NMASLA - 2022 Q1 Newsletter

2022 Quarter 1: Chapter Newsletter

NMASLA — March 2022

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Greetings to all of you, and happy Spring! As we all emerge from a busy Winter season, I hope that this letter finds all of you feeling inspired by the changing times. I know everyone is optimistic that we are finally moving out of this rough patch, and we will be able to collaborate, charette, and otherwise come together at the drawing board once again. With legislation recently passed at the local and national level to support new infrastructure and other work in the public sector, it is a great time to be a Landscape Architect!

Although still cautious, we are moving forward with planning for Q2. Although we were hopeful to cross-over with the national CELA conference being held in our state for Q1, the logistics of this potential event turned out to be more difficult than we anticipated. With Covid still looming, planning a happy hour for several hundred people seemed like not the best plan after all. Instead, your NMASLA Executive Committee has been focused on updating our advocacy brochure with imagery from the projects recently submitted for awards, and we intend to share this brochure with our membership to spread the word far and wide about what Landscape Architecture is, how we work with other important disciplines, and how we can positively impact communities and our environment one project at a time.

With some help from ASLA National, and long-time NMASLA advocacy champion Rob Loftis, we managed to do some quick work to influence the wording of House Bill 191, which would make it harder for licensed LA’s to get reciprocity in New Mexico. More info on that below.

For Q2, we are happy to announce that we are organizing a long-overdue series of site tours in the Santa Fe Area. Tours will be lead by the designers themselves, take place mostly outdoors, and be complete with speakers, CEUs, and NMASLA fun. Stay tuned!

There is also work underway to combine forces with other state chapters in the Mountain West Region to formulate a series of Climate Action Webinars that focus on climate issues particularly relevant in the Southwest. We are in need, and are actively looking within our membership for professionals who have a strong interest in this topic to serve as our liaison in this effort. We are also in need of practicing professionals, educators, or others allied professionals to participate in the webinars, and share your expertise with others in our region. I think everyone can agree that this effort is long overdue, and it is time to take our place at the table on these issues - Please reach out if you would like to be involved.

We look forward to seeing all of you very soon!

Courtney McKelvey

SAVING LICENSURE RECIPROCITY IN NEW MEXICO

New Mexico State Capitol in Santa Fe, 2019. Credit: Glenn Nagel. Shutterstock

Over the last few weeks, the ASLA State Government Affairs team worked closely with the ASLA New Mexico Chapter to influence the outcome of NM House Bill 191, a comprehensive licensing bill that among other provisions would have created reciprocity licensure barriers for landscape architects who’ve practiced for less than two years.

The legislation was introduced at the request of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department (NMRLD), with only seventeen days remaining until the conclusion of New Mexico’s 30 day legislative session. Recognizing there was a short legislative window and HB 191 was a legislative priority for NMRLD, the State Government Affairs team understood HB 191 would quickly move through the legislative process and began to immediately coordinate with the New Mexico Chapter.

Assisting National ASLA and leading the New Mexico Chapter’s advocacy efforts on HB 191 was long-time advocate Rob Loftis, ASLA. The State Government Affairs team worked closely with chapter leaders to provide talking points and to understand the impacts HB 191 would have on landscape architects. Using this information, Loftis, on behalf of the chapter and profession, provided virtual testimony in two hearings ((4:50 mark) & (10:02 mark)) and had conversations with several of the bill’s sponsors including Linda Trujillo, Superintendent of the NMRLD.

Loftis’ willingness, as a landscape architecture advocate, to initiate dialogue and voice the concerns of the profession eventually led to great success that resulted in securing a favorable amendment to fix the intent of the legislation and developing new relationships with legislators and Superintendent Trujillo, who promised to work closely with the profession on future regulatory initiatives. House Bill 191 was then successfully amended on the House Floor on February 12, 2022, benefiting approximately 10 other professions as well.

The profession’s advocacy success on HB 191 illustrates why state legislative tracking and chapter advocacy efforts are critical. By working hand-in-hand, ASLA increases its odds of achieving legislative success for the profession.

Reprinted from ASLA LAND, February 23, 2022

FROM UNM DEPARTMENT OF LANDSCAPE ARCHTECTURE

Below are examples of work created on the iPads by UNM students

THE JEFF HARNER AWARDS 2022

The JEFF HARNAR AWARDS program was created by Garrett Thornburg in 2007 to honor the memory of Jeff Harnar and help continue his groundbreaking work in the area of contemporary design. In 2018, the award program was expanded to include Unbuilt Work and Landscape Architecture. In 2020, the program was further expanded to include the following six categories: Contemporary Architecture in the Southwest, An Emerging Practice in New Mexico (now Outstanding NM Designer for 2022), Unbuilt Architecture, Unbuilt Landscape Architecture, Student Architecture Award, and Student Landscape Architecture Award.

Five of the six JEFF HARNAR AWARDS are open to submissions for work designed for the Four Corners states (AZ, CO, NM, UT). The Outstanding New Mexico Designer Award is reserved for individuals working in architecture or landscape architecture in New Mexico.

For more details on the application requirements, click on the appropriate link below. If you have additional questions, please contact Anthony Fettes at aefettes@unm.edu.

All applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM MDT, Friday, March 18, 2021.

The recipients of the 2022 Jeff Harnar Awards will be announced by the Jury and the University of New Mexico School of Architecture + Planning on Friday, April 15, 2022, at 5:30 PM. Best of Show submissions will be selected for an exhibition at George Pearl Hall at the Awards Ceremony. That evening, UNM SA+P will be hosting a lecture, followed by an announcement of the winners.