Last month, LASN wrote about the ASLA and the SCOTUS / WOTUS ruling, generating a lot of comments and letters to the Editor. We thought you would be interested in hearing what others are saying about that ruling and the direction of the ASLA.
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A month ago, I wrote about the ASLA taking hits to the Brand for things like the Booking.com commercial, being left out of a NRPA planning commission, consistently opposing the Home Builders and opposing the unanimous SCOTUS/WOTUS ruling (and btw we just got dissed by Reader's Digest too) That was before the June issue of the ASLA magazine started hitting the mail, where according to a growing number of commenters and responders, the brand took yet another big hit.


Anyways . . . To keep that conversation more within the profession, my commentary on the ASLA magazine can be found in the July Issue of LASN. However, we thought you would be interested in hearing what others are saying about WOTUS and the direction of the ASLA. I've tried to keep the ratio of comments to match the ratio of those received, edit out unnecessary content, and keep the identities limited to states or positions within the profession.

Here you go . . .

Arizona
Wanted to thank you for your tempered and well written editorial about the [sic] ASLA. Seems like [they] and the previous [administration] were and are more interested in appealing to leftish big government policies and bureaucrats rather than promoting members as responsible design team members.

West Virginia
After 44 years working with the Federal agency who has the responsibility for watching over the Clean Water Act (US Army Corps of Engineers - Civil Works), I could cite numerous violations of that Act by individuals, corporations, and municipal governments, and all of those were adjudicated through legal means.

However, extending that administrative control to deny property owners and farmers of use of their property for legitimate purposes, is more political than scientific. Otherwise, every pothole in Ohio farmland would belong solely to the US government . . . Wisely, SCOTUS squelched it.

 
Utah
Loved the article on ASLA being out on their own political island here. Farmers in my circles are just plain mad that any puddle was lumped into 'navigable water' category and regulated as a protected wetland because they irrigated their farm. Sad to see how out of touch ASLA is on the topic.


FASLA
I applaud ASLA's efforts to promote the work of the profession and our role in addressing climate change and other environmental concerns. We can't afford to be silent on critical issues and taking a stand (not just on the WOTUS ruling) is exactly what we entrust ASLA leadership to do. That's not being woke, it's being responsible . . . ASLA is far more than a business organization and being silent on these issues would not be true to our mission. I disagree that ASLA is playing to extreme political ideology and alienating the development community. ASLA is promoting the role of landscape architects to work with the developers to meet their needs in ways that benefit the environment.


Georgia
I dropped my ASLA membership several years ago . . . after having been an active member for many years. Rather than try to fight to correct the woke direction ASLA HQ appeared to be headed, I decided I had better things to do with my time and should participate more in local/regional/state/national political/governing or advisory boards (County Planning Commission, state policy boards, Farm Bureau national and state Boards, interstate water stakeholder groups, etc.) that actually deal with such items in real life. In those instances, I encounter the difficulties of ambiguous language, such as that in the EPA WOTUS interpretation. Instead of supporting groups such as ASLA that seem to have lost touch with the real world, I can have direct input into water policy and planning that has real impact.


Nevada
I completely agree with your June 6 comment letter - I seriously considered denouncing my [decades-long] membership, [however]did not, because disagreeing with the current [leadership] is of less importance than utilizing other very worthwhile benefits.


Texas
I quit ASLA two years ago in protest of my money being spent on causes that I do not agree with. We need to see more common-sense articles such as yours.


North Carolina
Thank you for the article! Let me know if I can assist in ensuring LAs are recognized as friends and leaders in the development industry. I'm not a member of ASLA nor feel I need to be, but happy to help the cause.


ASLA Trustee
A business is an economic activity with the primary goal of earning profit. A profession is a form of economic activity wherein special skills, knowledge and expertise is required to be applied in the practitioner's occupation. As such, landscape architecture is considered a profession (not a business, per se) that, among other things, includes the obligation to provide guidance and stewardship to the design of the land and waters upon which it is practiced. This stewardship responsibility is taken seriously by most landscape architects and is not taken lightly. I suggest you take a look at the ASLA's Code of Professional Ethics, its Code of Environmental Ethics, and its Code of Conduct, along with its Commitment to Climate Action . . .
Your suggestion that we should be promoted as, 'Sober, stable professionals who can work with developers and help them prosper, and upon whose shoulders the public's health, safety, and welfare rests' is exactly what professional landscape architects have been doing for the entire history of our profession and what we will continue to do . . .

Texas
I would just like to thank you for the brief article on ASLA Leadership and all their woke left wing extremist views. It is about time someone spoke up for the profession. I am as close as can be to quitting my ASLA membership due to all of this. The last ASLA magazine was as embarrassment. I was embarrassed on a professional and personal level.

Washington
You nailed it [with the WOTUS article]. They did not do themselves any favor with their recent [sic] magazine edition either. A couple of clients of mine saw that on our conference table and their eye-roll was audible.

California
I was at an Industry Golf Tournament and overheard a couple contractors talking about the ASLA magazine. Needless to say, it was embarrassing for me and my guests, and for the profession.

Texas
Now you know why I have NEVER been a member of the ASLA but licensed for 38 years.

And the Final Comment We Give to Rhode Island . . .
Where I agree that WOTUS has some wording that is vague and ambiguous, in my opinion, the article could have done without the woke [and] tree hugger verbiage.

Publishers note: You know Rhode Island . . . You are right. There are always a few things we should or should not have said. That is something we can all agree on. Let's do our best to move forward and focus on those things we have in common . . .