Alyssa Ross attends the 2014 Advocacy Summit in St. Louis

/

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2014 ASLA Advocacy Summit in St. Louis, MO put on by ASLA Government Affairs on behalf of the Idaho/Montana Chapter.  We spent a fair amount of time on Saturday focusing on how to host a site tour with elected officials and policy makers to showcase landscape architecture and how our designs can benefit a community. This was demonstrated with a site tour downtown of the award winning City Garden as an example. Other discussions focused on how to build relationships with our state Department of Transportation and the State Licensing Boards as well as Federal Impacts on Transportation Policy.

Sunday we focused on the tools and resources that ASLA provides for Advocacy and how chapters can utilize them along with how all of our states are currently handling advocacy. To wrap up we worked in groups to come up with elevator pitches to briefly describe what Landscape Architecture is.  We had a wonderful group of 36 individuals that attended the event and it was a very motivating, positive experience overall.  

Alyssa Ross

Secretary, IMASLA

SITES "free" Webinars→

/

Education

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES™) is dedicated to fostering a transformation in land design and development practices to bring the essential importance of ecosystem services to the forefront of decision-making and implementation. Current predictions and economic analyses anticipate that green-building industries will see a dramatic acceleration in market size, and the adoption of SITES as industry practice will meet the acceleration of market demand for sustainable practices. To aid in this transformation, SITES is now implementing many professional education programs and materials that provide distinct learning opportunities for all those in the land design and development industries. This audience includes individuals and entities engaged in landscape design, development, policy-making, research, education, construction, and maintenance, including, but not limited to:

  • Practitioners, such as: planners, landscape architects, engineers, horticulturists, federal, state, and local government officials and entities, and land stewards
  • Industry professionals, such as: developers, builders, facility managers, materials suppliers, and product manufacturers
  • Membership organizations, such as: ASLA, AIA, APA, ISA, AICP, USGBC, GBCI, ASCE, World Green Building Council, and the International Living Future Institute
  • Academia, such as: deans, professors, and students

The SITES educational programs and materials are available for any audience and are tailored with specific knowledge for those groups. This newly informed skill set, geared towards sustainable land design and development practices, will efficiently target learning objectives while minimizing the redundancy or irrelevancy of information presented. Many of the programs available will provide opportunities for professionals seeking to earn continuing education credits for their specific credentials.

Special thanks to The WGM Group for Hosting the 2014 Executive Commitee "Strategic Planning Meeting" earlier this year!

/

WGM Group, Inc.

WGM Group is a community-centered Montana consulting firm, independently owned and managed by dedicated career professionals since 1969. Originally founded as a survey and civil engineering practice, WGM Group has evolved to meet the needs of our clients and communities today. WGM Group offers comprehensive civil engineering, land-use planning, survey, environmental and water resource consulting services and is committed to providing client satisfaction. 

WGM Group is headquartered in Missoula, Montana located on the scenic Clark Fork River.  WGM Group also has a regional office in Helena, Montana.  With a reputation for delivering professional, creative solutions to complex projects, WGM Group relies on professional experience, local knowledge, community leadership and seamless integration of services to find cost-effective solutions. WGM Group takes pride in our efficient, innovative design processes and our ability to consistently deliver successful results for our clients. 

WGM Group is committed to working with individuals, organizations and communities to transform ideas into reality.  Contact us to learn how WGM Group can assist with your projects.  

 

 

Headquarters
1111 E. Broadway
Missoula, MT 59802

Regional Office
2905 N. Montana Avenue, Suite 101
Helena, MT 59601

Tel:         406.728.4611 
Fax:        406.728.2476 
E-mail:   wgm@wgmgroup.com