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 President's Remarks
Laura Thompson
Licensure on the Chopping Block
Wow - What a whirlwind month it has been! With the introduction of House Bill 1361 at the end of last month, most of February thus far has been a battle for WASLA leadership and membership alike. In all honesty, I wasn't too scared of the big bad bill initially. Just last year a similar bill was introduced. We were notified. It died in committee. And we left it at that. My thought process when HB 1361 was first introduced was along the lines of, "Oh, this will go just like the last one. No big deal, right?" Wrong. Read more
2017 WASLA Conference - Where History Meets Nature
April 20 & 21, 2017
Have you made plans to attend the 2017 WASLA Annual Conference in Spokane? This year we celebrate city planning that exemplifies the past, the formidable present, and the future of city planning.
With 16 educational sessions, 6 LA CES-approved PDH, 2 receptions, and 1 renowned keynote speaker, it will be the State's largest gathering of landscape professionals.
Join us for two receptions and the opportunity to catch up with old friends, make new acquaintances, and maybe find that collaborator you've been looking for. Kick off the event at the pre-conference Opening Reception April 20, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Held at the Left Bank Wine Bar inside the historical American Legion building, it's a convenient 5-minute walk from the conference hotel. The Closing Reception will immediately follow the conference at the Riverside Terrace in the Spokane Convention Center.
The conference begins with breakfast and a morning General Session presented by landscape architects Michael Terrell, Garrett Jones, and Guy Michaelsen that will set the theme for the day. Confluence: The history, culture and future of Spokane's public landscapes explores how Spokane's rich legacy of parks and open spaces shape the city's character and lifestyle, and pays homage to the visionary planning and conservation that began a century ago and continues today.
 Chip Sullivan, ASLA, Professor, Artist and Author will deliver a rousing lunchtime Keynote Address on the transformative powers of observation that help create positive environmental change and shape a sustainable future. Not to be missed!
Early Bird Registration is available through February 22: Register today!
2017 NPS/WASLA Charrettes
NPS and WASLA have a unique, long-standing partnership for designing and participating in community design charrettes through the NPS Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program. In 2017 the partnership will be host two charrettes, one in Sultan (June) and another in Spokane (October).
The goal is to recruit 15 landscape architects-both professionals and students-for each workshops, and pair them with an equal number of local experts to produce high-energy design teams and creative solutions to local challenges.
Learn about the charrettes and how to sign-up.
LAF Issues Call to Action for Landscape Architecture
The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) has released the New Landscape Declaration, a bold vision and 21st century call to action for landscape architecture to make its vital contribution in solving the defining issues of our time. LAF is now encouraging landscape architects across the globe to sign on to this ambitious vision, discuss, share, and work to turn the ideas into concrete actions.
Read the New Landscape Declaration and join the growing list of signatories.
For information about the New Landscape Declaration and the landmark Summit on Landscape Architecture and the Future (including recordings from the full two days and a 20-minute documentary), visit: www.lafoundation.org/summit.
SITES AD Exam Chapter Contest
The SITES Accredited Professional (SITES AP) Exam has launched and is available at your nearest Prometric location! The chapter with the most people and the chapter with the greatest percentage of their membership that register and take the exam by March 31, 2017, will be awarded a half-day SITES® workshop in 2017! Those members that have already taken the exam since the launch of the exam (including those that took it at the 2016 ASLA Annual Meeting) can also be included in the contest.
Learn more and register for the test.
2017 HALS Challenge: Documenting City or Town Park
 For the 8th annual HALS Challenge, the focus is on documenting a historic city or town park. Last year the National Park Service celebrated its Centennial with the FIND YOUR PARK movement to spread the word about the amazing national parks and the inspirational stories they tell about our diverse cultural heritage. Find Your Park is about more than just national parks! It's also about local parks and the many ways that the American public can connect with history and culture and make new discoveries. With more than 80% of Americans living in urban areas, urban parks are becoming more important than ever. There are many fascinating historic city and town parks in all 50 states. People from every state are hereby challenged to complete at least one HALS short format history to document these beloved resources. Preservation Through Documentation!
Submission deadline is July 31, 2017.
The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation have developed a list of parks they felt would be good candidates for this year's HALS Challenge. It is a good starting point as many of Washington's city parks are more than 100 years old. Causland Park, Anacortes - Ohme Gardens, Wenatchee - King County Robert Morris Earthworks Park, SeaTac - Mill Canyon Earthworks Park, Kent - Pt. Defiance Park, Tacoma - Wright Park, Tacoma...to name a few.
Read the Full Brief.
For further information contact: Duane Dietz, ASLA, Washington State HALS Representative.
Study Abroad Opportunities in Peru and Nepal!
The Informal Urban Communities Initiative (IUCI) Design | Development programs in Peru and Nepal are two unique, 28-day programs offered by the University of Washington's Department of Landscape Architecture. The programs challenge students to delve into contemporary debates surrounding development and respond to them through community-based participatory design. Students in the IUCI Design | Development programs in Peru and Nepal will explore the challenges of rapid urbanization and engage in small scale design interventions in underserved urban neighborhoods in Lima and Kathmandu. They will learn critical skills in participatory design, implementation and project assessment.
Students from any University and professionals are welcome to apply as non-matriculated students.
Program Duration : August 21st - Sept 18, 2017 | Applications are due March 1st, 2017
For more information please visit -
Design | Development | Peru
Design | Development | Nepal
For more information on the Informal Urban Communities Initiative please visit their website and Facebook page.
Point Defiance Regional Treatment Retrofit
Green Infrastructure Project Highlight
Polluted stormwater is one of the largest threats to the health of Puget Sounds, so the City of Tacoma joined forces with Metro Parks Tacoma and landscape architecture firm Site Workshop to improve Puget Sound water quality - The Point Defiance Regional Stormwater Treatment Facility. The aim of this innovative facility is to capture the worst pollutants before they wash into an area of the Sound already overloaded with heavy metals from the Tacoma Smelter Plume.
Before construction of the facility, polluted stormwater flowed untreated into the Sound near Point Defiance Marina. The city evaluated multiple options to fix the problem. One option was to retrofit every street corner with a localized bioretention system. This option was estimated at $15 million vs. the $2.4 million it cost to build the new facility. It would also have made maintenance much more difficult and cost the city $3.5 million a year to maintain all of those facilities.
Learn about the facility's performance and cost along with images.
WASLA Jobs
Mid-Level Landscape Architect/Designer - Weber Thompson
Landscape Architect - Board & Vellum
Project Landscape Architect - MacLeoud Reckord PLLC
Landscape Associate - Lankford Associates
Intermediate/Senior Landscape Architect - PFS Studio
Senior Landscape Project Architect/Designer - Scot Eckley, Inc.
Full-time Landscape Designer - Pacifica Landscapes
Registered Landscape Architect/Senior Landscape Designer - M2 Landscape Architecture
Job Portals
UW Internship/Practicum Portal
WSU Job Board
Support Endowed Scholarships
Ken Struckmeyer Student Scholarship Endowment Fund
Kenichi Nakano Endowed Scholarship Fund for Landscape Architecture
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