Happy summer, everyone! Hopefully you’ve all been enjoying our warmer temperatures, and can find some time to step away from your desks to take part in all of the summer festivals and outdoor events in the area!

Election Info

It's hard to believe, but election season for PGASLA is already here. If you have been looking for a way to get more involved with ASLA on a local level, or would like to nominate yourself or others to provide chapter leadership, we are looking for nominees for the following positions:

• President-elect (3 year term)
• VP of Membership (2 year term)
• VP of Public Relations (2 year term)
• Secretary (1 year term)
• Wichita-at-Large (1 year term)
• Manhattan-at-Large (1 year term)

Please reach out to myself or anyone else on the PGASLA Executive Committee if you have any questions about these positions. The nominations process will be closing on June 21^st, with elections held from July 3^rd through 31^st.

Upcoming Events

June is filled with some great events!  To sign up for these or any future events, check out the PGASLA calendar here: http://www.pgasla.org/index.php/eventcalendar/

On June 20^th Tim KcKey with Unique Lighting will be hosting our June LINKS event. This will take place at the Center for Architecture and Design, and will provide one hour of continuing education credit, as well as lunch!  The presentation will discuss lighting fundamental and basic electrical information. Please RSVP by June 16^th.

If you have summer interns or recent graduates at your firm, let them know about an upcoming scavenger hunt hosted by the Center for Architecture and Design. It will be taking place on June 21^st from 5:30-7:30pm. It should be a fun time, and a great way for interns and recent graduates to meet other new design professionals! Advance registration required.

The Wichita Design Community Garden Party will be taking place on the evening June 22^nd. It will be a great event for mingling with other design professionals from the Wichita area. Registration is required.

Shout out to Landscape Forms, Daltile and Mapei for some great June happy hours as well!

Next month, PGASLA is hosting a happy hour event for recent grads, interns, and young professionals at Brewery Emperial on July 20^th. We look forward to welcoming you to Kansas City! The event is open to all current and prospective PGASLA members, please register through the calendar.

National ASLA Efforts

ASLA worked with Senator Martin Heinrich (NM) to reintroduce the Living Schoolyard Act. This measure would provide planning and installation grants to reshape elementary and secondary schoolyards into resilient outdoor learning environments using nature-based solutions and other natural products. You can find out how to support this and other legislation through ASLA’s iAdvocate program here: https://www.asla.org/advocate.aspx?vvsrc=%2fcampaigns

Until next time,

Sean Ray, PLA, ASLA

PGASLA President

Join Tim McKey with Unique Lighting for this month’s CEU lunch. Landscape Lighting can directly improve outdoor spaces by showcasing the plants, hardscapes, amenities and structures of the site during the evening hours. Landscape Lighting extends the usable hours in our landscapes, provides visual interest and improves the quality and safety of project.

This presentation will discuss lighting design fundamentals and techniques to improve the nighttime aesthetics of the project while eliminating hotspots, reducing glare, minimizing black holes. The selection of LED lamp color, beam spread, fixture selection and placement are critical decisions that should be made by the Landscape Architect. Finally, the presentation will discuss basic information regarding transformer options, electrical requirements and common wiring solutions for successful installation and improved project lifespan.

Learning Objectives:

1. Lighting Design Fundamentals and Techniques.
2. Landscape light options including lamp and beam spread and fixture selections
3. Common installation solutions and best management practices

RSVP by Friday, June 16th. Course will provide 1.0 continuing education credits and provide Health, Safety, and welfare credit. Lunch will be provided. Email Jackie Dietz with any questions at jackie.dietz@forms-surfaces.com.

June 20 | 12:00-1:00pm

Center for Architecture & Design

Join Daltile and Mapei for a Happy Hour on June 14 from 4:00-7:00pm at the Cinder Block Brewery.

Calling all summer interns and new grads! Join us for a scavenger hunt event, getting to know Kansas City and other young designers! In small teams, this one-hour scavenger hunt will take you through the Crossroads neighborhood to explore some of our favorite spots. Afterwards, meet for a happy hour at Parlor, where winners and prizes will be announced.

5:30p: Meet at CFAD, scavenger hunt rules and break into teams

6-7p: Scavenger hunt time!

7pm: Happy hour at Parlor

Must register to attend, free!

Register Here >

*If you are a member of AIA Kansas City, AIGA-KC, IDSA, IIDA-MA, KC APA, PGASLA, or SEGD, good news . . . you are already a member of CfAD.

Recent grads, interns, and young professionals – please join us for a casual happy hour to meet the PGASLA Executive Committee and current members. We look forward to welcoming you to Kansas City! Stop by anytime between 5-7pm.

Where: Brewery Emperial

When: Thursday, July 20th from 5-7pm

Who: Current and Prospective PGASLA members

RSVP: Please respond by Tuesday, July 18th

PGASLA Members – free

Recent Grads + Interns – free

Brian D Roth, Chapter Trustee

May 2023

Registration for the 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture is open! This year’s conference will be held October 27^th – 30^th in Minneapolis. I hope to see many of you there.

We continue to seek a PGASLA member to Chair our Climate Action Committee. ASLA national has asked each chapter to appoint a chair. If you are interested, please reach out to me at broth@land3studio.com. For more information regarding the ASLA Climate Action Plan please visit: Climate Action Plan | asla.org

If you are interested in what ASLA national has been up too this past month and what opportunities ASLA is offering, please visit Full Trustee Report

Highlights:

• The ASLA 2023 Conference on Landscape Architecture REGISTRATION HAS LAUNCHED! Visit the newly designed conference website to review all the offerings for the conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from October 27-30. This year the conference theme is SCALE-UP as the Society reaches to new heights to bring to our members 137 education sessions, 19 field sessions, and four LARE Prep sessions. The EXPO experience will have more than 250 exhibitors, eager to show new products, tools, and services to elevate your practice. There are 11 hotels in which to choose from, all with varying price points. PLEASE only book within the housing block and look for the official Maritz Global Events logo to ensure you receive the conference hotel rates. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email conferences@asla.org. 
• The annual election for 2024-2025 ASLA President-Elect is now open through June 2, 2023. All Full, Associate, Student, and International members in good professional standing are eligible to vote and received an email ballot form noreply(at)directvote.net. Check out the candidates Haley Blakeman, FASLA, and Kona Gray, FASLA, and learn about their goals and biographies. Additionally, the candidates responded to questions related to the future of the profession and the Society featured over three issues of LAND. 
• Registration is now open for SKILL | ED: Lean Project Delivery in Design and Construction. Join us June 13-15 for a three-day virtual course series aimed at helping design teams share information freely and collaboratively to solve difficult problems and make decisions quickly and efficiently. This event is hosted by the ASLA SKILL | ED Practice Management Institute Committee.
• Landscape Architecture Magazine (LAM) won two Jesse H. Neal Awards for editorial excellence: Best Overall Art Direction/Design and Best Profile, Article (“In Their Elements,” by Jonathan Lerner, April 2022, which features Stimson, an ASLA Landscape Architecture Firm Award winner). Art Director Chris McGee and Production Editor Leah Ghazarian attended the awards ceremony in New York in April. 
• LAM has been named a finalist five times across four categories in the Association Media & Publishing (AM&P) Network’s EXCEL Awards for excellence and leadership in association media, publishing, marketing and communication. Finalists include General Excellence; Design Excellence; Feature Article Design (“Below the Horizons,” by Lisa Owens Viani, November 2022), designed by Chris McGee; Feature Article Design (“One Giant Leap,” by Ignacio F. Bunster-Ossa, FASLA, January 2022), designed by Chris McGee, and Cover, Photography: April 2022 (the Neal-award-winning feature on Stimson). The winners will be announced at the annual EXCEL Awards gala on June 27 at The National Housing Center in Washington, D.C. 
• The Board of Trustees held its virtual spring meeting, April 27-28. They selected this year’s ASLA Honors recipients and elected April Westcott, FASLA, as vice-president-elect of Membership and Jean Senechal Biggs, ASLA, as vice president-elect of Professional Practice. The trustees also held a joint workshop with the chapter presidents and representatives from Climate Action Network on Deploying the Climate Action Plan.  
• President Emily O’Mahoney, FASLA, was the keynote speaker (virtual) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign commencement ceremony, on May 14. Each year, the ASLA president is asked to speak at the commencement of the graduating landscape architecture students.   
• On May 18, President O’Mahoney was the keynote speaker at the Utah Chapter, where she presented on the ASLA Climate Action Plan. On May 3, President O’Mahoney was the keynote at the Maryland Chapter Awards ceremony in Baltimore, MD.  
• On May 11, CEO Torey Carter-Conneen was the keynote speaker at the Potomac Chapter Awards in Alexandria, VA. His presentation focused on accomplishments and progress since launching ASLA’s new vision and strategic plan.  
•  Aida Curtis, ASLA, Chair of the Climate Leadership and Communications Subcommittee of the Climate Action Committee, was invited by the White House Office of the Vice President to attend an event at the University of Miami on April 21. The event focused on the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to combat the climate crisis and build climate resilience. Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted the many benefits of nature-based solutions and recognized the important role of landscape architects in this work. Read more.