ASLA UTAH AUGUST 2021 NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

Parking Day 2021 Friday, September 17th More info soon!

Hanover Architectural Products Lunch & Learn Tuesday, October 26th, Noon ASLA SLC Offices REGISTER HERE

ASLA Utah Professional Awards Dinner & Dancing *Save the Date: Friday, October 15th, 5:00pm*

Lucky Dog Recreation Lunch & Learn Tuesday, Nov. 16th, Noon ASLA SLC Offices REGISTER HERE

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Leadership Express

Seth Bockholt, Chapter President

Seth Bockholt, PLA ASLA

There is a lot of fun activities coming up for us in the next couple months. We are reviving ASLA UT Parking day after our brief hiatus and the awards banquet in October is going to be a load of fun with a live band. You’ll learn more about the details those events within this newsletter. Here I would like to let you know what I have been thinking for next year’s annual conference and ask for your input and feedback if anything jumps out to you.

- I am thinking that it would be nice to hold our 2022 conference at a place that will allow us to be outside in nature and nearby recreational opportunities. More of a ‘Retreat’ than a ‘Conference; Along those lines a place that offers the opportunity to make a weekend of it if you choose, with overnight options nearby but not too far for those who choose to commute in for a single day.

- Given that the venue could be outdoors, I think it would be nice to hold the conference later in the summer or early fall. When temperatures are a little cooler and kids are back in school. Maybe in one of the canyons along the Wasatch Front. Maybe in or around Moab. I have reached out to two places so far, and both seem interested in hosting us.

- There are a couple directions the emphasis of the conference might go towards. One being on ‘The business of landscape architecture’. With speakers and breakouts focused on running a design business. With topics ranging from marketing to team building and the financial aspects of the business. The other topic is the “Ethics” with speakers and breakouts focused on the two ethical guidelines ASLA members have committed to following. The “ASLA Code of Environmental and Business Ethics”. Maybe these topics overlap in some regards, and we could look at them both.

Please reach out to me if you have any thoughts or ideas for next year’s conference whether they build on this outline or critique it. I want to hear from you if you have an opinion either way. My email is seth@bockholtla.com and my mobile is 801.602.9951.

Thank you all for being a member of our society and enjoy reading the rest of the newsletter!

Seth Bockholt, President ASLA UT Chapter.

2021 ALSA UT Election Results

President Elect
Jake Powell

Trustee
Bryce Ward

VP of Professional Development
Cameron Blakely

VP of Advocacy
Thomas Eddington

Jake Powell

Bryce Ward

Cameron Blakley

Thomas Eddington

2021 ALSA Amplify

Adam Castor, President Elect

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On August 24th and 25th, ASLA National held a two-day online webinar called Amplify, which focused on state licensure and climate change advocacy. “Advocate. Be Seen. Be Heard.” was the theme for this educational webinar. Each ASLA chapter was invited to register up to ten executive committee members to tune in and hear from some very notable speakers on the importance Landscape Architects advocating for the value of state licensure and our role in addressing climate change through design.

Screen Shot 2021-08-31 at 2.39.13 PM.png — Keynote:Tory Carter-Conneen CEO, ARPL

Day number one kicked off with an inspiring introduction from Keynote Speaker Torey Carter-Conneen, ASLA’s new CEO, which was followed by a presentation on the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing (ARPL). The ARPL is an advocacy group for licensed professions that are relied upon for protecting the public’s health, safety, and well-being which includes, among others, landscape architecture, civil engineering, land surveyors, and architecture. In addition to advocating for licensed professionals, the ARPL also strives to educate policy makers and the general public on the importance of professional licensure and high standards of education, examination, and experience. Oxford Economics was commissioned by the ARPL to complete a research study on the impacts of professional licensing, which resulted in the recently published Oxford Report. The findings of this report will be used by the ARPL as a resource in educating policy makers that are debating legislation on the regulation, or deregulation, of professional licensing. It’s nice to know that the profession of landscape architecture has a nationwide advocate that recognizes the importance of professional licensure and the education, examination, and experience needed to obtain licensure. More information on the ARPL and the Oxford Report can be found at www.responsiblelicensing.com.

The threat of licensure deregulation is real. Perhaps not in Utah or in other states right now, but as state legislative sessions come and go, so too do bills that have the potential to strip landscape architects of our title and/or our ability to practice as a licensed professional. Why? The most common arguments are based on free trade, the “right to work”, and the overlap of practice between architects, engineers, landscape architects, as well as landscape designers and landscape contractors. As recently as 2017, the state of Illinois experienced a serious threat of deregulation of the state’s Landscape Architect Title Act. As one of only three states with a Title Act, the ASLA Illinois Chapter (ILASLA) decided to pursue a Practice Act while facing deregulation of the Title Act. Throughout 2018 ILASLA hired a lobbyist, negotiated with allied professionals and the Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation, and ultimately drafted and brought to the legislation a Practice Act bill. In 2019, due to Covid-19, the legislative session was abruptly ended without a vote on the Practice Act, and in 2020 the Title Act was repealed through a sunset law. In early 2021, through an intense advocacy effort and securing two bill sponsors, ILASLA negotiated a new Title Act bill which was introduced during the spring legislative session. The bill passed through the House and the Senate and was signed into law by the Governor on August 6, 2021. The successful passing of the new Title Act in Virginia validates the importance of landscape architects engaging state legislators and representatives, developing alliances with other design professionals, and educating the public on the services that we provide as licensed professionals. Without it, we may experience the Saga of Licensure in Utah.

Screen Shot 2021-08-31 at 2.45.20 PM.png — Day 2: COP26

A collection of countries under the United Nations is gathering in November 2021 for the 26th global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland with the common goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees.

Day number two shifted the focus to climate change and the role landscape architects can have as advocates for addressing it, as well as leading the way in climate positive design. The first presentation covered COP26, or Conference of the Parties. This collection of countries under the United Nations is gathering in November 2021 for the 26th global climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland with the common goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees. The United Nations has set some lofty Sustainable Development Goals in order to achieve the global warming limit and to build global consensus through shared understanding. The International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) and ASLA National are both taking an active role in COP26 and the Climate Action Committee through media campaigns, press releases, and event collaborations. Landscape architects are uniquely educated and qualified to address climate change and global warming, and these two organizations are actively advocating for our profession at the international level. More information can be found at www.ukcop26.org, www.iflaworld.com, and www.asla.org.

Following the COP26 presentation, we heard case studies from Virginia and Sacramento, California in which landscape architects are actively advocating and designing for climate change. Similar to Illinois, the profession of landscape architecture in the state of Virginia has been up for deregulation three times over the past decade. Through an effort to engage and educate their policy makers, senators and delegates were invited to attend the Chesapeake Bay conference on sea level rise and flooding, during which the work of landscape architects providing nature-based solutions to coastal design and resiliency was presented. This effort was but one of many ways that landscape architects in Virginia have stepped up to defend and maintain their licensure, and as a result landscape architects are now heavily involved in coastal design, tree preservation, and master planning projects at the state level. In California, the CCASLA is a statewide advocacy council comprised of the four California ASLA chapters. The CCASLA is involved in drafting statewide climate change response strategies, as well as the 2021 State Adaptation Strategy and the Natural Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy. Landscape architects in California are providing climate positive design on projects funded by the state, they’re recommending sustainable sites initiatives, and they’re sharing resources, information, and opportunities. This involvement at the state level is having a big impact on landscape architects providing direct feedback on statewide strategies and plans that feed future licensure legislation. The presentation concluded with additional opportunities where landscape architects are advocating and designing for climate change including the US Forest Service, a board member for the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, and a city council member.

As landscape architects we are uniquely educated, we take a rigorous exam to become licensed professionals, and we have working experiences that are extensive. We also have an obligation to defend the legislation that regulates our profession and we have an obligation to lend our collective knowledge to projects that can have global implications. We must reach out and engage our elected officials, our district representatives, and our state legislators and we must all strive for climate positive design. A closing quote from the 2021 ASLA Amplify webinar: “You all need to be prepared to defend this every single year. It’s not going away.”

Adam Castor, RLA, Utah ASLA President-Elect

Park(ing) Day 2021

Aaron Johnson, VP of Visibility and Public Affairs

Screen Shot 2021-08-30 at 6.22.53 PM.png — It’s that time of the year again! **PARK(ing) DAY!**

On Friday, September 17th, cities and organizations across the world will be showcasing how the public space in our communities can be better utilized. For those who are not familiar, Parking Day started as a guerilla art project in 2005 by Rebar. Its goal is to temporarily repurpose street parking spaces and convert them into tiny parks and places for art, play, and activism. By activating a single parking space, Parking day reclaims the spaces previously dedicated to the car and gives it back to the larger community.

This year the Utah ASLA Chapter is happy to announce that we will be participating in Parking Day in person. We will be prioritizing and will be following all COVID-19 health protocols to create a healthy and safe space to engage with each other. We recognize the importance of taking back our public space to provide adequate space for the community to gather in a safe way, that has never been more apparent then in this last year. Utah ASLA will use this opportunity to engage in the community and create a memorable experience where previously thought impossible!