Stream Restoration & Nature-Based Solutions Projects – Communicating the “Why”
Michele Seib, PE
Chris Stone, PG, CFM
Loudoun County Virginia
Leesburg, Virginia
“Hi, we are here to do a project in your community to help increase resiliency for you and to protect the environment...let me tell you how cutting down trees is going to make things better” is not a statement anyone want to hear from their government. Especially not when it involves their property, viewshed, local park, or other area that they see regularly.
Infrastructure projects, even nature-based green projects are messy. Often, to construct a wetland or to restore a stream requires loud heavy equipment, land clearing and grading, and yes, tree cutting. How do we communicate the importance of these projects to the community and get their buy in as a project partner?
Honest, transparent communication with a dash of empathy! Very few of us would choose to have a bulldozer operating in our backyard for months at a time, so why would we expect the average citizen to?
Developing the message, planning how to get the message across (social media isn’t always the way), sharing the message and giving stakeholders the opportunity to be included are key ingredients to successful projects.
This presentation will focus on the various ways Loudoun County communicates the importance and impacts of nature-based projects. Every project is different, so every communication plan needs to reflect the community, the project impacts and the end goal.
When we spend the extra effort (and sometimes Saturdays) to explain the why and to give honest, transparent answers, we create a level of trust and buy in which leads the way to project success.
About Michele Seib, PE
Michele Seib is Stormwater Engineering Manager for Loudoun County Virginia. She has 20 years of engineering experience in water resources and stormwater and has worked across the world and across various industries (almost every industry needs a good stormwater engineer!). She currently manages the team who the design, implementation and maintenance of all of Loudoun County’s stormwater infrastructure (including capital projects like stream restoration). In 2026, the small but might stormwater team will have about $18 million dollars worth of projects in construction. In her spare time, she loves to garden, spend time outside, and volunteer. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Penn State in Agricultural and Biological Engineering and Master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma in Hydrology and Water Security.
About Chris Stone, PG, CFM
Chris is a Professional Geologist and Certified Floodplain Manager. He has a BS from Shippensburg University in Geo-Environmental Studies and an MS in Environmental Science and Public Policy from George Mason University. Chris worked as a consultant for the first 16 years of his career and has worked for Loudoun County for the past 14 years. He is currently serving Loudoun County as the Water Programs Division Manager where he oversees everything related to water in Loudoun County – Stormwater (Maintenance, MS4, Compliance and Capital Projects), Water & Wastewater, Flood Mitigation & Resiliency, Dam Safety and the County’s new Groundwater.
“Being part of the Stormwater Program at Loudoun County has been an adventure since day one. Over the years, I’ve worked with many dedicated individuals to address significant infrastructure challenges and deliver meaningful water quality improvement projects”