Letter from the President
You spoke. We listened!

We received a great response to the Annual Meeting surveys, both the one that was available at the meeting and the post-meeting follow-up. The results will soon be published on our website for your review. We want to address some of the more common concerns that folks had, but we’ll save those for another article. I will say that one of the comments we received consistently asked for more events for members.

While we have a couple of ideas in the making, I wanted to let you know that Jack Carman has arranged for a tour of Pleasant Run Nursery in Allentown, New Jersey, on Saturday, June 27th. For those of you who are not familiar with this nursery, you are in for a treat! Pleasant Run grows a variety of hard-to-find items and prides itself in excellent customer service. Not only will you have the chance to interact with your colleagues, but you’ll also have the opportunity to see some new and exciting cultivars.

We’re also looking to team up with the PA/DE chapter this September to do a behind-the scenes tour of the Morris Arboretum. We’d like to organize something with the NY chapter for you North Jersey folks as well. So if you have an idea for an event that you would like to suggest (or better yet—are willing to host), I encourage you to take a little time and drop us a line. Hope to see you there!

Karen Twisler, CLA, RLA, LEED-AP
President @ njasla.net

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ASLA Landscape Architecture Survey Finds
First Sign of Economic Growth in Nearly 18 Months
Competition for Projects is Fierce; Focus is on Public Work

Though landscape architecture firms continue to struggle, small signs of improvement could be on the horizon, according to the latest Business Quarterly survey by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). For the first time since 2007, the number of firms reporting average or above inquiries increased from one quarter to the next.
Overall, approximately one quarter (25.3 percent) of firms reported average or above inquiries in the first quarter of 2009, up from 21.5 percent last quarter. This represents the first quarter-to-quarter increase in inquiries since the survey first launched in November of 2007. However, firms reporting average or above hours continued to drop, moving from 31.2 percent last quarter to 25.2 percent currently. In addition, 11.2 percent of firms plan to hire in the upcoming quarter, down slightly from 12.8 percent last quarter. 
“We are seeing tremendous competition among firms over relatively few projects, especially in the public sector,” said Nancy Somerville, Executive Vice President and CEO of ASLA. “However, there appears some indication of improvement that may be driven in part by the recent stimulus bill.”

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2008, your first quarter 2009 billable hours were:
Well above average – 2.0%
Slightly above average – 9.9%
Right where they usually are, average – 13.3%
Slightly below average – 26.9%
Well below average – 45.2%

Compared to the fourth quarter of 2008, your first quarter 2009 inquiries were:
Well above average – 3.5%
Slightly above average – 9.3%
Right where they usually are, average – 12.5%
Slightly below average – 26.0%
Well below average – 48.8%

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, your first quarter 2009 billable hours were:
Higher – 7.7%
About the same – 13.7%
Lower – 77.3%
Don’t know – 1.2%

Compared to the same quarter a year ago, your first quarter 2009 inquiries were: 
Higher – 6.2%
About the same – 14.5%
Lower – 77.3%
Don’t know – 1.2%

Do you plan on hiring any employees in the second quarter 2009? (multiple answers):
Experienced landscape architect – 2.0%
Entry level landscape architect – 3.3%
Support staff – 1.8%
Intern – 4.5%
Other staff – 2.5%
Not hiring – 88.8%

About the Survey
The ASLA Business Quarterly survey asks primary firm contacts for quarterly benchmarks on key statistics including billable hours, inquiries, and hiring plans. The Q1 2009 national survey was fielded April 8 through April 20, with 408 firms responding. 

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In Stickley’s Steps: A Landscape Tour

Saturday, July 25 at 6:00 p.m.
Members: $10
Non-members: $12
For tickets or more information, call 973.540.0311

Landscape architect
Brian Bosenberg will guide the next tour in the Fresh Eyes Tour
Series. Set for
Saturday, July 25 at 6:00 p.m., this landscape tour, entitled
“In Stickley’s Steps,” will investigate the evolution of the landscape at Craftsman Farms. Led by Bosenberg, Principal & CEO of
 B.W. Bosenberg & Co. Landscape Architects, which practices landscape architecture with a special interest in historic landscapes, landscape preservation, restoration and landscape master
planning. Tour participants will take a summer evening walk in Stickley’s footsteps as they discover the hidden landscape of Craftsman Farms. Bosenberg will discuss how the landscape influenced Stickley’s layout of the site, the organization of the buildings and the development of the agricultural areas. Light refreshments will be served.With only 25 tickets available, interested participants are encouraged to register early. For tickets or more information, call 973.540.0311.

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Small Increase in Green Spaces can Offset Temperature Rise
Source: Built Environment, University of Manchester

Scientists at the University of Manchester have conducted a study looking at the effect global warming will have on our major cities, and say a modest increase in the number of urban parks and street trees could offset decades of predicted temperature rises. The study has calculated that a mere 10% increase in the amount of green space in cities would reduce average urban surface temperatures by as much as 4°C.
This 4°C drop in temperature, which is equivalent to the average predicted rise through global warming by the 2080s, is caused by the cooling effect of water as it evaporates into the air from leaves and vegetation through a process called transpiration.
Green spaces collect and retain water much better than concrete, and as the water evaporates from the leaves of plants and trees the surrounding air is cooled. This process, called transpiration, is similar to the human cooling effect of perspiration.
“Urban areas can be up to 12°C warmer than more rural surroundings due to the heat given off by buildings, roads and traffic, as well as reduced evaporative cooling, in what is commonly referred to as an ‘urban heat island’,” said Dr Roland Ennos, who worked on the project with Professor John Handley and Dr Susannah Gill in the School of Environment and Development.

“We discovered that a modest increase of 10% green space reduced surface temperatures in the urban environment by 4°C, which would overcome temperature rises caused by global warming over the next 75 years, effectively ‘climate proofing’ our cities.
“Such a reduction has important implications for human comfort and health within urban areas and opportunities need to be taken to increase green space cover wherever structural changes are occurring within urban areas, as well as planting street trees or developing green roofs.”

Increased green spaces in urban areas would have multiple other benefits, such as increased rainwater retention and carbon capture. Currently most of the rainwater that falls on urban areas is lost as “run-off” through storm drains, which increases the city’s sewage treatment load as well as increasing the need for irrigation. A 10% increase in green space will only have a minimal impact on precipitation capture however, as the overall climate model predicts that towards the end of this century, our summers will be hotter and drier but winters are expected to be wetter. This results in insufficient water during the time of the year when the plants need it the most, which leads to reduced transpiration; effectively cancelling out that benefit of the green spaces. Winters, on the other hand, are expected to become much wetter, producing an excess of precipitation when the trees are unable to use it to their best advantage. In order to maximize the benefits of green spaces, cities would require an infrastructure to store water in winter months to irrigate the green spaces in warmer months. Given the advantages of the cooling effects of the green spaces as well as the air purification benefits, the cost of updating urban infrastructure becomes very minimal.

Additionally, buildings could divert greywater to irrigate green roofs and nearby green spaces, which would lessen the need for city water piping changes, and provide an additional source of nutrients to the plants.

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Climate Weirding and Habitat
Reprinted from OPEN SPACE, the Open Space Institute Newsletter

Dialogue with Mark Shaffer & Kim Elliman
We recently sat down with Mark Shaffer, Environmental Program Director at the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, and Kim Elliman, OSI’s CEO, to discuss climate change and its connection to land conservation..Mark and Kim talked about the link between the protection of our landscapes and the extreme climate patterns that have been seen in recent years. Particular attention was paid to State Wildlife Action Plans—blueprints for habitat protection and conservation that the Duke Foundation is working to help implement in each of the 50 states.

FULL ARTICLE

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News from ASLA Leaders E-Express
Advocacy

• Advocacy Day Recap: There were 148 participants this year, all of which had at least two meetings with their representative’s and/or senators’ offices. Many participants met with their actual member, and generally reported positive reception on both Complete Streets Legislation and CLEAN TEA (Clean, Low-Emission, Affordable, New Transportation Efficiency Act). NJASLA Trustee Bruce Davies and President Elect  Nick Tufaro  participated. Information on these initiatives are provided within this issue of NJASLA Today.
      
• Due to the successful efforts of ASLA Advocates, Complete Streets legislation now has seven additional cosponsors in the House of Representatives and three additional cosponsors in the Senate. The new House of Representative cosponsors are: Rick Boucher (VA);  Lacy Clay (MO); Barbara Lee (CA); Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC); Leonard Boswell (IA); Mazie Hirono (HI); and Albio Sires (NJ).  The new Senate cosponsors are:  Mark Begich (AK); Patrick Leahy (VT); and Bernie Sanders (VT).
• Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Hon. ASLA, from Oregon, was a special guest at the Advocacy Day breakfast on April 30. Congressman Blumenauer is a leader in initiating and supporting sustainable policies and is diligent in promoting polices important to the landscape architecture community. Congressman Blumenauer shared his experiences on working on these issues with Advocacy Day participants, as well as tips on how to become effective advocates throughout the year.
• By a tremendous margin of 411-6, The Green Energy Education Act of 2009 (H.R. 957), passed in the House of Representatives on April 22. The legislation is aimed at preparing the next wave of design and construction professionals to improve the energy efficiency and productivity of our nation's buildings; During the last Congress, ASLA worked with Congressman McCaul (TX) to include landscape architecture in the bill, which had only referenced architecture and engineering.  After learning how landscape architectural techniques, including sustainable site planning and development, contribute to the high performance of buildings, Congressman McCaul offered an amendment to include landscape architecture in the bill.
• Citing the critical need to improve environmental education across the country, Senator Jack Reed (RI) and Congressman John Sarbanes (MD) introduced in the Senate (S. 866) and House (H.R. 2054) versions of the historic No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI) on Earth Day 2009. The measures would allow states to provide high-quality, environmental instruction by supporting outdoor learning activities both at school and in non-formal environmental education centers, teacher professional development, and the creation of state environmental literacy plans. ASLA is a member of the No Child Left Inside Coalition and actively works to ensure passage of this important environmental legislation.  ASLA activated the Advocacy Network to have members urge their legislators to support the legislation.
• ASLA has joined in sending a letter to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to urge the members to support funding for green infrastructure projects through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds (SRF).
• ASLA has joined in sending a letter to Congress urging them to reauthorize and provide adequate funding for the Recreation Trails Program (RTP). The RTP provides funding for communities to create recreational trails.  Since its inception in 1991, RTP has funded over 10,000 projects. However, currently there is a backlog of eligible projects that needs federal funding. The letter is being spearheaded by American Trails. 

SUSTAINABILITY  ISSUES

• The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources has adapted the Sustainable Sites Initiative’s credits and prerequisites for a score card that will be filled out by applications as part of its grant application process.
•  National Building Museum lectures of note during April included:  Walker Wells, Director of the Resource Efficiency and the Sustainable Communities program for Global Green USA. Wells spoke about how urban areas can create significant environmental impacts as well as significant opportunities for building green communities; the need for “making, growing, and fixing” in connection with the built environment; and noting successful programs in which representatives of government agencies and the public have worked together to find solutions to urban environmental problems. Robert Campbell, architectural critic for The Boston Globe, spoke about “Beauty vs. Barricades” at the National Building Museum. He examined how to balance the need for security with accessibility, transparency and aesthetics, especially around federal buildings in Washington, D.C.
• LAM Editor Bill Thompson, FASLA, moderated a panel at the National Building Museum last Wednesday. The topic was “Vertical Farms”—innovative ways of growing food in the city, even on the walls of skyscrapers. It was part of the NBM’s “For the Greener Good” series. There was a good turnout and the panel discussion was lively.  Panelists included:

  -Robin Osler, Elmslie Osler Architects created vertical farming walls in Los Angeles’ skid row;