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October 2022

Events

Visit the WASLA Event Calendar for more information on events.

 

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WASLA Board of Directors


President
Duane Dietz, ASLA

President-Elect
Nicholas Zurlini, ASLA

Trustee
Marieke Lacasse, ASLA

Treasurer
Dean Koonts, ASLA

Secretary
Jason Henry, ASLA

Member at Large
Maureen Colaizzi, ASLA

Member at Large, W. WA
Mike Faulkner, ASLA

Member at Large, E. WA
Jonathan Smith, ASLA

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President's Remarks

This is my 24th and last president’s message as I step aside in November for president-elect Nick Zurlini as he takes the reins of leadership for the next two years.  I’ll be on the board one more year as past president.  So, given all the challenges we have taken on over the past two years, I want to look back and thank all the people who kept the wheels of WASLA moving forward.  I have to start with Anne Larsen and her staff at OrgSupport.  Anne kept all the board meetings in order; her organizational skills made the WASLA Conferences a big success, and her overall cheeriness in working with our volunteer board was much needed during the pandemic.  Next, I’d like to thank my fellow board members: Nick Zurlini, Marieke Lacasse, Dean Koonts, Jason Henry, Jonathan Smith, Maureen Colaizzi, Michael Faulkner, and my predecessor Tim Slaznik. The monthly board meetings have always been a chance to see and hear what others in our profession are doing and I always looked forward to them, even in the dead of winter in my unheated barn office.

I want to thank all the people who put together and volunteered for the WASLA Conference.  It was great seeing a full house, we had great keynote speakers, and thank you to the WSU students who attended. Thank you to all the session speakers, I know that a lot of time and energy goes into those presentations and it was great to hear some of the stories behind the projects.  I hope we all came away inspired by the work our profession is doing.  I want to thank all the conference sponsors as well as the vendors.  I came away with a bag full of catalogs and contacts that I’ll be putting to use right away.  And there will be an announcement soon about next year’s conference

Lastly, I want to ask you all for a favor.  Our little organization runs on volunteers.  We have several committees, we have charettes, such as the WASLA-NPS RTCA project in Port Townsend next weekend, we have student award juries for UW and WSU, the annual conference committee, Trivia Night, Open Studio Socials, and we have the board.  Please think about giving an hour or two to a committee, or a full-day for the student jury.  It is a great way to network with your colleagues and keep abreast of the happenings in the state.

Sincerely,

   WASLA President

Additional Note:

Alex Stone, National Park Service (retired), mentioned to me at the WASLA conference that there is a temporary/part-time position posted for work with the NPS Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance (RTCA) program. RTCA is seeking an experienced worker (minimum age 55) based in the Pacific Northwest to support Oregon Fire Recovery projects. This could especially appeal to a landscape architect or planner in southern Washington.

She asked me to share the recruitment information with WASLA members and encourage eligible applicants to look at the position. She said the recruitment schedule is flexible with the goal to find the best candidate aligned with community planning and design needs. Click below to view the position posting.

Outdoor Recreation Planner/Landscape Architect  

Welcome New Members!

A very warm welcome to our newest WASLA Members:

  • QIan Gao
  • Scott Holsapple
  • Amelia Jensen
  • Lukas Kostka
  • Molly Maguire
  • Shelley Miller
  • John Salisbury
  • Yuichiro Tsutsumi
  • Maya Tuiasosopo
  • Jerome Unterreiner
REMINDER: LARE Study Group Kick-Offs, Registration Closing 

Tuesday, October 18th, 5:30pm

Are you interested in taking the LARE during the December testing session? Want to join a study group?

Registration closes at 11pm THIS Sunday, October 16th!  
Please sign-up by filling out this form.

The WASLA Student + Emerging Professional Committee is organizing LARE study groups for the December testing session to introduce and group together people taking the same sections. Ideally, study groups will be 3-4 people, but this depends on level of interest.

The LARE Study Group Kick-Offs will take place at 5:30pm on Tuesday, October 18th. This will be a virtual session, and a link will be sent out after registration is closed. If you are unable to attend but are still interested in participating, let us know and we can connect you with a study group.

If you have any questions, please contact Rhys Van Bemmel, [email protected]

Proposed DOL Fee Increase - Public Hearing

Representing the needs of our members is critical to the role of ASLA and our local chapter.  With a significant proposed DOL license fee increase we believe the time is right for WASLA and ASLA to lobby Washington State to seek financial parity of licensing fees when compared to our allied professions.  We believe outreach via the web calendar, monthly newsletter, and other methods is urgently needed to notify members of a forthcoming DOL hearing on the landscape architecture rate increase.  The public hearing for Landscape Architect fee increases is scheduled for Tuesday, November 22nd and will be held from 4-5 pm. Per the DOL one can access the meeting through this Zoom link with the meeting ID: 880 6076 2741.

 

Why this matters:

We believe that the disparity between licensure costs for allied professionals such as Architects and Engineers is inequitable and inappropriate.  Across the board, Landscape Architects are facing a ~31% increase in their licensure costs in 2023. Compared to the licensure costs for Architects ($99) and Engineers ($115), Landscape Architects are paying over 400% more to the WA DOL than allied professions. When these costs are weighed atop the average earnings for those professions in Washington State ($76,260 for Landscape Architects, $90,990 for Architects, and $97,340 for Civil Engineers per the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics), the inequity is inarguable. For those that operate their own small firms, this cost represents a hit to their bottom lines.

Seeking Volunteers for Exhibitor Opportunity

WASLA has the opportunity to host an exhibitor booth at the 2023 Washington School Counselor Association Annual Conference. This spring's event is being held from March 1-3, at the beautiful Doubletree Hilton Hotel Seattle! 

This annual event will put WASLA in front of 600+ school counselors from around the State of Washington. If you are interested in volunteering, please email us at [email protected] to learn more!

APLDWA is very excited to host award-winning designer, and RHS Chelsea Flower Show Silver Medal winner, Annie Guilfoyle in a two-day symposium. Joining her in a panel discussion will be members of our own horticultural community Richie Steffen, Riz Reyes and Sue Goetz. And, Ross Bayton will lead a private tour of Heronswood. For more information about all the activities, and to register, visit https://apldwa.org/events

The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Oberlander Prize Forum II: Landscape Activism

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