ASLA UTAH MARCH 2024 NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

**RainBird’s 3rd Annual Girls Night Out Thursday, April 25, 5:00pm-7:00pm** Cactus & Tropicals, Draper Utah **RSVP HERE** **(seating limited)**

**VORTEX -** **Splashpad Tour & Lunch** **April 17, 2024 |** **12:00PM MST** Logan Center Block Plaza, 55 North Main RSVP: Michelle Lynn, mlynn@vortex-intl.com

**LAEP SPEAKER SERIES Friday, April 5th, 3:30pm Sarah Creachbaum,** US National Park Service
**Friday, April 19th, 3:30pm** **Chris Creasey**, Intersections of Practice: A Candid Conversation on Career Paths

Leadership Express

Paul Stead, ASLA Utah President

Welcome to spring!

In most of the state it may still feel like late winter, but in sunny St George the first day of spring brings with it blossoms and 70-degree days! I enjoy getting out and getting my hands in the soil, pruning, planting.

Everything that has laid dormant is beginning to show signs of life, and weeds that I thought I had eradicated prove they are still firmly entrenched in the soil. I’m sure many of you share my enthusiasm for your own garden, and I wish you well in your efforts.

If you were able to attend the Utah ASLA conference in Logan, thank you so much for attending! Your presence at our Utah conference is essential for the continued support of our vendors, who many of us turn to daily for assistance in our designs. I enjoyed seeing new perspectives in the sessions, and it was so great to get together as friends and colleagues.

For those of you unable to attend, I wanted to share the good legislative news. Both bills that we have been working toward with the executive committee, and our lobbyist Dave Kallas, have been signed by Governor Cox and will go into effect May 1st (for the professional services amendments) and October 1st (for the LA board changes). A huge thanks to all the effort that has been made toward maintaining our presence and bettering the position of our profession.

Like the weeds in my garden above, the successes we have had in the legislature, while great wins for landscape architecture, don’t spell the end of our efforts. Threats to licensure continue to crop up, and we need your support to continue to better the profession. Take an opportunity to talk with your local and state elected representatives about the impact of your work. Consider a donation to our chapter. Volunteer for a position on a committee in our chapter. We need you!

Utah ASLA Memorial Fund Scholarship

You Can Help a Student by donating just $20.25 for 2025!

In 2013, the Utah ASLA Memorial Fund gave out its first scholarship to an LAEP student. Since that time, we have awarded a scholarship every year, and the amount has grown from $1,000 to $1,500. Our goal for 2025 is to give out a scholarship that will fully cover one semester’s tuition.

In order to meet this goal and continue to grow the fund each year, we need to raise $4,050 to add to the principal of the Memorial Fund. If 200 people would contribute just $20.25 each, we would have this amount covered.

**CLICK HERE TO DONATE**

**Your gift will make a difference in the life of a student.** As our 2023 scholarship recipient wrote, “This award will not only help me achieve my academic and career goals, it will also inspire me to continue to work hard and give back to my community.”

2024 UNLA Conference

Tanner Snow, VP of Professional Development

Earlier this year the ASLA Utah chapter had the opportunity to provide a booth in the Utah Nursery and Landscape Association Green Conference. As exhibitors in the conference, chapter members provided visitors with educational pamphlets and explained benefits of membership in ASLA. The chapter also provided two donations to the Granite Technical Institute and JATC South for the 2024 Student Connections Program. These scholarships were awarded the second day of the conference, January 24, during which I helped to staff the booth. The two students, Jesse Parry and Braelie Strekla, won the scholarships were very appreciative as Bryce Ward, ASLA UT Treasurer presented the scholarship to each of them.

Personally, I was happy to see most of the suppliers I was familiar with in their booths as well, from Hunter and Rainbird to Millers and Progressive Plants. If anyone hasn’t been able to attend the Green Conference, I highly recommend it. During my time at the booth, and conference, I talked with many different individuals ranging from groups of high school students to professionals who were interested in ASLA membership. It was gratifying to be able to promote the education, participation, and importance of the profession.

Talking to groups of students from high schools around the state was a great opportunity to encourage them to investigate the profession and promote Utah State University’s nationally accredited LAEP program. These interactions were well worth the time spent at the booth.

When landscape professionals stopped to talk, we usually found ourselves discussing the topic of becoming a Landscape Architect and what the requirements were for obtaining licensure. I helped encourage those who were licensed or members of ASLA to seriously consider both as ways of elevating their current professional careers. Being licensed as Landscape Architects brings extra credibility to their design and construction work, and being a part of a national association that helps professionals in continuing their professional education and advocating for our profession.

This kind of advocacy for membership in ASLA and as Landscape Architecture professionals is important and helps build the idea that our profession is crucial in the development of our natural and built environments. I encourage each of us to find every opportunity for advocacy, whether it’s explaining, for the thousand time, what a landscape architect is, to participating with ASLA Utah in the efforts of protecting licensure. If you have an idea for promoting ASLA or other professional development, please reach out to me or anyone else on the Executive Committee. We are always happy to work with you in making ASLA Utah even better.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT - NICHOLAS STOKES

Tyler Smithson, VP of Membership

Where did you grow up? I grew up primarily in Park City, Utah. But I also lived outside Park City including areas such as Kamas and Heber City. I now live in the Salt Lake Metropolitan area and have been for the last few years.

What led you to landscape architecture? What led me to landscape architecture was the ability to culminate a wide variety of skills that can help produce a physical result, that members of the public can be proud of. As I continue my education at the University of Utah within the City & Metropolitan Planning Department, I've grown an acute interest in collecting various types of knowledge such as urban design principles, management/allocation of green space within urban settings, and other community-driven principles found throughout this industry.

What is your favorite part of your practice? My favorite part of my practice, is being able to see the transformation of an area that could have been considered "dull" at one point, to transforming into an area that members of the community can interact and enjoy on a consistent basis.

What is your favorite hobby? My favorite hobby without a doubt, is fishing the crystal clear waters found throughout the state. Not only when I'm exploring these new waters throughout the state am I in awe to be able to catch something, but in awe of the natural beauty that surrounds this state from its northernmost border to its southernmost.

What do you find inspiring? What I find most inspiring, is the joy and satisfaction we can get by helping others. It's incredible how much better our own lives can become when we make the conscious choice to help others along their life journey.

Describe a notable landscape architecture project you were involved in. A notable project I have been involved with, was the development of a mutli-use parcel within the newly incorporated town of Hideout. This parcel sought to draw more attention to this newly developed area right outside of Park City and was designed in mind to incorporate the old western feel of the state, while also becoming ecologically friendly both within and around the building(s)/parcel. The type of use that is going to be determined at this location is still unknown at this time but whatever it may be, it'll be the needed attention to this newly developed area.

Do you have any questions for ASLA? (Ie. How can we better represent you?) I don't haven any questions for ASLA but I'm excited to meet everyone within the Utah Chapter!

WELCOME NEW SPONSORS IN 2024

Special Thanks to ASLA Utah 2024 Sponsors & Corporate Partners for their Support!

Platinum Sponsors
BioGrass | Great Western Recreation | Rain Bird | Victor Stanley

Corporate Partners
Bockholt Designs | Calsense | Denton House | Io LandArch

ASLA UTAH MARCH NEWSLETTER