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Trustee Report
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Welcome to the 11th piece of my trustee report series where I share a few notes and items from our national organization during the last month or so. Remind people who may have lapsed in their membership to rejoin and that payment options are available. Please feel free to contact me at Trustee@FLASLA.org if you have any questions or concerns about ASLA issues.
Governance and Administration
- ASLA is becoming a collaborating organization with the new EPA Green Infrastructure Collaborative, a network of federal agencies, including the White House Council on Environmental Quality, non-governmental organizations, and other private sector entities, to work on promoting green infrastructure approaches to address water issues. President Mark Focht, FASLA, and ASLA government affairs staff will participate in a kick-off event for the Collaborative at the White House. The event will include roundtable discussions on efforts to mainstream green infrastructure, and provide an opportunity for leaders of the initiative to dialogue with senior administration officials. As part of ASLA’s commitment to work with the Collaborative, ASLA will: advocate for passage of the Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act; support strong funding for the Clean and Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Funds; and maintain, update, and enhance ASLA’s online green infrastructure center, as well as highlighting these issues in publications and education opportunities.
- President Focht presented at the national Rail-Volution Conference in Minneapolis.The session, "Design Matters," featured the leadership of AIA, APA, and ASLA discussing the importance of design in transit-oriented developments and transportation projects.
- On Oct. 7, President-Elect Dick Zweifel, FASLA, was the keynote speaker at the launch party of the Landscape Architect’s Guide to Portland (Oregon). The guide explains why Portland is one of the most livable, sustainable cities in the U.S. Eleven local guides, including Carol Mayer-Reed, FASLA, Lloyd Lindley, FASLA, and Kenneth Helphand, FASLA, among others, contributed significant volunteer time over the course of 2014 to make the guide happen. In contrast to the D.C. and Boston guides, which are organized by neighborhoods, the Portland guide is organized by the facets of the Sustainable City, with sections on transportation, water, food, health and other topics.
- The 2014 professional and student awards were announced recently with a press release, an email blast to all contacts, and a social media campaign, all coordinated with the October issue of Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM), which features the awards. This is the first fully responsive awards website ASLA has produced, meaning it is easily to view on tablets and phones. From Florida, Raymond Jungles, Inc. received an Honor Award in the Residential Category for Sky Garden in Miami Beach.
ASLA Government Affairs
- Yesterday, the U.S. Senate voted 78-22 to pass H.J. Res.124–a continuing resolution (CR) spending bill to fund federal government programs and operations for fiscal year 2015. Recently, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 319-108 on the measure. The legislation maintains current funding levels for government programs and services through Dec. 11, 2014. Visit ASLA’s Advocate page for a summary of funding levels for programs important to landscape architects and for other advocacy news and information.
- ASLA also activated the iAdvocate Network recently to urge ASLA advocates to send a message to their U.S. Representatives to support H.R. 4709, the Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Act (Highways BEE ACT), a bipartisan bill aimed at designing rights-of-way to foster strong, vibrant pollinator populations. In response to the action alert, ASLA advocates were able to send more than 250 messages to their representatives in Congress. ASLA members are encouraged to continue to send messages to their legislators about this issue.
- Federal Government Affairs Director Roxanne Blackwell participated in the National Building Museum’s Capital Council Roundtable Discussion on "Green v. Resilient," where representatives of the design and construction industries discussed planning, designing, and building projects in a way that can withstand possible disasters and other impacts. Currently, the museum is featuring an exhibition on "Designing for Disaster.
Professional Practice
- Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS)Update: The Documented Historic Landscapes: Full List of HALS Sites & HALS Highlights webpage has been updated. There are currently 575 HALS sites on the list, up from 495 last quarter. This list is provided by the National Park Service, with links to the documentation on the Library of Congress’ website. The new set of HALS Highlights features past winners of the annual HALS Challenge, an historic landscape documentation competition. This year’s Challenge, Documenting Landscapes of the New Deal, received 47 entries, the most ever. The winners and the theme of the next challenge will be announced at the annual meeting.