News

One of our members, a past ExComm member and current instructor at VCU, has been posted on ASLA's blog, The Field.

Read the whole post.

We are excited to congratulate Dr. C.L. Bohannon on his elevation to the ASLA Council of Fellows.  C.L. was our chapter president in 2019 and has inspired many of us practicing in the state through is work at both Virginia Tech and UVA.

Here is his letter of support from the chapter.

Prior to kicking off the 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture, the Board of Trustees from across the country met in Minneapolis for our annual fall meeting. We began our session by assisting with drafting original federal legislation.  ASLA’s advocacy achievements in transportation, national and community parks funding, water and stormwater management, and climate mitigation and adaptation, have come by way of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts (IIJA), the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and the Great American Outdoors Act.  ASLA begins a new chapter in advocacy through two new legislation proposals, one that addresses the biodiversity crisis, and the other, preserving our country's small communities.

The Biodiversity Design Bill will attempt to establish a competitive grant program within the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would allow grantees to fund nature-based design and construction solutions that protect biodiversity.  The Small Community Improvement Act will likewise establish a competitive grant program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist small communities in developing long-term innovative visions that address community livability and growth. To find a full list of ASLA’s public policies and position statements, navigate here.

The ASLA Fund, which provides monetary contributions to the following programs, National Professional and Student Awards, Women of Color Licensure Advancement Program, Climate Action Plan, Career Discovery, Dream Big, and Fellows Scholarships, continues to successfully support the work of landscape architects no matter who you are or where you’re at within your career.  The Board received an update for FY 2023 that the Fund has completed 8 grant submissions, 14 grant submissions are in process, and 27 letters of intent have been written.  The MacArthur Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, NFWF, and the Doris Duke Foundation, among many others, have agreed to meetings with ASLA and are prospective future donors.  To learn more about the ASLA Fund, and how to make a personal donation, navigate here.

Licensure always makes an appearance during the Board of Trustees meetings, and this year was no different.  Licensure defense is consistently voted the top benefit of membership, second only to education (professional practice credit hours (PDH)).  The members of the State Government Affairs Committee are among the hardest workers you’ll ever meet.  They keep their ears to the ground around the clock to preempt deregulation bills and ensure Chapters have the resources they need to oppose deregulation attempts by State Boards, Legislatures and Anti-Licensure Groups.  Thanks to our own Advocacy Committee, chaired by Billy Almond, and the State Government Affairs Committee, Virginia was among a half-dozen states to successfully fend off deregulation this year.

Sal Musarra

I was very excited to attend the 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture as your incoming chapter president. Over 5,000 landscape architects and friends descended upon Minneapolis with much enthusiasm focused on the state of our profession. For me, the gathering reinforced the increased public awareness of the role we play to address the pressing challenges of today. 

The Chapter Presidents Council meetings, attended by both Nathan Lahy and I, were lively and demonstrated the incredible level of commitment to the profession by hundreds of volunteers representing thousands of annual hours given back to our profession.  SLA members are supported by a huge network of individuals that give of their time to advance the profession, as well as the many ASLA staff members that support our chapters. Seeing so many of them gathered in one place was humbling and impressive.  

Walking among the many vendors in the enormous expo hall is always like taking a child to a toy store, a very expensive toy store. Some of the products are familiar but new products and technologies pop up every year to remind us that we must constantly adapt and make use of new advances impacting design and product selection.  

The education sessions reflected the vast breadth and depth of our profession and the diversity of interests. I noted several presentations focusing on strategies to run successful design firms including promoting good culture and career development opportunities for employees. Climate action was appropriately a significant topic, in keeping with the key initiatives of ASLA and the International Federation of Landscape Architecture (IFLA). Community design for equitable and inclusive environments was also a recurring theme as landscape architects continue to pursue work that addresses past failures in planning policies and civic leadership. Finally, the impact of our profession on park and open space design continues to reflect an increased global demand for more connectivity to nature, and for creating sustainable, resilient places with nature-based solutions in response to a mandate to protect and restore our natural environment.  

The recent designation of landscape architecture as a STEM discipline is huge, and found its way into many conversations throughout the weekend. I encourage you to review the application materials that led to this monumental decision. The materials provide a strong framework for your discussions regarding where landscape architecture fits into the entire spectrum of planning and design and helps us move beyond the idea that we are a misunderstood profession, and into a conversation about how we are leaders addressing some of the  most important issues of our times.  

I'm inspired and excited to lead the Chapter over the next year! 

The Landscape Architecture Program at Virginia Tech is preparing to celebrate 50 years of graduates in 2024. We are beginning the celebrations a bit early and will keep things going through 2024.  Please save the date for a celebratory reception on Friday, October 20^th followed by a day-long Landscape Architecture First Symposium on Saturday, October 21^st. The Symposium is a collaboration with the VA ASLA. Come to Blacksburg and connect with other landscape architecture, gain a few new CEUs, and meet the newest faculty in the Landscape Architecture Program.  Watch for more information in the next newsletter.

Virginia Tech has announced their 2023 student awards for Landscape Architecture.

ASLA Honor certificate: Grace Pursley

ASLA Merit certificates: Shekinah Meza and Siyi Wu

Congratulations!!

March 16, 2023

We had a wonderful time recognizing our amazing award winners from 2021 and 2022 at Hatch Local in Richmond on March 16th.  

To review the award winners, check out the presentation.

SCHOLARSHIP FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE
STUDY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

Each year, the Chapter recognizes two students, one at each of the accredited landscape architectural programs within the state—University of Virginia, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University—based upon the recommendations of the faculty. The student scholarship recipients receive a certificate and a monetary award at the annual meeting.

2020 Award Recipients

Alex Arshadi - Virginia Tech

Alex Arshadi is an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech studying Landscape Architecture with a minor in Ecological Cities. His primary interest is in radically sustainable design, and he has participated in several award-winning Solar Decathlon design teams. His approach to design is informed by a background in music, previously pursuing a career as an orchestral percussionist before discovering Landscape Architecture. He is a research junkie at heart, and is always delighted to receive a good book recommendation.

Nick Wittkofski - University of Virginia

Born and raised in Richmond, Nicholas grew up visiting places such as Maymont, and the VMFA, with some of his fondest memories being lunches with his mom at the former sculpture garden designed by Lawrence Halprin. His interest in the arts was fostered at places like the Hand Workshop (now the Visual Arts Center), Trinity Episcopal School, and at Virginia Commonwealth University where he obtained his Bachelors of Fine Arts in Craft and Material studies. After school, he began working as a professional gardener, and gained an interest in nutrition, food security, and accessibility, finding his way to Allegheny Mountain Institute to practice sustainable farming methods, permaculture, and community engagement.

Through UVA, he discovered his love for travel and observing different cultural practices, attending the Vicenza program as a student, then later as a teaching assistant, studying Muskau Park in Germany with the Center for Cultural Landscapes, and traveling to Jaipur, India as part of the 2019 Yamuna River Project Studio. He aspires to one day have his own design-build firm, and live like a gnome on his own small permaculture farm. When he’s not working, he can be found going on long walks through the city, or watching British panel game shows like “Would I Lie to You?”