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LASN News March, 200303-01-03 | News



ASLA Proclaims April 19-27, 2003,
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WASHINGTON – The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) has proclaimed April 19-27, 2003, as National Landscape Architecture Week in order to celebrate the important role of landscape architecture in creating the special places where we live, work, and play.

The week encompasses Earth Day (April 22) and the birthday of Frederick Law Olmsted (April 27), long acknowledged as the founder of the American landscape architecture profession. Public events are being planned across the nation, including student competitions, tours of local landscape architecture sites, and community improvement projects.

The first National Landscape Architecture Week was held in 2002. ?EUR??,,????'?????<



El Ni?????????o Lacks Luster, But Still Packs Punch






This satellite photo from the NOAA shows ocean temperatures as of February 23, 2003.


LONG BEACH, Ca. – For parched areas of southern California, lingering El Ni?????????o influences may bring some relief within the coming months. While the region has not seen the full distribution of precipitation associated with most El Ni?????????o episodes, its influence still remains.

At a news conference in February, at the American Meteorological Society?EUR??,,????'?????<

The latest NOAA Drought Monitor shows moderate-to-extreme drought across interior southern California. ?EUR??,,????'?????<



ANLA Urges Ag Secretary to Establish
Federal Quarantine for Emerald Ash Borer






The adult Emerald Ash Borer sits on the limb of a tree.


WASHINGTON – The American Nursery & Landscape Association (ANLA) has urged U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman and the Department of Agriculture to move swiftly to establish a federal quarantine for the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), and to take all steps necessary to compensate ash tree nursery stock producers located in the quarantine zone as defined by a new federal regulation.






A male Emerald Ash Borer is displayed here.


ANLA informed Veneman that the emerald ash borer, which was discovered infesting roughly 2,000 square miles in southeastern Michigan, poses a grave threat to shade tree producers from coast to coast. The pest is from China and other parts of Asia. It likely arrived in Detroit infesting wood packaging. Unless management options are successfully developed, the pest will eliminate ash trees from production and landscape use. Ash is estimated to be the single most important shade and landscape tree in the northern United States. It is also an economically important forestry species, and a valued component of ecosystems across most of the U.S.






The larva of an Ash Borer beetle ?EUR??,,????'?????<


ANLA believes that a federal quarantine could set strong and uniform rules for slowing or containing the spread of the pest from southeastern Michigan; ensure adequate safeguards are in place for international trade with Canada, where the pest also has been detected; and facilitate public and private-sector research funding; ANLA also supports compensating a small number of nursery growers trapped in the quarantine area and unable to market their ash nursery stock. Compensation is warranted for these producers, since they have lost crops and sales without warning.



Looking to the Future of Lighting






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NEW YORK – Lighting professionals presented the issues, technologies and opportunities affecting the industry to media representatives from the business, trade and consumer outlets at LIGHTCongress 2003, held early in February. Highlights included panel discussions on the future of light, light and the environment and what?EUR??,,????'?????<

LIGHTCongress 2003 was sponsored by LIGHTFAIR International 2003. According to Renee Gable, vice president of LIGHTFAIR International, LIGHTCongress 2003 provided a platform for show organizers and exhibitors to raise public awareness of light in our everyday lives.

For more information regarding LIGHTFAIR International 2003 (May 6-8), including advance registration, please visit www.lightfair.com.



IAAPA Acquires Asian Amusement Expo








ALEXANDRIA, Va – In an effort to continuously provide additional benefits to its member facilities and suppliers, the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) has recently acquired sole ownership of the Asian Amusement Expo (AAE), having purchased from both Terrapinn and the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) their respective interests in the expo. Terrapinn will continue to manage the show on behalf of IAAPA (thus all contact and registration details remain the same), and AAMA will continue to endorse the show. ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The exhibition is entering its twelfth year, and AAE 2003 will be held July 16-18 at the Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Center. Inquiries regarding exhibit space should be directed to Linda Wan of Terrapinn, phone: 65-6322-2749; email: linda.wan@terrapinn.com.



Malama Learning Center – Design Competition






An aerial photo of the future site of The Malama Learning Center.


Kaoolei, Hi. – The Malama Learning Center Competition is an opportunity to enter an open, international contest for design.

Located on the island of O?EUR??,,????'?????<

The Competition at a Glance

The Program calls for a building of approximately 20,000 square feet on three acres of land positioned as the gateway to an educational corridor to the new Kapolei High and Middle schools.

The heart of the Malama Learning Center – an agora-like space – would accommodate a multitude of group functions. It will house exhibits about conservation activities and the visual arts. Classrooms will be divisible into smaller learning areas for meetings and workshops.

A performance and lecture hall seating 300 and an outdoor amphitheater for larger performances will be gathering places for conservation and arts activities. The facility will also house studios for ?EUR??,,????'?????<

A native Hawaiian ethnobotanical garden and native plant nursery will be focal points of the landscaping, with areas where people can sit and enjoy the plants in ambient surroundings. Green, sustainable technology will be the running thread throughout the Malama Learning Center.

For more information on the competition visit: www.malamalearningcenter.org or call (808) 621-2008.



Mott Associates Open New Office








WESTMINSTER, Co. – Mott Associates, Inc. have opened a new office in Colorado. The office is designed to provide Business and Organiz-ational Management Consulting to Architectural, Engineering and Profess-ional Service firms nationwide.

Principal Consultant and President Eric P. Mott noted, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

According to Mott, Architects like to design and Engineers like to figure out problems – these are their areas of expertise, not running a profitable business. For more information, contact Mott at ericpmott@hotmail.com.



Senate Passes Appropriations Bill








WASHINGTON – In late January the Senate passed an omnibus FY 03 appropriations bill that contains several environmental riders and more severe cuts in several agencies including the Department of the Interior, than the House bill.

Though there were no interim cuts to the Urban Parks and Recreation Recovery program?EUR??,,????'?????<

The NPPS (National Program for Playground Safety) recommends that generally, 12 inches of uncompressed, loose-filled material should be used for equipment up to 8 feet tall.



Harvard Design School Explores Park Design

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Harvard Design School will explore a variety of issues at the forefront of contemporary landscape practice-from sustainable design to the transformation of industrial wasteland s into parks-as well as future poentials for design in the conference and exhibition entitled Large Parks: New Perspectives.

The Exhibit runs through May 26, while the conference runs April 10-12.

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Several speakers will be taking part in the event including: Michael Van Valkenburgh, John Beardsley, Peter Walker, Bill Wenk, Nina Marie Lister, and many others.

The exhibition is free; the conference fee for the general public is $100. For more information call 617-495-2784 or visit www.gsd.harvard.edu/largeparks.



Spiegelhalter to Join USC Faculty

LOS ANGELES – Following a two-year international search, Thomas Spiegelhalter has been selected to teach and conduct research in building technology at University of Southern California?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Billboard Restrictions Upheld in MT

HELENA, Mont. – Local laws restricting billboards in Flathead County and Whitefish are constitutional because they fulfill legitimate government goals of reducing visual blight and traffic hazards, the Montana Supreme Court has ruled.

The decision was a defeat for Montana Media Inc., which owns and rents out billboards subject to the county and city regulations.

When the company was informed that some of its signs violated the ordinances, Montana Media sued the two governments. It contended the billboard regulations violated state law and both the federal and Montana Constitutions.

District Judge Stewart Stadler of Kalispell sided with the city and county. The company appealed, getting a court order that put his ruling on hold while the high court considered the case.

Before the Supreme Court, both sides agreed that the billboards represent a form of commercial speech protected by the Constitution, and that aesthetics and traffic safety are important government interests.

As for the county ordinance and its limits on sign sizes in certain areas, the court said that ?EUR??,,????'?????<

In the city?EUR??,,????'?????<

The county?EUR??,,????'?????<

Have signage ordinances affected one of your projects? Find this article on LandscapeOnline.com and use the ?EUR??,,????'?????<



Ten Most Endangered National Parks Listed






Yellowstone National Park. PHOTO COURTESY OF EARTHMAN X


WASHINGTON – Air pollution, abusive use of motorized vehicles and other deficiencies have prompted the National Parks Conservation Association to list five new parks and five former listees on their Ten Most Endangered National Parks list.

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Parks on this year?EUR??,,????'?????<

Parks delisted this year include: Big Bend National Park in Texas; Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida; New York?EUR??,,????'?????<

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Mahan Rykiel Associates
Win Maryland Highway Award






Ken Schmidt





Lydia Kimball


BALTIMORE – Mahan Rykiel Associates Inc., a landscape architectural firm in Hampden, Md., is the recipient of the Award of Excellence Award from the Maryland State Highway Administration. The awards represent outstand-ing design concepts and execution in transport-ation related projects. Mahan Rykiel Associates received an award for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Entrance Road because it exemplified the principles of ?EUR??,,????'?????<



UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program
Celebrates 25th Anniversary






The Huntington Gardens will be hosting the 25th anniversary celebration of UCLA?EUR??,,????'?????<


LOS ANGELES – Landscape architects and supporters of the profession are invited to join UCLA Extension in celebrating its quarter-century anniversary, ?EUR??,,????'?????<

The event features a talk by renowned landscape architect Peter E. Walker, FASLA, known for his 40 years of experience in exploring the relationships among art, culture, and context, as he reformed the landscape and challenged traditional concepts of design.

Also included are presentations on the history of the program and recognition of key contributors, the premiere of the video ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Becoming a licensed landscape architect in California in the early 1970s required graduation from a daytime, degree-granting institution. At the urging of the California State Board of Landscape Architects and working together with the Southern California Chapter of ASLA, landscape architect Donald Roberts, a lecturer at UCLA, set out to change this. After a great deal of deliberation, it was determined to establish an alternative academic program at UCLA Extension.

This program would accomplish the California State Board?EUR??,,????'?????<

In 1977, the UCLA Extension Landscape Architecture Program was launched. This was the first program of its type in the United States. Over the ensuing UCLA decades, the program has evolved and matured dramatically, growing into a highly respected institution for professional education. Today, UCLA Extension offers a California State Certified curriculum that allows aspiring Landscape Architects to fulfill their education requirements and licensed Landscape Architects an opportunity to continue their education. The program requires 31 core curriculum courses and 12 units of electives, as well as offering numerous continuing education programs, study tours, and skill-enhancement studios.

?EUR??,,????'?????<For celebration and event information, please contact Slafer at (310) 825-9414 or email at aslafer@unex.ucla.edu.



Southeast Asia?EUR??,,????'?????<








SINGAPORE – Jurong Birdpark in western Singapore is home to thousands of bird species, and a major tourist attraction in the area. This spring, it will also be the home to the first Spray park in Southeast Asia, as officials gather to open the new playground.

The Chairman of the birdpark, Kwa Soon Bee, thought of the initial concept, to convert the existing picnic grounds into something that both the old and the young can enjoy. The parents would have a comfortable place to sit and relax while the kids can play at the new and unique playground.

The idea of incorporating a spray park into the playground design was the brainchild of the park?EUR??,,????'?????<

Ong Lee Leon created the equipment layout based on his own childhood memories.

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LA City Hall Restoration






The unique historic character and civic heritage of Los Angeles City Hall has been maintained through the reinterpretation of the original exterior facade lighting design of the building. The lighting design was done by Los Angeles-based Horton Lees Brogden Lighting.


LOS ANGELES – Hailed as a uniquely American masterpiece of architecture and design in1928, the Los Angeles City Hall remains one of the most recognized buildings in the United States.

As a way to preserve the civic heritage of Los Angeles, it was the goal of Project Restore to pursue the monumental task of restoring the Los Angeles City Hall to its original splendor. Besides restoring architectural elements of the building, modern systems were incorporated to bring the structure up to current safety standards. One of these systems involved the lighting of the exterior fa?????ade.

Horton Lees Brogden Lighting located in Los Angeles, proposed a reinterpretation of the original exterior fa?????ade lighting design in an effort to maintain the unique historic character of the structure and to protect its civic heritage.

By utilizing modern day equivalent lighting technologies and energy efficient luminaries that incorporate long-life lamps, the lighting design approach provides a modern day equivalent to what was originally planned for the City Hall fa?????ade lighting but only utilizes one fourth of the power.

Light levels were balanced throughout to compensate for the higher ambient light levels inherent in a present day metropolis.



NJASLA PR Kits








TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects?EUR??,,????'?????<

The kit would be used by Landscape Architects to take to school career days, to send to legislatures, at Municipal Meetings and other functions. So far suggestions have included a one page description of the profession; a contact list of Executive Committee and management consultant, HSBG; pictures and descriptions of examples of works of landscape architecture in the state; and a CD of the video ?EUR??,,????'?????<

Anybody interested in participating chould send comments to Vicky Drew at NJASLA Headquarters at vdrew@hsbgnet.com.


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