VA ASLA 2008 Spring Conference A Success! 

On Friday, April 4^th the VA ASLA held a very successful spring conference in Richmond with over 80 participants.  Focusing on "Regenerative Design" the day-long conference included 2 learning tracts, a multitude of exhibitors, and afternoon field trips on the James River Canal development and Maymont Gardens.

See below for available conference presentations and site tour photos.

Presentations included:

Restoring Wildlife Habitat and Connection Children to Nature through Conservation Based Landscape Design
Carol Heiser, Habitat Education Coordinator, DGIF 

The Lawn and Beyond: Sustainable Stewardship at the University of Virginia
Julia Monteith and Mary Hughes, UVA
 The Lawn and Beyond (11.58 MB)

Expanding the Definition of LID in Everyday Landscapes: Regenerative Design for a Bank, a School, and a Planned Community
Eugene Ryang, McKee Carson;

The Realities of Urban and Suburban Renewal and the Reuse of Facilities
Tom Jacobson, Director of Community Revitalization, Chesterfield County
Charlie Peters, retired, City of Richmond
 Realities of Urban and Suburban Renewal (11.97 MB)

DCR and WQIF Grant Programs for Rain Gardens and LID Initiatives
Susan Block, Chesapeake Bay Grant Manager, Department of Conservation and Recreation 
 Grant Funding for LID (682.12 KB)

Siteworks: Small, Medium and Large: Innovative Storm Water Management in Four Public Projects
Rob Winstead, John Reno and Pete O'Shea, Siteworks

The Art and Science of Storm Water Retrofitting
David Hirschman, Center for Watershed Protection.

Why History Matters Beyond Dead Fred.  Two Hundred Years of Ecology in Landscape Design
Beth Meyer, UVA
 Beyond Dead Fred (10.89 MB)

Keynote Speaker
Return to the Origin, Strategies for Regenerative Design
Kennon Williams, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Site Tours

Maymont Gardens
Moderator: Tom Derrickson

Conference members toured one of Richmond's secret treasures, the Maymont Gardens.  Developed on the estate of Major and Mrs. James H. Dooley in the early 1900's, the property includes an Italian Garden, Japanese Garden, Arboretum and many smaller specialty gardens.  The Japanese Garden highlights the works of Virginia Landscape Architect, Barry Starke and his firm Earth Design. 

From a regenerative design perspective, all the stone utilized was quarried on site, rainwater was harvested and used for irrigation, waterfalls and fountains.  What is considered for LEED points today was design as usual in 1890.  Many great examples of working with nature and minimizing the use of energy.  

James River Canal / Development Tour
Moderator: Dick Gibbons
Presenters: Erica Gay, Adventure Richmond; Ralph White, Richmond Parks & Recreation; Sue Cecil, James River Scenic Advisory Committee; Lynn Crump, Department of Conservation and Recreation

The tour of the James River Canal System began upstream near the Dominion Power headquarters and proceeded downstream to the turning basin where participants boarded boats for the final portion of the tour.  Participants learned about the management of the canal waters and plans for development of adjacent lands.  Discussions also included the role that the Scenic River Committee and the designation of the James River as a state scenic river have had in advising various public and private agencies on the importance of the river.