Potomac ASLA Chapter

Bethany Carton, ASLA, Chapter President

Volunteers sported T-shirts with the “Your Environment. Designed.” campaign logo thanks to a generous donation from Barbara Nolan, Inc. from Landscape Forms.

This was a busy and exciting year for the chapter. Thanks to the hard work of president Beth Carton, chapter members received an eNewsletter each month keeping them informed of the many goings on. Regular communication was critical given the event-packed year.

In January the chapter thanked its members who volunteered during the 2010 ASLA Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. with a reception at the Arlington Arts Center, Arlington, Va.

Celebrations continued during April’s National Landscape Architecture Month with a reception honoring chapter members who were elevated to Fellow at the 2010 Annual Meeting. For the first time the Potomac Chapter, in partnership with the Maryland Chapter, held its annual banquet and awards ceremony during NLAM, this year on a boat cruise in Baltimore Harbor.

Groups were stationed at the FDR Memorial in Washington, D.C., where they handed out water bottles, distributed city guides featuring sites designed by landscape architects and fielded questions about the profession.

Finally, the month wrapped up with Community Plant-It Day, when volunteers installed plantings at Coolidge High School in Washington, D.C., as the final phase of the Legacy Project for the 2010 Annual Meeting.

The Alexandria office of AECOM hosted an office open house in June. Chapter members socialized over sangria and toured the Design Group’s new office.

In July, Beth Carton attended the annual Advocacy Summit, while chapter secretary Sarah Couchman attended the Public Relations Summit, both held in Alexandria. They came back energized and ready to engage the Potomac Chapter membership!

Potomac Chapter members Karen Kumm Morris (left) and Robert Snieckus (right) were elected to the 2011 ASLA Council of Fellows in the Leadership and Management category.

On Aug. 17 volunteers came out in full force to launch a national public awareness campaign to educate the public about the profession of landscape architecture. In flash mob style, without the dancing, landscape architecture enthusiasts spread out across Washington, D.C. to engage the public and talk about their profession.

Engaging the public about landscape architecture proved to be a great way to spread the word and energize our membership.

To see other 2011 ASLA chapter reports click here.