Texas ASLA
February 27, 2019 the House of Representatives voted 363-62 to pass S. 47, The Natural Resources Management Act (also known as the public lands package). This legislation passed the Senate by an overwhelming 92-8 vote on February 12 and now goes to the president for his signature.
The public lands package is one of the largest conservation bills to pass Congress in a decade. In a huge win for landscape architects and ASLA, the most significant section of this legislation is the permanent authorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). This critical and popular program was allowed to expire in September of 2018, and not only does the public lands package right that wrong, it ensures that it will never have a lapse in authorization again.
In addition to the permanent authorization of LWCF, the public lands package creates over 1.3 million acres of new wilderness. This includes the designation of four national monuments, 650 miles of wild and scenic rivers, and the expansion of existing National Parks by 42,000 acres.
None of this would have been possible without your advocacy efforts and support!
What's Out There San Antonio
The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) held a What’s Out There weekend of free, expert-led tours in San Antonio on November 10th and 11th. There were more than 20 tours held throughout the City with expert guides to enlighten attendees on the meaning and value of San Antonio’s unique cultural landscape legacy. The sold out event had strong attendance despite cold and intermittent rain. The feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive.
An important component of the weekend was TCLF's production of a What’s Out There San Antonio guidebook that provides photographs and written summaries of 36 significant cultural landscapes in SA. TCLF has also produced an online San Antonio What’s Out There Cultural Landscapes Guide with extensive information about SA's cultural landscape legacy, nearly 60 illustrated site descriptions (which will increase), and designer profiles. All of this is nested within TCLF’s exhaustive What’s Out There database of North America's cultural landscapes.
Charles Birnbaum, President and CEO of TCLF and his team provided effective leadership to put tours and City Guide together along with the support of The City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department and The Brackenridge Park Conservancy (BPC). Texas ASLA was a friend to the event helping to provide support to the work lead by SA Co-Chairs Lynn Bobbit, Executive Director of BPC and John Troy, Landscape Architect, ASLA.
https://www.tclf.org/san-antonio
Ask Me Anything
The next ‘Ask Me Anything’ features Diane Jones Allen, ASLA of DesignJones on August 14 at 3pm EDT LIVE, from ASLA’s Facebook page. Please share this information with the emerging professionals in your chapter. This program is a great opportunity to get to know an experienced professional that may be able to share successes, failures, ethos, work/life balance and what they have to bring to the profession of landscape architecture.
Career Discovery
ASLA Activity Books now available! The ASLA Discover Landscape Architecture Activity Books for kids, teens, and adults were designed by ASLA members to inspire and teach anyone interested in landscape architecture and the built environment. Use the activity books to learn or teach about the tools and skills needed to become a landscape architect; the many ways landscape architects shape our environment; how landscape architects use hand drawing to formulate ideas and solve complex problems and; make beautiful places for people to live, work, and play. Discover more at asla.org/activitybooks. Help ASLA spread the word and inspire the next generation by sharing with family, friends, classmates, neighbors, other professionals, and community members. Post your drawings with #ASLAactivitybooks to show the world your creative talents! Stay tuned for future initiatives at ASLA including available copies for distribution and Spanish translated editions.
