ADVERTISEMENT
Land Legacy | 28
img
 
Land Legacy
ASLA Supports White House Initiatives
WASHINGTON, D.C.
 
The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is strongly supporting the $1 billion Lands Legacy Initiative and the $10 billion Better America Bonds proposed by the Clinton Administration to expand federal protection of critical lands across America, help states and communities preserve local green spaces, strengthen protections for oceans and coasts, reduce traffic congestion, protect water quality and clean up abandoned industrial sites.

"It's wonderful to see our vision of a greener country embraced at the highest level-- especially as we are entering our professional society's 100th anniversary," explained ASLA President Barry W. Starke, FASLA. The $1 billion initiative-- which designates a portion of the funding to the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI)-- is similar in intent to a bill that ASLA is working to pass in Congress.

ASLA recently drafted a resolution in support of Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and a bipartisan group of lawmakers' "Reinvestment and Environmental Restoration Act," that proposes sharing a portion of federal mineral royalties with all coastal states and territories in support of conservation and wildlife protection programs. "The Society is at the cutting-edge in influencing public policy and shaping the way in which we as a nation tackle quality-of-life issues," explained ASLA Executive Vice President Pete Kirsch. "Just last month we met with the head of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Refuge Division to discuss ways in which ASLA can help them achieve their goals."

At this meeting, the two organizations' leadership talked at length and began the process of exploring mutually advantageous partnership opportunities. The USFWS needs to renovate and build new public facilities, which include public-use structures, kiosks, highway pull-off interpretive sites, refuge roads and entrances. Over 10,000 projects are in the works-- representing $75 million in construction and design service fees.
img


Related Content