=1586 See less

05/08/2026

We love joining the ~current~ conversations in our watershed!

James River SWCD staff recently had a fantastic morning on the water with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and a wide range of dedicated partners. It was a beautiful atmosphere for networking and discussing the future of our soil and water conservation. From environmental literacy to cost-share impacts, this day was all about sharing ideas and driving Virginia’s conservation goals forward together.

We were honored to share the deck with key leaders like the First Gentleman of Virginia, Secretary David Bulova, Deputy Secretaries Maribel Castañeda and Adrienne Kotula, and Chesterfield County Delegate Lindsey Dougherty, along with many other stakeholders who are passionate about Virginia’s natural resources. Our staff is grateful to be part of such a dedicated community working to protect our watershed!

05/08/2026

Calling All Future Kindergarten Students!

Families are invited to join us this Saturday as we collaborate with Children's Museum of Richmond to help future kindergarteners build school-ready skills through hands-on play! At our interactive station, young explorers can sharpen their senses as they investigate real animal furs to uncover how wildlife adapts to survive!

04/30/2026

It's Rain Barrel Workshop Season!

During our Rain Barrel Workshops in collaboration with Chesterfield County Virginia Government Department of Environmental Engineering, you will build you own rain barrel to collect water for gardening and other non-potable sources. Rain barrels are a great way to conserve water and save money from the comfort of your own home. One rain barrel can harvest hundreds to thousands of gallons of water a year!

Sign up for our first Rain Barrel Workshop on June 13th: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1984411792089?aff=oddtdtcreator

Want to know more about upcoming events? Check out our April Newsletter: https://conta.cc/3QBqQBK