President's Remarks

We've made it to April! A glorious month full of bustling activities, landscape construction start-up, on site visits, and the promise of warm(er) weather. There's just something about April that gets everyone ready to "spring" into action, and WASLA is no exception! This month there are heaps of activities and movements to participate in. First of all, it is World Landscape Architecture Month (WLAM), a worldwide celebration of the profession. Throughout this month ASLA will be highlighting landscape architect-designed spaces from around the nation, but you all can chip in individually by sharing some of your favorite project pictures to your own social media outlets. You can visit the WLAM web page to download your "This is Landscape Architecture" card to display with your photo. Be sure to use the hashtag #WLAM2017 with your posts so that we can all track and appreciate all the amazing projects we've been a part of! Feel free to also add the WLAM logo to your email signature so that all of your friends and colleagues are aware of the celebration!

The 2017 WASLA Conference, Where History Meets Nature,  is also occurring this month! As a Spokane native, I am delighted that this year's conference will be hosted in my hometown, something that hasn't happened in the history of WASLA Conferences. Please join me and many of your colleagues in this annual event. The Davenport Grand is a stunning, BRAND NEW hotel, right in the heart of downtown Spokane and is linked to the Spokane Convention Center where the conference will be held. If you want the best Spokane experience, the Grand is where you'll want to be! I hope to see you all there!

Advocacy Day is also right around the corner. On April 27th, ASLA leadership will be heading to our nation’s capital to talk about the importance of landscape architecture and pressing issues which impact our profession to our state senators and representatives. This year our Trustee, Curtis LaPierre, and I will be joined by University of Washington student Joshua Gawne, and Washington State University student Philip VanDevanter. Both students are currently enrolled at their university's respective landscape architecture programs. We are thrilled to have them join us on for this important day of advocating! Please remember, however, that advocacy is a year-round practice. Although HB 1361 is officially dead, it has still been getting attention in form of radio discussion on Glenn Beck's talk show, and more recently in the Seattle Times. The battle for licensure is not something that will dissipate overnight. After one bill, there will most certainly be another. As a community of professionals we must defend the practice of landscape architecture and be proactive in our advocacy efforts. Our Advocacy Committee co-chairs, Bryan Cole and Brice Maryman have been developing an annual budget for 2018 so that we can continue to get the word out about our profession. Thank you to their efforts, and to everyone else who has contacted their local representatives to talk about landscape architecture!

One more thing to keep on your radar as May approaches is an event that WASLA is partnering with the Discovery Park Advisory Council on. Peter Ker Walker, an original author of the Discover Park Master Plan will be visiting Seattle in May which opened up a special opportunity to revisit the master plan and vision for Discovery Park. At this time, the event is expected to include an open panel discussion with Peter Ker Walker and the Advisory Council and an "intimate" walk with Peter Ker Walker through the park. Stay tuned as details for this unique event are finalized!

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