Landscape Architect Articles

Conn. Chapter Presents Olmsted Award05-01-06 | News

Conn. Chapter Presents Olmsted Award

David Leff (right) receives the 2006 Connecticut Olmsted Award from CTASLA President Aris Stalis.

The Connecticut Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (CTASLA) presented the 2006 Connecticut Olmsted Award to Collinsville resident David Leff. The award was presented to Mr. Leff on April 26, 2006 during the Inaugural Olmsted Day Conference, sponsored by CTASLA and the Connecticut Olmsted Heritage Alliance. The all-day event was at the Mark Twain House & Museum. It was the first observance of Frederick Law Olmsted Day in Connecticut, created last year by the state legislature and celebrated April 26, Olmsted?EUR??,,????'???s birthday.
?The CTASLA Connecticut Olmsted Award is given each year to an organization or person demonstrating outstanding stewardship of the land. The award is named, of course, after Connecticut native Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of U.S. landscape architecture. Best known for his New York Central Park design, Olmsted?EUR??,,????'???s prominent Connecticut landscapes include Hartford?EUR??,,????'???s Pope Park and the Institute of Living, Bridgeport?EUR??,,????'???s Beardsley and Seaside parks, and New Britain’s Walnut Hill Park.
?David Leff retired in April 2006 as deputy commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. He was responsible for DEP?EUR??,,????'???s conservation programs, including parks, forests, fisheries and wildlife for the past decade. He was responsible for protecting more than 50,000 acres of open spaces.

Prior to joining DEP, Mr. Leff spent 16 years as a researcher and legal and policy advisor to the Connecticut General Assembly?EUR??,,????'???s Environment Committee.

?Mr. Leff is chairman of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Council and the Collinsville Historic District Commission. He is the author of The Last Undiscovered Place (University of Virginia Press, 2004), a first-person narrative on how people relate to landscapes and communities. He is also a contributing writer to the Hartford Courant’s “Place” page.

?EUR??,,????'??In his writings and professional life he has demonstrated an acute passion for the landscapes and unique spaces that contribute to Connecticut?EUR??,,????'???s natural heritage,?EUR??,,????'?? noted CTASLA President Aris Stalis, a landscape architect with BSC Group.
?Past recipients of this award include Senator Joe Lieberman (1997); Jack Shannahan, Connecticut Historical Commission (1999); (then) Lieutenant Governor M. Jodi Rell and (then) Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin Sullivan (2002); the Town of Simsbury (2003); the Green Valley Institute (2004); and State Senator Bill Finch (2005).