Blogger Beth Ginter
May 11, 2026
This fall will mark ten years of Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) training. CBLP was piloted in Maryland, Virginia, and DC in October-December 2016, with 116 people participating in the initial training cohort.
As we approach midyear 2026 and set plans in motion to celebrate this milestone, the CBLP team will not just be reflecting on our accomplishments. Perhaps more importantly, we are also looking ahead to the next ten years, and beyond. A key focus for us in 2026 is solidifying the foundation we’ve put in place to ensure long-term sustainability for the Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council and for the CBLP program.
Did you know that the registration fees that we collect do not fully cover the cost of administering the CBLP program? We make up that funding “gap” with public donations and grant support that allow us to offer scholarship funding to ensure that CBLP is accessible to all, develop innovative programming, train instructors, and create new resources for all of you. Making a tax-deductible donation today to CCLC’s “Rooted In Knowledge, Growing Impact” midyear campaign will help ensure that we continue to expand CBLP programs across the Bay region, and support the incredible network of over 1870 certified pros.
Using simple tools to understand elevations, VA pilot class, 2016
First group of Level 1 exam-takers, Derwood, MD
CBLP Technical Advisors meeting in Arlington, VA, February 2016
CBLP Technical Advisors in Arlington, February 2016
Ted Scott explains visual indicators for BMPs, CBLP pilot, Arlington, VA
Natalia Sanchez and Brad Deise, CBLP pilot, DC
Dave Hirschman leads a CBLP pilot class at UVa
Thank you for being part of this network and for the passion and commitment you bring every day to the work of protecting and restoring the Bay and the land, streams, and rivers that comprise this spectacular watershed. We see and appreciate you and look forward to celebrating together throughout the year.
Beth Ginter, MPSLD, CBLP
Executive Director, Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council (CCLC)
Beth became CCLC’s first executive director in January 2020. Based in Silver Spring, Maryland, and working across the mid-Atlantic region, CCLC educates and supports professionals to implement sustainable landscapes and green infrastructure practices for a healthy and resilient Chesapeake Bay watershed. She helped develop and also direct CCLC’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) certification initiative. Previously, Beth was the founding principal of a landscape consulting & design firm, and she directed scientific communications programs in the corporate sector. She earned a Masters in Sustainable Landscape Design at The George Washington University and a B.A. from Virginia Commonwealth University.
