ASLA UTAH JUNE/JULY 2022 NEWSLETTER

UPCOMING EVENTS

Early Bird Discount Ends July 31st Don’t miss out - REGISTER NOW!! ASLA Utah Annual Conference 2022
September 8th & 9th, Salt Lake City, Utah

Victor Stanley On-Demand LA CES™ Education Sessions: RACE & SPACE CONVERSATIONS, PART I & II, ACTIVATED + INCLUSIVE: DYNAMIC MIXED-USE ENVIRONMENTS, WATER MANAGEMENT IN A CHANGING CLIMATE: INSECURITY, PED 101 – INTEGRATING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND COMFORT INTO EVERY STREETSCAPE
REGISTER HERE

Hunter Industries/FX Luminaire. Lunch & Learn Tuesday, August 23rd, Noon ASLA UT Offices 280 S 400 W, SLC REGISTER HERE

REMEMBER to VOTE! ASLA UT Executive Committee Elections

VOTE HERE

Omega II Fence Systems - Lunch & Learn Wednesday, August 7th, Noon ASLA UT Offices 280 S 400 W REGISTER HERE

ASLA National Conference on Landscape Architecture November 11-14, 2022 San Francisco, CA REGISTER HERE

Leadership Express

Adam Castor, Chapter President

Hello ASLA Utah!

I hope you are all staying busy and having an enjoyable summer. With the dog days of summer rapidly approaching, so too are some exciting ASLA events and activities that we are working on at the chapter level.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Voting: The ballot for this year’s election has been issued. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to cast your vote for the three nominees for President Elect, VP of Membership & Membership Services, and Secretary, or provide a write-in nominee. On the ballot this year are Paul Stead for President Elect, Tyler Smithson for VP of Membership & Membership Services, and Ladd Schiess for Secretary. A big thank you to these gentlemen for their willingness to join the executive committee! There are also numerous sub-committee positions open, so if you are interested in filling a position and becoming involved in the chapter, please reach out to anyone on the executive committee.

We Need Your Help: There are some upcoming committee opportunities to volunteer for within the ASLA Utah chapter and also a board position to fill at the state of Utah. It would be great to see more of our membership get involved in these opportunities. In coordination with ASLA, we are beginning to organize the following committees:

Climate Action Committee – During the spring Chapter President’s Committee (CPC) meeting, ASLA challenged each state chapter to create a committee focused on collaborative research, climate positive design, and education, and to support ASLA’s climate action plan. Our goal would be to first select a climate action leader and then create a support committee to begin building a climate action strategy and network, as well as participate in regional climate-focused events. The wheels are already in motion in our region, particularly in Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. If you are passionate about the negative impacts of a changing climate and would like to participate in making a difference, please let me or Seth Bockholt know. We have had some good conversations with these other states’ chapter presidents and would like to see the Utah chapter become more engaged.
Strategic Plan – Shortly after the annual conference last year, ASLA unveiled its updated strategic plan for 2022-2024. In an effort to better align each chapter’s strategic plan with ASLA, we have been encouraged to create a strategic plan committee that will meet once or twice per year to review our chapter’s strategic plan, compare it to ASLA’s strategic plan, and make recommendations for updates and changes. There are still questions to be answered and logistics to be sorted out as this committee develops, but the first step is identifying Utah chapter members that are interested in participating. This is a great opportunity to share your thoughts, concerns, and ideas on how the chapter serves its membership, on the issues that the chapter is focused on, how we advocate for the landscape architecture profession, and how we support the ASLA organization.
ASLA Virtual Advocacy Day – On September 29, 2002 ASLA will be holding a national Virtual Advocacy Day which includes an on-line meeting between congressional leadership within each state and members from each state’s ASLA chapter. We are looking for at least three members interested in joining this meeting for a discussion with our elected leaders and representatives on the value of landscape architects and the importance of professional licensure, among other things. There will be more information and details about this event coming soon, but if you feel like this is something you would like to participate in, please reach out to me or Thomas Eddingtion, VP of Advocacy.
Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) – There is currently an opportunity to fill a vacant position on the Utah Landscape Architecture Board. This is a five-person board made up of four licensed landscape architects and one member of the general public. The current members include Ole Russell Sleipness (LA), Jay Bollwinkle (LA), Josh Sundloff (LA), and Corinna Harris (Public). David Garce (LA) recently resigned from his position as chairperson, which created the vacant position on the board. DOPL has reached out to ASLA Utah with a request to provide three nominees for their review to fill this position. If you, or another landscape architect that you know, would be interested in pursuing this opportunity, please let me know. If we don’t receive any willing nominees, the executive committee will select at least three landscape architects we feel would make a good candidate for the position and then notify each nominee and coordinate a submittal to DOPL, which reviews each of the nominees’ resumes and ultimately makes the final appointment for the governor’s approval. Due to potential conflicts of interest, current officers of professional associations are viewed by DOPL as inappropriate nominees for this position.

Calendar Updates - Here is a look forward to what is coming up on the ASLA Utah calendar:

National Site Tour Month – August 2022
ASLA Utah Annual Conference on Landscape Architecture – September 8-9, 2022
Park(ing) Day – September 2022
ASLA Virtual Advocacy Day – September 29, 2022
Awards Banquet – October 2022
ASLA CPC Meetings – November 9-10, 2022
ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture – November 11-14, 2022

Here a couple of updates from ASLA:

ASLA Conference in San Francisco – Designing A Better Future

There’s only one week left to register for the ASLA 2022 Conference at the early-bird rate. Register by July 27th to get the early-bird rate. Join 6,500 of your peers, learn about the 120 education sessions, 25 field sessions, 6 Deep dive sessions and 3 LARE prep workshops. Visit aslaconference.com and take advantage of the savings. REGISTER HERE

Are you planning to take the LARE and are attending the ASLA 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture? Register for the LARE Prep workshops by July 27th to get a steeper discount. For sections 1, 2, and 3 prep courses, only $75. Section 4 is $115 before July 27th .

Have you seen these field sessions at the ASLA 2022 Conference on Landscape Architecture? Quantifying Climate Resilience in the Public Environment, Buzzing Through Pollinator Gardens, and Urban Wild in Transition: How a Landfill Became a Community Treasure. Explore all 25 field sessions. Space is limited for all field sessions.

Public Relations - NEW Park(ing) Day with Schools

This year, ASLA brings Park(ing) Day to PreK-12 schools, libraries, and community centers across the country! And this year Park(ing) Day isn't just one day, but a full weekend -- September 16-18, 2022. Let’s help students re-imagine streets one parking space at a time. Using a parking space in front of a school, library, or community center, landscape architects can partner with PreK-12 students to think outside the classroom. Help students discover how to improve our public spaces, strengthen social connections, and boost health and well-being.

ASLA is announcing this a little earlier this year so the chapters can start planning with PreK-12 schools. I look forward to catching up and seeing you all at an upcoming event, and hopefully before then talking more about the committee opportunities at ASLA Utah. Thank you for your continued support and all that you do for the chapter.

Adam Castor, ASLA Chapter President

ASLA Utah Annual Conference

Seth Bockholt, Past President

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Day 1: September 8th, Radisson Hotel, Salt Lake City

Kicking off the conference with a hearty breakfast at the general session where you will have time to catch up with colleagues. Keynote speaker Mark Johnson and other sessions will provide Continuing Education Credits to fulfill your requirement for licensure and the Vendor Expo will provide access to over 30 expert consultants, manufacturers, and suppliers.

Day 2: September 9th, Salt Lake City Public Library Main Branch

The educational sessions will begin with a quiz intended to diagnosis your design-business acumen; helping you choose which breakout sessions to focus on attending. Specific sessions will include classes on various aspects of the business of design including:

Sales - Sessions on the advantages of specialization, marketing and pricing models.
Administration - Sessions on contracts, healthy work environment & design business accounting.
Operations - Project management, teaming models and design process’.

Lunch will be provided and enjoyed on the courtyard.

Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to grow your business acumen. Whether you want to start your own firm someday, raise the bar with your current practice, or learn how to be a more valuable team player, this year’s ASLA UT conference will provide a lot of fun and growth opportunities for all!

ASLA UT ANNUAL CONFERENCE

KEYNOTE SPEAKER - MARK W. JOHNSON, FASLA

Mark Johnson graduated from Utah State in 1975, extending his internship at Maas and Grassli in Ogden into full employment. He later moved to Jones and Jones, where he was both an exhibit designer and leader of river and watershed planning efforts. Following a year of european travels, he graduated from Harvard University in Urban Design in 1982. He moved to Denver in 1983 and became co-founder of Civitas.

Civitas has grown into a nationally prominent firm in the design of public spaces and infill redevelopment. Founded with the mission "To Engage People with Nature in Cities", Civitas has gone on to projects across the US, Canada and in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The mission has become even more relevant and needed following the lessons of the Covid pandemic.

Mark is also a co-founder and current chair of the CEO Rountable, an informal group of 25 firm leaders who have been meeting bi-annualy for more than 25 years. The group exists to share the challenges to landscape architecture as a profession. Over the years the Roundtable has taken on topics including education, best practices, the identity and positioning of the profession, and, notably, business issues related to sustaining high impact national and global practices.

Mark is a frequent lecturer at universities, ASLA, ULI, the UK Landscape Institute, the Salus Network and the International Academy of Desgn and Health. He was previously Chair of the Editorial Committee of Landscape Architecture Magazine and later Harvard Design Magazine; Chair of the ASLA Committee on Policy; and current Treasurer of the Van Alen Institute, New York.

Member Spotlight

Tyler Smithson, Chair Awards and Membership Committee

Rob Hussey

ASLA Utah Member, Arch Nexus

What led you to landscape architecture?

UW-Madison had an LA program and no Arch program, which is a big part of the reason I tried it initially, but realized very quickly how interesting I found the subject matter to be. It sounds so obvious now, but the idea that outdoor spaces are designed specifically to evoke certain feelings and accommodate a particular experience or activity really resonated with me. Almost like learning another language, suddenly I was able to understand why some places that I had traveled to felt so impactful or special – the thought of being able to create those types of places was (and is) very exciting to me. I was also attracted to the combination of art and science, and that Landscape Architecture is can be an “outdoor activity” by nature.

· What is your favorite part of your practice?

So far, I have really enjoyed putting thought into and designing ways to combine beautiful design with ecological functions (particularly stormwater management/water conservation), I am excited to continue learning and to implement those ideas. I have learned over the last couple years how important it is for an LA to advocate for environmentally sensitive design on all projects.

· What is your favorite hobby?

Mountain biking in the summer, skiing in the winter. Skiing if I had to choose one.

· What do you find inspiring?

Landscape Architects are uniquely positioned to face the challenges we are facing as urban areas continue to grow and more stress is put on existing infrastructure (both green and gray) and the ecosystems we’re a part of. We will need to play an important role in future development to reverse existing issues and contribute to solutions.