ASLA
In mid-March, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) announced their presidential candidates for the 2027 term: Jennifer Nitzky, PLA, FASLA, ISA, of Studio HIP and Gretchen Wilson, PLA, ASLA, LEED AP, WEDG, of Dig Studio. LASN reported on each candidate's background and public comments leading up to the May elections, with both presenting strong potential to effectively lead the society.



Following an experimental virtual forum where the public was provided an opportunity to hear directly from the candidates, LASN reached out to them and key ASLA leadership with a request for comment on a couple points brought up, namely the topic of extending full membership beyond licensed Landscape Architects. Then-President Kona Gray, PLA, FASLA, responded on behalf of the candidates, saying, "expanding membership and building stronger connections across the AEC community - and beyond - is something ASLA is deeply committed to [...] We have a strong leadership pipeline, and a shared vision for the future of the profession."

In July, ASLA announced that Wilson had been elected. Her comments in LAND shared a desire "for more Landscape Architects to feel connected to ASLA" and a calling "to lead in a way that emphasizes our role in protecting communities through resilient, regenerative design." In October, Wilson was inducted as the 2026 President-Elect during the ASLA Conference in New Orleans and 2025 President-Elect Bradley McCauley, PLA, FASLA, rose to President. Fifty individuals were also elevated to the Council of Fellows at the conference, increasing the total number of ASLA Fellows named since
1899 to 1,593.



Education
Starting out strong in January, LASN reported that the landscape architecture program at the University of Connecticut College of Agricultural, Health, and Natural Resources (CAHNR) had been re-accredited by the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Board (LAAB) for four more years.

In March, the LAAB released the 2024 Annual Report, showing a stabilization in administration even though major changes took place in several institutions, resulting in the loss of one BSLA program and a loss of 20% of faculty over the year in addition to the 20% lost in 2023. New, course options were also offered at many programs, and certain electives were opened to non-landscape architecture students, indicating a trend towards increasing program accessibility to preserve resources. Even so, the total number of enrolled students rose by 246, most of them undergraduate students. Demographically, the ratio of male to female students remained stable, with females representing 55% and males representing 44%, while the number of domestic students increased by 2%, most of them in graduate programs.

The hope brought by a rise in undergraduate students clashed with the September announcement that the Chancellor of the University of Nebraska at Lincoln proposed to close a $21 million budget gap at the institution by eliminating six academic programs - one of them being Landscape Architecture. A letter of support was sent around the country and signed by more than 3,800 alumni, professionals, and community members to protect the programs in jeopardy. In early November, a new plan was released wherein the Landscape Architecture program was not listed as part of the academic cuts. These events show how important it is that Landscape Architects raise their voices to share the importance of the profession and protect its future.

 



L.A. Fires
On January 7, 2025, two wildfires began in Los Angeles County that burned for almost a full month - killing at least 31 people and destroying over 16,000 structures, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE).

LASN reached out to the ASLA Southern California Chapter - led by then-President Scott Rice, PLA, LEED AP, CASp, and current President Melanie Buffa - to talk about the fires and the role Landscape Architects play in recovery. Immediately after the fires, Rice and his fellow board members successfully connected with local associations in the design and build industry to ensure that Landscape Architects had a seat at the table during the
rebuilding process.

As then-President Elect, Melanie Buffa headed a Wildfire Taskforce complete with Advocacy, Research, Education, and Volunteering Committees to direct immediate and long-term responses. These committees met regularly over the course of the year to engage purposefully with the L.A. fires and provide insight for PLAs preparing for fire in other parts of the country. For the remainder of the year, the chapter also held educational events multiple times a month touching on different aspects of designing for the wildland-urban interface and in preparation for future fire events.



Water
No surprise to many, the West continued to face water use challenges this year; however, there was a larger conversation started by the Trump Administration that had national attention. In March, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced that the agency would work with the United States Corps of Engineers at President Trump's prompting "to review the definition of 'waters of the United States.'"

In July, The State of Nebraska filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court against Colorado for the suspected violation of the 1923 South Platte River Compact, an act that limits Colorado's use of the water and defines how much Nebraska can receive during summer irrigation and winter non-irrigation (October 15 to April 1) season. The lawsuit alleged that Nebraska had been deprived of their water rights during irrigation season by Colorado. At the time of publishing, the legal fight had only intensified as Colorado has attempted to delay the court's intervention.

Earlier that same month, Colorado's top water board - The Colorado River Water Conservation District - agreed to a hearing regarding the Front Range concerns over a Western Slope plan to purchase Colorado River water rights. Held in September, the hearing was part of a larger hearing on how water rights can become an environmental water right, known as an instream flow right. In November, the River District reached an agreement with the Colorado Water Conservation Board regarding instream flow, allowing water to remain in a body of water because it protects or enhances the natural
environment. This is the next step in a process for the Shoshone water rights.

In October, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled on the Grassland Bypass project into the San Luis Drain, stating that it qualifies for the Clean Water Act's irrigated return flows exception due to "discharges that 'do not contain additional discharges from activities unrelated to crop production.'"

In mid-November, Zeldin and Adam Telle, Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, announced a proposed rule "that would establish a clear, durable, common-sense definition of 'waters of the United States' (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act." The clarified language states qualifications for each body of water type and who has jurisdiction where. The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on November 20 and will be open for public comment through January 5, 2026.



Shaping The Profession
Following the 2024 Alpha Designer conversation, LASN has leaned into providing opportunities for you, our readers and the experts in this profession, to share your thoughts and experiences. This led to the revival of the guest writer platform, starting in June with RVi Planning & Landscape Architecture's own Tony Catchot, PLA, who wrote an article series on bridging the gap in campus design when communicating with university planning departments and design consultants.

In October, Kirk Bereuter, PLA, ASLA, CLARB, ISA, touched on a sore spot within landscape architecture: elitism. Sharing his experiences starting in university, Bereuter exposed the penchant many Landscape Architects have towards focusing solely on concept design while neglecting and even belittling technical skills and those who excel at them. This started a lively conversation that LASN hopes to continue through print and
online platforms.



Licensure
In January, the State of Nebraska introduced HB 696 and the Hawaiian State Legislature introduced SB 1625, both aimed to adopt the Uniform Licensure Standard put forward by the Council of Landscape Architectural Registration Boards (CLARB). That same week, the Alaskan State legislature introduced a partisan bill titled SB 51 to establish a Sunrise Review Board.

In February, SB 61 - a bill from the State of New Mexico that would lower the required minimum years of experience for a licensure applicant without a degree from ten years to eight - was postponed indefinitely after being reported by committee with a passing recommendation.

In March, HB 669 of the State of Mississippi died in Committee. The bill would have authorized multi-disciplinary firms to include Architects, Landscape Architects, and Engineers so long as one active member of the firm holds a certificate to practice in the state. Later that month, New Mexico's Landscape Architects were in danger of losing their licenses if the operational authority state's Board of Landscape Architecture was not extended. The ASLA New Mexico Chapter sent out a national request for the professional community to call the House Judiciary Committee and urge them to place SB 113 on the agenda before the end of the legislative session - a successful endeavor that resulted in the bill being passed in the House of Representatives.

As seen in LASN magazine, December 2025.