ASLA UTAH NOVEMBER 2023 NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

**REGISTER NOW! EarlyBird Pricing ends Jan. 31st**
*Cultivating the Profession of Landscape Architecture* 2024 ASLA Utah Annual Conference & Expo. Wednesday, March 27th Riverwoods Conference Center, Logan Utah

**UNLA Green Conference 2024 Mountain America Expo Center** January 22th - 24th **REGISTER HERE**

Leadership Express

Paul Stead, ASLA Utah President

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was able to spend some time with family, as I hope all of you had the chance to do. The Thanksgiving holiday is unique in that the focus really is just that, time together with the ones we love. As I reflect on the Minneapolis conference this year, and as I step into the position of President, I find myself finding a common theme in my relationship with ALSA, for those I work and associate with in this profession. It’s easy to get wrapped up in our own responsibilities, but coming together with other landscape architects feels like getting together with family. I may not know all of you, but I hope to, and am uplifted by you all.

I want to thank Jake Powell, who is moving into the position of Past President. He’s been a great mentor and I have enjoyed working with him over this last year. He has given generously of his time throughout his term, and I hope to live up to his example. Thanks for everything Jake, glad to have you around for one more year :) Thanks also to Adam Castor, who has been serving as Past President, John Gottfredson, serving as treasurer, Aaron Johnson, VP of Visibility and Public Affairs, and Cameron Blakely serving as VP of Professional Development. I appreciate all the time you have given to help your fellow landscape architects.

I am excited for the coming year and look forward to doing all I can to magnify our profession. I was able to attend a meet and greet with DFCM leadership last week and was surprised to find many friends in the room, and it was great to connect with associates new and old. I hope that we can make some headway in the legislature this year and bring more awareness to our profession. I am optimistic about where we are headed and look forward to a great year.

Happy Holidays! Paul Stead

ASLA Utah 2023 Award Winners

Tyler Smithson, VP of Membership

We had a great turnout this year for award submittals and are excited to present four awards in the two categories of General Design and Analysis & Planning. It is truly an honor to be able to highlight the best projects on an annual basis and I thank the firms who participated in this year's event for all the hard work that went into submitting the projects to the ASLA Utah for peer review with the Wisconsin ASLA chapter. This process provides invaluable insight on and non-biased inquiry that helps determine how each project scores based on pre-established criteria and quantitative metrics. Notable mentions go out to the volunteers who participated in the swap include: Craig Houston, Rob Hussey, August Bateman, Brenda Wadsworth, and Benji Williamson who reviewed projects submitted by the WI chapter that had a very different midwestern context.

In addition to the ASLA Awards, the Urban Design Utah chapter (a joint program of AIA, APA, ASLA, CNU, & ULI) presented two Legacy Awards this year in recognition of excellence and achievement in Urban Design. The first to receive honors was Helper Main Street + Price River Parkway for community revitalization through preservation, activation, and riparian restoration. And the second award went to Downtown Ogden River Corridor for guiding redevelopment with green infrastructure. We thank the continued support and efforts of Urban Design Utah to give accolades to projects which have made significant contributions to communities within Utah!

On Behalf of the ASLA Utah Chapter, I would like to congratulate this years award winners as they were given honors at the awards banquet and images of their projects are highlighted below.

Burch Creek Park in South Ogden City by Landmark Design - Merit Award

Magna Regional Park in Salt Lake County by G Brown Design - Honor Award

Seven Mile Ranch in Bear Lake County, Idaho by Loci - Merit Award

Seven Greenways Vision Plan of Salt Lake City by Design Workshop and Seven Canyons Trust - Award of Excellence

Click Here to view additional details & images of each award winners on the ASLA UT Website.

ASLA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT — LISA ADEO

Q: Where did you grow up? Where did you go to College?
I grew up in Gran and Oslo, Norway (Gran means pinetree in Norwegian) and finished highschool at the International School of Geneva (Ecolint) in Geneva, Switzerland. After that I got a BA in Government from Smith College, and much later, an MLA from USU. I am currently finishing a Master in Public Administration from SUU.

Q: Tell me about your family and interests (work and non-work related).
With parent from two countries and cultures (Norwegian father and mother from
Massachusetts), I consider myself “third culture”, in which I feel at home anywhere and nowhere all at the same time. This “condition” is amplified by the fact that my husband is from Peru, and the travels and places we have lived throughout our now 36 years of marriage. Our 3 children feel the same way.

Q: What is something that makes you unique?
Being involved in the arts through my husband’s work I think sets me apart from most people in my current profession. He studied mime with Marcel Marceau in Paris (where we met), and his performances and productions eventually took us to SeaWorld, Orlando, where we produced and managed two original shows. From there we sold our house in Florida and ended up buying and operating a circus (Cirque du Soleil style) in Peru. Those experiences were difficult, but taught us many lessons about hard work, having a vision, and living intentionally. I think I’m just beginning to understand what all that means, but the process is unique to me.

Q: Please describe an LA project that you have recently accomplished within the last year/recent years that you are proud of:
In May the City of St. George inaugurated a 4 acre neighborhood park that I worked on for over a year. That gave me many opportunities for growth, and to see people enjoying its desert garden, playground, and trails gives me great satisfaction.

Q: What led you to landscape architecture?
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to pursue a career path I feel passionate about: Working with Nature; Regenerative Design; Integrated solutions that provide win-wins for people and all other living things.

Q: What is your favorite part of your practice?
Having the freedom to think outside the box and use my creative talents: Be paid for doing something I believe in and enjoy.

Q: What do you find inspiring?
Landforms, colors, textures, sounds, fragrances, cultures, art, languages, deep
conversations, forms of adaptation, simplicity, diversity, music, plants, and animals. The works and writings of Neal Spackman, Vandana Shiva, Natalie Topa, Brad Lancaster, Masanobu Fukuoka, Geoff Lawton, and Bill Mollison.

Special Thanks to ASLA Utah 2023 Sponsors & Corporate Partners for their Support!

Click here to become a 2024 ASLA Utah Sponsor or Partner!

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

Corporate Partners
MHTN | Io LandArch | SGLA Technical Training

ASLA UTAH NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER