Naturescaped Yard Tour

2021 Virtual Yard Tour – Come join the fun!

Last year, over 400 excited gardeners joined us on our Virtual Yard Tour Facebook Group! As we continue to keep each other safe this spring, our yard tour this year will be virtual once more. It’s a great opportunity to join with your local community of sustainable gardeners to show us what’s going on in your landscapes! Share what environmentally-friendly practices and projects you are working on. See what others are doing in their space and get inspired to learn more. This is an ongoing event; staff will be actively engaging with this online platform from April – July.

New Opportunities for 2021 (More details below!):

About the Virtual Yard Tour Facebook Group

You can share pictures, thoughts, and questions on:

  • Native plants
  • How you’ve grouped your plants using “right plant, right place” (for example: sun-loving
    plants in sunny spots and water-loving plants in wet areas)
  • How you have created multiple canopy layers (trees, shrubs, groundcovers)
  • Rain gardens or other creative stormwater solutions, issues, etc.
  • Ways you’re creating habitat for pollinators and other wildlife
  • Birdhouses or water features that invite birds to your yard
  • Natural ways you build healthy soil and get rid of pests without using synthetic fertilizers, herbicides or other pesticides
  • Lessons and tips you learned from our free workshops
  • Weeds and invasive plants you are working to remove without the use of synthetic chemicals

How you can join the Virtual Yard Tour:

  1. Connect with us via one or all of our social media pages:
  2. Share photos, thoughts, and comments as often as you like! (Please keep posts related to Multnomah County, Oregon and EMSWCD’s mission to help people care for land and water.
  3. Participate in our new Monthly Photo Contests, Weekly Live Question and Answer chats with staff, and learn more about how to participate in the City Nature Challenge 2021.
  4. If you have any questions about how to participate or about using social media, please contact us! You can reach Alex at alex@emswcd.org. For all other questions, please reach out to Monica at monica@emswcd.org.

How to participate in the Photo Contests:

  • Join our Virtual Yard Tour Facebook Group
  • We will host one Photo Contest per month, from April – July.
  • Each month, EMSWCD will make an Announcement Post to open the Photo Contest (you can find these Announcement Posts by visiting the posts at the top of our group).
  • Add your entry for the Photo Contest directly into the comments on the Contest Announcement post.
  • These posts will be made on the 20th with details for the Photo Contest for that month. (If you are really looking forward to these, make sure to turn on your group notifications!)
  • Photo submissions and ‘Likes’ will open on the 20th and be accepted through the end of the 30th of each month.
  • Make sure to come back by the 30th to ‘Like’ any other photos you would like to see win!
  • One winner will be announced per month.
  • The photo that receives the most ‘Likes’ by the end of the 30th will be determined the winner.
  • Winning photo will be featured as the Cover Photo on Yard Tour Facebook Group for 1 month and the winner will receive an EMSWCD T-shirt (sizes are limited to M-3XL).

Below is a summary of the contest rules/requirements:

  • One entry per person, per monthly contest. Submitting multiple photos disqualifies your entry. However, you may delete your photo and update your entry.
  • Please only use original photos that you have taken.
  • Captions, descriptions, stories, plant names, and more are always encouraged with your entry.
  • Stay on-topic, per the Group Rules as well as in the Photo Contest instructions.
  • Note: EMSWCD staff may participate, but will not win prizes.

How to participate in the Weekly Live Question & Answer Chats:

  • Join our Virtual Yard Tour Facebook Group
  • These live chats with EMSWCD staff are to provide assistance for naturescaping questions related to your yard or garden
  • These will take place in the Facebook group on Wednesdays at varied times
  • More details will be provided once you are a member of the Facebook Group

How to participate in the City Nature Challenge:

Nature is all around us! Share your photos April 30th-May 3rd using the iNaturalist app and join with people around the world to document and celebrate nature in urban environments.  Learn more at citynaturechallenge.org