A L A B A M A C H A P T E R C O M M U N I C A T I O N S L E T T E R A N D I N F O R M A T I O N M A G A Z I N E

acclaimTwin States Conference starts soon!The Alabama and Mississippi Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects are pleased to announce our 2011 Twin States Conference (TSC) will be held in Hoover, Alabama at the esteemed Wynfrey Hotel. The dates for the event are March 25th-27th, so please mark your calendars.

This year’s conference is working off a solid foundation established with the last three conferences.  We have had great turn outs from landscape architects from our respective states, as well as Louisiana, Tennessee, and Georgia.  Some LA’s whose careers have taken them to other states see the TSC as an opportunity to come home.

The conference theme this year is “Landscape Architecture: Root of Design,” which reflects upon our beginnings and describes our diversity of knowledge in architecture, engineering, planning, horticulture, and of course, landscape architecture. 

Registration and more information on our wonderful speakers and sponsors can be found at www.twinstatesconference.com. If you have any specific questions regarding the conference or sponsorship and vendor opportunities feel free to contact Rhea

Williams at any time for more information. Her email address is rhea@karmamanagementinc.com. 

We look forward to hearing from you, and seeing you in Hoover!

Sincerely,

Tony Renta, ASLA" "President, Alabama Chapter ASLA

The Quarterly Newsletter of the Alabama Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects March 2011

Twin States is coming!Chapter president Tony Renta gives us a few good reasons to join the Mississippi chapter for this year’s conference in Hoover.Page 1

What’s ASLA up to now?Trustee Ryan Collins hits the highlights of ASLA’s activities on the national scale. Want to see what ASLA does for you? SeePage 3

Landscape as teacherBirmingham Southern draws students, educators and professionals for a tour of its Urban Environmental Park led by the design landscape architectPage 2HALS finds sitesAlabama is getting into the HALS program — find out which sites have made the list.Page 8

The results are in...Our survey of members and friends yielded some interesting results. Answers to many of the questions are presented in graphic form. You can also read the answers to the free-response questions. So the burning question on everyone’s mind is….just what were everybody’s favorite natural and

designed landscapes in Alabama? The answers to that question, and several others, can be found inside.Page 4

Looking for some hot stuff?Spring is almost here, and so are some great opportunities for social outings and CEUs. Check out our Hot Dates.Page 8

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0

20

40

60

Read ACCLAIM Visit Chapter Web Site Visit National Web Site

How Often We Get Information

Often Sometimes Rarely Never

Sixty members and friends of Alabama ASLA responded to our member survey last month. Want to see what they said? Check out page 4.

A C C L A I M

2 March 2011

The Birmingham Section met with the students and coordinator of the new Urban Environmental Studies program at Birmingham Southern at the recently completed Urban Environmental Park to review the design with one of the park’s project landscape architects, Steve Sproles. Steve is a Partner of Derck & Edson Associates, a landscape architecture, civil engineering and land planning firm in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1940, the firm is about to celebrate 70 years of planning and design services. Many of the UES students were not familiar with the profession of landscape architecture and the role of the landscape architect in shaping the built environment. This project in the heart of their campus seemed to be the perfect way to introduce them to the importance of our profession. The meeting also provided an opportunity for Rod Barnett, Program Chair of the Landscape Architecture program at Auburn, to meet potential Master’s students. Mr. Sproles presented a brief history of the project from early conceptual design through construction. Located on the west end of campus between the residence hall quad and the intramural fields (on the site that formerly housed old fraternity row), the new park was constructed by Johnson Kreis Construction Co. and dedicated during Homecoming/Reunion Weekend in November 2009. The design includes a 1.5 acre lake, amphitheater, walkways, a fountain, and rain gardens for storm water management. The park was awarded a Conservation Development Award from the Cahaba River Society in recognition for its low impact design (LID) features. Highlights of the park noted by CRS included capturing runoff water in three rain gardens where some of it is filtered and reused to fill the park pond, saving an existing natural

wetland as a third storm water infiltration site to handle pond overflow, using native plants to further filter water in the pond, and guarding of trees and minimizing tree removal on the site to protect the existing campus forest.After the presentation, the group toured the facility with Mr. Sproles as their guide and got to see all of the features first hand. The views across the lake to the amphitheater are impressive in the late afternoon, as the setting sun brings out the warmth of the sandstone. Fine details, such as the gingko leaf in the handrail, are present everywhere without being fussy or overbearing. The water takes center stage here, whether moving through the series of rain gardens, cascading down the stair side runnel, emerging from an intriguing boulder, splashing down the hillside, or slowly disappearing into the ground. Once everyone had a chance to circle the lake, those remaining enjoyed a sunset BBQ dinner,

generously sponsored by Johnson Kreis Construction Co., al fresco, on the steps of the amphitheaterBSC has a long and impressive history with environmental design. Led by Roald Hazelhof, the Southern Environmental Center (SEC) on the BSC campus is the largest educational facility of its kind in Alabama. It houses an award-winning Interactive Museum and EcoScape Gardens. Established in 1996, this wonderful outdoor classroom avails itself of local artwork to illustrate organic gardening practices and provides a nuts and bolts overview for schools and communities interested in creating low-cost nature centers or outdoor learning sites. Visitors can stroll through a Northern Wildflower Garden, touch and sample edible plants and flowers, and pass by huge praying mantis and whooping crane sculptures on the

way to the EcoScape's wetland and tree trails.Chapter trustee Ryan Collins, Senior Associate at Nimrod Long and Associates in Birmingham, contributed this article.

Park is new campus jewelBirmingham Southern College’s new Urban Environmental Park is a great place to showcase its Urban Environmental Studies program and put some students on path to LA careers

Construction Team

Johnson Kreis Construction Co., Birmingham - contractor

Borden & Brewster Contractors, Inc. - sitework, excavation and storm drainage

Tim Small Construction - concrete

Aquatic Gardens - pond liner

Latta Plumbing - plumbing and fountains

Marathon Electric - electrical and site lighting

Garnerstone - masonry and stone construction

Webster's Welding and Fab - structural steel, weathered steel, cable handrails, guardrails,

ornamental handrails with ginkgo leaf

Blackjack Gardens - landscaping

The Nelson Team - irrigation

Key sustainable elements

Systems to clean storm water before it leaves the campus by passing the water from the parking area into a series of rain

gardens, to the lake spillway and then to an existing low area that acts as a vernal pond.

The vernal pond was preserved and enhanced by the addition of water loving plants, all in an effort to naturally recharge storm

water runoff.

The lake fringe is designed to encourage desirable wildlife by using native and naturalized plant materials.

The storm water from the developed upstream watershed is directed through a series of purification measures that filter impurities from the nearby parking lots and rooftops. These

measures include rain gardens to filter impurities, an aerated upper pond and then a final transition to a riparian corridor and wetlands

before the storm water leaves the site.

Native plants or adaptive native plants in the landscape.

Stone materials native to the region from northern Alabama and Tennessee.

Lighting selected to meet dark skies criteria thereby not adding to light pollution. All lighting is pedestrian in scale and directed

downward to reduce any light pollution. Lights are placed in trees wherever possible (directed downward) to enhance the effect and

reduce the number of poles seen throughout the park.

A C C L A I M

March 2011 3

Please email me if you have anything you wish to share on the next report. Remember, I am your “official” conduit to the national organization, and I will be at the mid-year meeting in Washington D.C. on May 19-21 where I can speak to the ASLA staff and Board of Trustees about our chapter’s or an individual member’s concerns. I hope you find the following interesting reading, and links are provided for additional information.

Governance and AdministrationThe Executive Committee continued discussions on two issues related to member qualifications: 1) whether licensure should be required for Full membership in the Society; and 2) whether Full membership should be open to internationally educated landscape architects in place of the International membership category. Committee reports, which are now being finalized, will be forwarded to the trustees and chapter presidents later this month along with the membership survey results and additional background. Three joint BOT/CPC webinars are being scheduled to present the reports and to allow time for Q&A regarding the research. Dates and times for the calls are: Tuesday, March 1, 2:00-4:00pm EST; Wednesday, March 2, 2:00-4:00pm EST; and Thursday, March 3, 2:00-4:00pm EST. Please contact Ryan Collins if you have thoughts or questions regarding this discussion.

Government Affairs ASLA is gearing up for a very active legislative agenda for the current 112th Congress. With the reauthorization of the surface transportation bill expected to be on the congressional calendar, ASLA will focus considerable attention to transportation design and planning issues. Please take a moment to review all the current issues that ASLA government affairs staff will work on this Congress.

Government Affairs staff kicked off the new Congress by activating the Advocacy Network to encourage advocates to congratulate their federal legislators and to tell them about landscape architecture projects in their congressional district. So far, over 340 messages have been sent to Congress in response to the alert. If you have not yet welcomed your member to the 112th Congress, please take a moment to do so today.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has begun the preliminary stages of the Proposed National Rulemaking To Strengthen the Stormwater Program, which could call for increased use of green infrastructure techniques. Currently,

EPA is collecting performance data on green infrastructure projects and other Low Impact Development that has successfully managed stormwater. Please use the ASLA Green Infrastructure Projects Survey to submit case studies and background information on their stormwater management projects. ASLA is working to submit at least 300 case studies to demonstrate to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the effectiveness and cost benefits of green infrastructure and Low Impact Development to address stormwater issues.

In this tough fiscal year, state legislative activity continues to pose potential threats to landscape architecture. Nevada, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Florida, are all looking at broad streamlining or deregulation initiatives. In New Hampshire, a bill may be filed to deregulate landscape architecture. Staff is working with chapters to support their efforts to defend licensure.

ASLA was invited to participate in a Let’s Move conference call featuring First Lady Michelle Obama, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Let’s Move Honorary co-chairs Drew Brees and Dominique Dawes, and Mark Dessauer from Healthy Kids Healthy Communities. The call, which celebrated the first anniversary of Let’s Move, focused on the importance of good design in creating the next generation of healthy communities and children. Let’s Move is specifically focusing on promoting better connections between kids and parks, Complete Streets, Safe Routes to School, and joint use agreements between schools and communities to use school playgrounds as parks—for all of which landscape architects have much expertise to lend.

Public Relations and CommunicationsThe latest Sustainable Landscapes animations have been uploaded to Facebook and YouTube, as well as to ASLA’s Sustainable Landscapes animation page. The first five animations are now complete, funded in part by a 2010 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Five more will be added in 2011. The animations, created by Daniel Tal, ASLA, also presented ASLA with an opportunity to show people how landscape architects use sustainable design approaches to solve pressing social, environmental, and economic challenges.

Staff released the latest Business Quarterly survey. Findings showed mixed results, as hiring increased but billable hours slipped from the previous quarter.

Member and Chapter ServicesASLA has launched a new affinity program with Intermarket Insurance Agency offering a Business Insurance Program, designed specifically for the ASLA members. Visit www.intermarketins.com/arch for more information.

Professional PracticeASLA is making LinkedIn groups available to Professional Practice Networks (PPNs). Here you will be able to post and respond to discussion items and share information with members of your group.

The PPN LinkedIn groups are structured as subgroups of a larger all-PPN group, called ASLA Professional Practice Networks. This group will be the place where ASLA staff will place notices of items of interest to multiple PPNs – e.g. conferences, requests for proposals, groups seeking task force members, requests for comments, etc. It will also be a place for discussions on topics of interest to multiple PPNs.

Joining your PPN group1. If you are not already a member of LinkedIn, join at www.linkedin.com.

2. You need to be member of the LinkedIn group ASLA Professional Practice Networks to belong to a LinkedIn PPN subgroup; however, you can join both groups at the same time. To do this, go to the groups tab and select “Groups directory.” Search for your group using your PPN’s name (or a portion of it) and “ASLA” as search terms.

3. Click on 'Join Subgroup'

4. Complete the form that enables you to join the subgroup (and its parent group, if you are not yet a member).

Through the efforts of the Archives and Collections Committee, ASLA has developed a reference guide for archiving including steps for landscape architects to consider and how to proceed with establishing a collection of materials of their executed works.

Trustee’s ReportRyan Collins updates us with goings-on from the national scene

A C C L A I M

4 March 2011

Design Awards

Twin States Conference

LARE Prep Workshops

Social Events

National Annual Meeting

Chapter Annual Meeting

National Leadership Development Workshop

Informal Social Hours

Lecture Series

Landscape Tours

LAs in Schools

Legislative Affairs

Joint Events with Other Professional Groups

Continuing Education Committee

Emerging Professionals Committee

ACCLAIM

Auburn Professional Advisory Council

Other

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

3

20

5

13

15

18

11

23

18

16

18

7

27

17

18

4

30

17

Volunteer Opportunities

Quick tasks I can do from home/work

Participating at an event

Spend a few hours a month on a recurring task

Sit on a committee

Chair a committee

Serve on Executive Committee

On-Call Volunteer

Other

0 8 16 24 32 40

4

19

16

12

27

15

34

24

Our Volunteer Styles

0

12.5

25.0

37.5

50.0

ACEC AIA ALNA APA AUFA ISA AWF ULI USGBC FWLT AHS CLARB Other

211233

2020

30

43

27

42

28

523

7

111

Allied Professional Associations

Also a Member We Should Partner

ACEC - American Council of Engineering Companies

AIA - American Institute of Architects

ALNA - Alabama Landscape & Nursery Association

APA - American Planning Association

AUFA - Alabama Urban Forestry Association

ISA - International Society of Arboriculture

AWF - Alabama Wildlife Federation

ULI - Urban Land Institute

USGBC - U.S. Green Building Council

FWLT - Freshwater Land Trust

AHS - American Horticultural Society

CLARB - Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards

Respondents were asked to

select events/activities for

which they would be willing to

volunteer. Respondents could

select as many as applied.

Other: “AL ASLA does not have a

Twitter account — I’ve seen several

others that are great sources for

what’s going on in their areas.”

Member survey results

Select as many of these activities as you would be willing to volunteer for:

Select the types of tasks that best fit your style as a volunteer:

Tell us which other professional organizations you belong to (blue), or those with which you see a good partnership opportunity (green).

A C C L A I M

March 2011 5

JOIN THE YMCA NO ENROLLMENT FEE FOR ASLA MEMBERS

March 1st – 30th

Do you have questions? Call Shelly Mitchell at the

Downtown YMCA 801-7233.

With 9 FULL SERVICE BRANCHES, here

to serve you!

Downtown Branch2102 Fourth Avenue North 324.4563Greystone Family Branch5414 Highway 280 981.0144Mountain Brook Branch2401 20th Place South 870.0144Northeast Family Branch628 Red Lane Road 833.7616Shades Valley Family Branch3551 Montgomery Hwy . 870.9622Shelby County Branch2610 Pelham Parkway 664.9622Trussville Family Branch5920 Valley Road 655.2224Vestavia Express2086 Columbiana Road 823.0144Western Area Family Branch1195 Bessemer Road 923.1195

0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0

2.12

1.45

2.35

Social Networking

Education

Professional Resources

How Important Are These Activities to You?

Design Award Presentations

Twin States Conference

LARE Prep Programs

Semi-annual Socials

Annual Chapter Meeting

Student Shadow Day Program

Leadership Development Workshop

Informal Social Hours

Local Practitioner Lectures

National/International Practitioner Lectures

Technical/Innovative Design Lectures

Tours of Completed Landscapes

-50 -40 -30 -20 -10 0 10 20 30 40 50 60

0

0

0

(2)

(4)

(3)

(7)

(2)

0

(36)

0

(4)

(12)

(2)

(1)

(7)

(16)

(9)

(23)

(6)

(7)

(6)

(7)

(10)

20

21

19

28

27

35

23

26

38

7

22

32

28

36

39

23

13

8

6

26

14

4

30

12

How Likely Are You to Attend…

Very Likely Somewhat Likely Somewhat Unlikely Very Unlikely

20

9

11

1 11

5

2

11

11

Where We Went to School

Auburn University Mississippi State UniversityUniversity of Georgia University of VirginiaClemson University West Virginia UniversityLouisiana State University University of IllinoisUniversity of Kentucky Virginia TechCornell University University of Hannover, Germany

A C C L A I M

6 March 2011

Membership Survey ResponsesThank you for the great response! Sixty people (not necessarily the same sixty — we did not track the respondents) took a few minutes to answer each of the two membership surveys we conducted in February. Many of the results are displayed graphically in the following pages. Also included were some free-response questions. Here is what you said, with only minor editing. The writers’ names have been withheld.

Members were asked to describe ways in which AL-ASLA could serve them better in their professional lives.

Get tons of members to be actively involved

Do not stop promoting LAs as the LEADERS for making projects happen. In the current economy architects and engineers claim to do what we do.

I was wondering if there was any way to donate and be an 'affiliate' and not have to join nationally. Just a thought. (May bring in more revenue for local activities.)

The profession overall needs to be more supportive of the role of LAs in public practice. A lot of missed opportunities.

First I am no longer an ASLA member. I had been for over 25 years but failed to see relevance or benefit to my practice. Once I was an officer and member of a national award winning Chapter. In the past I offered to host local get togethers at my home....no takers. So, I reluctantly dropped affiliation, nothing personal. But I don't have any dollars to spare unless I am getting something of benefit. Contemporaries I have talked to share the same concerns off the record. I face business issues on a variety of fronts—as everyone does—[and] if we all shared problems and what we have found that addresses such problem, this type of shared information would benefit all. Client strategy in this economy, client and out of state competition in this economy, out of control health insurance costs, employee fraud and theft, out of control licensure and costs in every little town and burg. The latest trick is to not only require a license everywhere but to assess you a fine should you not notify in writing that you will not need a license for the next year.

Arrrgh... A year ago, if you didn't renew, you simply didn't have a license to operate a business there. There are many issues along these lines that I would like to hear about and as a community share or develop a plan of best strategy to address these issues. More and more tax based agencies are inventing strategies for getting our hard earned dollars to support their programs. I can help with embezzlement which is rampant and resume fraud which is also rampant. I recently shopped for all the insurance I require and was able to reduce my insurance costs by 40% which is huge. In this economy we need to work to the benefit of all. My company has become smaller and smaller and I do not compete on State, National or [international] levels for design contracts. My 2 cents, for what it is worth. My affiliation goes back to ‘74 or so, back when “visibility” was the battle cry for a dozen years or more.

Being a vendor, the more interaction the better, the Twin States is a great conference!

Provide good continuing education opportunities close to home....

I really like professionals coming to reviews, assisting with small projects (or even grants) and doing a lecture or two in the classroom. A list of professionals that would like to engage students in any of these ways would be great.

Maybe look into Webinars

Possibly a Twitter account to update us on regional and local events as well as Landscape Architecture related subject matter

We all need to work more on educating the public on what an LA is and does

Police the profession. A lot of landscape designers have moved into performing services that are covered under our Practice Act—things only LAs can design or practice.

Regular meetings (quarterly or twice a year) to bring together the members.

More technical presentations for CEU's — avoid the overview stuff.

Keep the local chapter active.

Promote more local involvement with CEU credits, e.g., feature local projects, local designers, local manufacturers, etc.

I would like a venue for small firms interested in partnerships and [joint ventures]

I think the biggest help is organizing frequent, easily accessible CEU opportunities.

ASLA needs to become a vocal advocate, I have not seen stories in local papers or news broadcasts about landscape architect's roles/opinions in high- profile projects and issues. Push for municipalities having landscape/tree ordinances that require plans prepared by an RLA.

Assist in developing a guideline for lobbying local municipalities to adopt the requirement that landscape architects be responsible for designing and stamping landscape plans.

I would hope we are active in promoting legislation for funding in trail and transit work.

Members were also asked for suggestions for continuing education programs. Their ideas:

Stormwater BMP technical design instruction courses

Everything sustainable; historic preservation

New resources for LAs, upcoming design challenges for LAs in new regulatory environments,

Low impact development strategies that really work

LEED workshops

I think some on live roofs would be good. Also like the idea of engineered ecosystems, wetlands. I like the idea of meeting at current projects and seeing what others in the area are doing. I know we are all 'competitors' in a sense, but there are a lot of bright minds out there and we will only help each other through sharing knowledge and latest innovations, and in the long run produce a better Birmingham and surround areas (we could have a bbq or hang out at a different office or site every few months, kinda like the thing a few years back at Kelvin's office.)

I like the lunch and learn CEUs. They have been very informative and allows social at the same time.

2%

73%9%

2%2%11%

Membership Status

FASLA ASLAAssociate ASLA Student ASLANot a member Lapsed/Inactive

11%

64%

17% 9%

Section Identification

HuntsvilleBirminghamMontgomeryMobile

10%

12%

31%

47%

Years in Practice

1-3 years4-8 years9-15 yearsMore than 15 years

68%

21%

11%

Professional Staff in Firm

1 or 23 to 56 or more

A C C L A I M

March 2011 7

The AL MS meeting is pricey. Perhaps shorter more compact meeting.

All LAs would benefit from the lecture I am researching and preparing regarding embezzlement and employee theft and resume fraud.

Native plants and availability

Just a range of topics including HS&W

Green Infrastructure, because there is federal money for this initiative, however Alabama has yet to participate in this appropriation. I think there should be a team that presents in Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery & Mobile...move presentation to a new city every three months.

Railroad Park, Urban Standard

Need HSW focused meetings. AIA is light years ahead. I strongly suggest contracting with Rhea on a more regular basis.

Partner more often with AIA group

Would like to see a regularly scheduled time for CEUs such as lunch, 3rd Friday of month.

Rainwater Harvesting, Erosion Control Methods and Materials, Seed mixtures for different applications.

Gulf restoration; watershed management; brownfield redevelopment

New plant material offerings from growers.

More 1 hour lectures/lunch and learn type events held during lunch hour if possible.

More focus on the "Life Safety" credits

At a Lunch & Learn several months ago we all brainstormed some ideas of topics we would be interested in for L&L's or for the Twin States conference. Sharon Nelson took note of the topics- I also wrote the list down. If you need it just let me know!

Recent plant introductions as a topic, Scott Gaskins at Totalscape Farms as a possible resource.

More sustainable construction techniques and what is working for others in the region.

Just for fun, members were asked to name their favorite natural Alabama landscapes. The favorites:

Little River Canyon — 12

Beaches/coastal areas — 4

Cahaba River (including watershed areas) — 4

DeSoto Falls/DeSoto State Park —2

Walls of Jericho — 2

Coastal marshes/wetlands — 4

Mobile Bay delta — 2

Mt. Cheaha/Cheaha State Park — 2

Sipsey Wilderness — 2

Mountains of Northeast Alabama — 3

And some of the others:

My personal residence in Lee County

wetlands

Alabama river

Hmmm....well my favorite Georgia landscape would have to be the coastal marsh/estuary area. Alabama, not so sure still haven't seen all that much of it, though Cheaha is fairly nice. Turkey Creek is pretty cool.

The agricultural fields of the Wiregrass and the mountains of North Alabama

River corridors

The hills surrounding Birmingham

Dauphin Island

Lake Martin

Talladega National Forest

any old growth forests, the plateau regions of NE Alabama, and Little Uchee Creek near auburn

The natural vegetation, hills and topography in the areas of Birmingham and Huntsville. Natural waterfall in Guntersville, AL.

#1. Hardwood forest

And what were our favorite designed landscapes?

Some came up in a lot of responses, like Birmingham’s new Railroad Park (5) and its venerable Highland Avenue (4) and Botanical Gardens (4). Also frequently mentioned was the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail (3) . More of the answers:

Moundville Archaeological Park —2

Lake Martin

college campi

Birmingham Zoo

Perry Lakes Park by AU Rural Studio

The Grand Hotel, Fairhope

Auburn University Campus Green

Bellingrath Gardens

Smith Lake

The Barber Motorsports Park. It is amazing how successfully the layout of the race track was integrated into the natural landscape. It is obvious that the natural site features and vegetation on the site were important to preserve. Mature trees were preserved to help direct views and create buffers (it also doesn't hurt that these preserved tree areas have also turned into the most desirable locations for casual spectator viewing, due to the natural shade). This proves that in order to have an extremely successful development such as this, engineers don't have to completely remove the vegetation and grade the site flat!

Numerous parks and cemeteries

I like the Soho area in Birmingham too.

The Southern Progress Building

Mt Laurel

Linn Park

any Olmsted work

The University of Alabama

Lake Mitchell

Agricultural lands in crop production....in May.

Mountain Brook

Hudson Alpha McMillian Park

18%

15%

13%18%

12%

10%

7%7%

Types of Work We Do

Residential ParksTrails/Transportation Urban Design/CommercialEducation/Campus Sports/Recreation/PlaygroundsHealthcare Bicycle/Pedestrian Improvements

Respondents could choose more than one answer.

6%

16%

43%

16%16%

3%1%

How We Hear About Chapter Events

Chapter Web Site Section Chair EmailsChapter Emails ACCLAIMWord-of-Mouth Printed Fliers/MailOther

Respondents could choose more than one answer.

27%

51%

19%3%

Events Attended in the Last Year

None1 to 34 to 67 or more

A C C L A I M

8 March 2011

Hot DatesUpcoming education opportunities, or chances to get together for a beer. Or in some cases, both.

Executive CommitteeTony Renta — PresidentBen Wieseman — President-ElectSharon Deep Nelson — Immediate Past PresidentRyan Collins — TrusteeStephen Schrader — SecretaryWhit Macknally — TreasurerDrew Wharton — Huntsville Section ChairCindy Willingham — Birmingham Section ChairAndrew Cole-Tyson — Montgomery Section ChairTerry Plauché — Mobile Section Chair Lauren Havard — Member-at-LargeBirgit Kibelka — Member-at-LargeJosh Lamberth — Auburn Student Representative

Chapter Committee ChairsBen Wieseman — Government Affairs CommitteeBen Wieseman — Design Awards CommitteeSharon Deep Nelson — Fellows CommitteeTony Renta — Landscape Architecture Month CommitteeLauren Havard — Chapter Communications CommitteeBirgit Kibelka — Historic American Landscapes Survey HALS) Chapter Liaison

Executive Committee member names are live email links.

Once in a Lifetime TourFor some of you, this might even merit a day off for a trip to Birmingham! AIA Birmingham invites allied professionals for a March 8 tour of the historic Swann House, atop Red Mountain in Birmingham. Lunch and a lecture are included, along with demonstrations of classic building and restoration trades, for $20 (ASLA, AIA, IIDA, ABC; others $40). RSVP to and pay AIA Birmingham.

L.A.R.E. AdministrationsMultiple-choice sections (A, B and D) will be administered March 7-20 and September 12-25. Graphic sections (C and E) will be given December

13-14, 2010; June 13-14; and December 5-6. Contact the State Board for information and registration deadlines. Of a special note — the ASLA web site now contains practice vignettes for Sections C and E.

APA Spring ConferenceLakepoint Resort, Eufaula Alabama, March 30-April 1. Check their web site for more details and registration information.

Special deal for ASLA membersOur dear friend Rhea Williams has worked out a special for Birmingham-area ASLA members to join their local YMCA during the month of March. See ad on page 5 for more information.

Twin States ConferenceThe fourth annual Twin States Conference is March 24-26. Plan to join your fellow LAs from Alabama and Mississippi in Hoover, Alabama for favorite events like the golf tournament at the Robert Trent Jones golf course, and this year’s Low Country Boil at the Birmingham Zoo promises to be one of the best yet. In between all the food and socializing, we might learn something, too! Register now!

Alabama Trail ConferenceApril 1- 3, Fairhope Civic Center, Fairhope, Alabama. Details are on their web site.

Ever consider serving on the Executive Commitee?This year is an election year for chapter officers (except Trustee). Now is the time to start considering your place in chapter leadership. Call for nominations opens May 31. Two-year terms begin this November. Ask an Ex Com member about each office’s responsibilities and job description.

Got a Hot Date to share?Items may be submitted anytime.

2011 ACCLAIM DatesMay 31 (due May 20)

August 30 (due August 19)

November 29 (due November 18)

HALS Alabama UpdateWork is continuing on the documentation for HALS AL-2, Mountain Brook Estates. Marjorie White with the Birmingham Historical Society is compiling plans that show the initial plan for the suburb from 1929 and the roads as they exist today. A narrative of the planning process and design intentions and photographs that illustrate the design elements and the great care that was taken in the road alignment will complement the plans.

We are also working on creating our state's HALS Inventory List. We need your help to identify historically significant landscapes in Alabama! Check out this Brief Guide to Identifying HALS Sites to learn about the kind of sites the Historic American Landscape Survey is looking for.

Or - more simple – if a historic site comes to your mind while reading this send me a quick e-mail and we'll add it to the list!

Birgit Kibelka is a Member at Large and HALS Liaison for the Executive Committee of the Alabama ASLA.

Have you renewed your license?Board Administrator Leigh Moorer sends a reminder that your Alabama license can still be renewed online, or printing the form and mailing it in. Note that you will be subject to the late renewal fee. Don’t forget to document your 16 hours of continuing education, of which 8 must be related to health, safety and welfare (just mark those on your documentation form). If you have already renewed, your new ID card and receipt should be arriving in the mail shortly.