With Labor Day around the corner, I hope everyone finds time to briefly rest and recharge. Hopefully the heat will start to wane, and we can look forward to cooler months. 

Elections for new Executive Committee positions are finalized! All nominees have been notified and I appreciate all the people that volunteered to run. Here are the results:

Trustee – Brian Roth

President-Elect – Nick Staib

Secretary – Madison Quincke

Treasurer – Chris Sanders

Vice President of Sponsorship & Education – Jackie Dietz

Vice President of Advocacy – David Contag

Manhattan Member-at-Large – Jessica Canfield

Wichita Member-at-Large – Karissa Pankratz

Congratulations to the winners and we appreciate everyone that voted! We are excited to welcome the new faces this fall.

Two big events are coming up! Our Sponsorship Appreciate Event will be on September 22^nd at Char Bar. This is a FREE event for members and there is food and drink provided! It was a lot of fun last year and it is a great opportunity to meet and thank our sponsors in person. 

We also have our Annual Meeting at Top Golf on October 5^th. Like last year, this will be a fun event to attend. Not to beg, but PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE signup and attend these events!

There are a few opportunities to volunteer and represent landscape architecture to the broader design community:

• Design Career Days at UMKC. This is an opportunity to chat about our profession to a younger group of folks. It is tentatively scheduled for October 11^th. We need two volunteers!
• CfAD: 20x20x2022 Holiday event is planned for November. In a fast-paced Pecha-Kucha style, we need a presenter to share themes and buzzwords for Landscape Architecture. This is a fun and light-hearted happy hour open to all design industries.
• CfAD: KC Design Week scheduled for April ’23, is needing 2-3 volunteers on the planning committee to represent Landscape Architecture. Interested?

If you are interested in volunteering for any of the three events, please reach out to Jackie Dietz jackie.dietz@forms-surfaces.com.

Our LINKS events have been interesting and well-attended. Please put these events on your calendars and watch for email reminders. The LINKS event in September is about catenary lighting. Hope to see you there!

The fall CPC (Chapter Presidents Council) webinar was recently held and included a number of updates from ASLA. The topics discussed included membership strategies, Dream Big with Design, government affairs, and strategic planning at the chapter level. 

Until next time,

Brett Payton, PLA, ASLA

PGASLA President

September LINKS: Catenary Lighting

September 14 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Join Shannon Yust for this LA CE accredited course on catenary system designs will offer a unique and comprehensive understanding of the use of lighting within catenary systems. The presentation includes examples of lighting installations from around the world.

A catenary is a curve that is found throughout nature and the built world. This course presents the history of catenaries in architectural and landscape design and examines the relationship between catenary systems and lighting in urban site planning. We discuss engineering and environmental factors, types, of catenary lighting layouts, and real examples of catenary lighting installations around the world.

Learning Objectives:

1. Contextualize the history and gain a basic understanding of what a catenary is.
2. Understand how a catenary can be implemented into an architectural design and the benefits of its use.
3. Learn the engineering requirements and various factors, including environmental, for the design and specification of a catenary lighting system.
4. Review and understand the different types of catenary layouts.
5. Case Studies – Review real world applications and their appeal.

Course will provide 1.0 continuing education credits and provide Health, Safety, and welfare credit.

Lunch will be provided. Email Jackie Dietz with any questions at jackie.dietz@forms-surfaces.com.

October LINKS: Rope and Inclusivity on the Playground

October 20 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Join Lukas Steinke, CEO of Berliner America, traveling in from Greenville, SC for an in-person presentation at CfAD. This presentation focuses on the essential ways to create a rope playground that harbors inclusivity. We will review the ADA standards and how it impacts the ability to design functional, fun, and inviting spaces. This leads us into the discussion on inclusivity where we'll take a deeper look at the sensory disorders that impact a large population and how to create an environment to account for all abilities.

There will also be a focus on the developmental benefits of rope play and how it impacts children of all abilities. We'll conclude with a look at what play experiences are best to include in inclusive spaces.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the role of ADA in playgrounds and defining inclusivity
2. Identify developmental benefits of rope play
3. Understand elements needed to design complete, inclusive playgrounds

RSVP by October 14th. Course will provide 1.0 continuing education credits and provide Health, Safety, and welfare credit. Lunch will be provided. Email Jackie Dietz with any questions at jackie.dietz@forms-surfaces.com.

Join us for our annual event on September 22 from 6:00-9:00pm to thank 2022 Sponsors for their continued support of PGASLA! Stop by anytime to see Sponsors and Members for a casual in-person gathering. This event will be held outdoors, weather permitting. Heavy appetizers, drinks, and games will be provided by PGASLA.

PGASLA members – 1 free ticket

PGASLA Sponsors – up to 4 free tickets, based on sponsorship level

Non-members / Additional tickets – $15 each

Please RSVP by September 15th. Questions? Email Jackie Dietz at jackie.dietz@forms-surfaces.com

Please join us for our annual meeting at Top Golf on October 5 from 5:00 - 8:00pm! We will look back on the year’s activities, initiatives, and education, along with welcome the new Executive Committee members. Registration includes drinks, heavy appetizers, Top Golf game play, along with some prizes! We hope to see you there!

PGASLA members – $25 each

PGASLA Sponsors – up to 4 free tickets, based on sponsorship level

Non-members – $35 each

Please RSVP by September 28th. Questions? Email Jackie Dietz at jackie.dietz@forms-surfaces.com

Submitted by David Contag, Chapter Trustee

July 2022

Highlights

• The city of Austin, Texas, has adopted a SITES certification requirement for its Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) projects. The July 25 press release states, "Austin is the first city worldwide to incorporate the rating system into local policy and has more participating SITES projects than anywhere in the world...with 19 participating SITES projects." Past adoption of SITES includes the GSA for its capital construction program, the state of Rhode Island for all major facility projects of public agencies and public school districts, and Atlanta BeltLine Inc. for all the new parks and trails.

• Landscape Architecture Magazine won six EXCEL Awards: two golds, three silvers, and one bronze in the circulation category of 10,001 to 20,000 (See more in the LAM section). 

• Press releases were crafted and distributed about ASLA priorities, including announcing the “WELL Certified Gold” Label for our D.C. Center for Landscape Architecture as well as announcing the election of 27 Members to Council of Fellows.

• President Eugenia Martin, FASLA, was the keynote speaker at the San Diego Chapter awards ceremony on June 30. Martin also participated in a lunch hosted by Past Presidents Dennis Otsuji, FASLA, and Pat Caughey, FASLA, and participated in tours of sites along the coastline.

• CEO Torey Carter-Conneen spoke to invited guests after the SoFi Stadium tour in Los Angeles on June 24, hosted by Mia Lehrer and her team of Studio-MLA. Studio-MLA was the landscape architecture firm chosen for stadium. 

• CEO Torey Carter-Conneen was featured in a The Washington Blade column congratulating him on earning a Business of Pride award.

• The Washington Post interviewed several ASLA members for their article, “Grass is a water hog. Here’s how to create a drought-tolerant yard.” They also linked to “Sustainable Residential Design: Improving Water Management” and “Sustainable Residential Design: Applying Ecological Design” guides on asla.org in the piece.

• Career Discovery and Diversity Senior Manager Lisa J. Jennings with Digital/Social Media Communications Manager Katie Caine launched ASLA’s social media campaign around DREAM BIG with Design and its session tracks. The first theme, Ecological Design with Bees featured Clay Bolt, World Wildlife Fund, Entomologist Dr. Ramsey, and Patricia Algara, ASLA. It also includes our recognition of eight sponsors including Boston Architectural College, BrightView Landscapes, Confluence, OJB Landscape Architecture, Proven Winners Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc., Sasaki, and Tom Mroz, FASLA. 

• Fundraising for Dream Big continues with $17K raised to date. Join our Circle of Supporters for ASLA’s annual virtual PreK-12 Summit, DREAM BIG with Design, A Showcase of Landscape Architecture and PreK-12 Design Learning. Many new sponsor benefits have been implemented, including several social media options. Help us teach students about landscape architecture by sponsoring Dream Big.