ASLA National Report
By Glen Schmidt, FASLA, National Trustee

On April 30, 2010 the ASLA Board of Trustees meeting was held in Washington D.C. The following is a summary of ASLA national news and business conducted:

It was announced that revenues were down 5.88% in 2009, stabilizing in 2010. Staff reduced budget by 13% including mandatory furloughs and staff reduction of 12%. Expo sales are up for this time of year, annual meeting sponsorships up, professional awards up; LAM ad sales are strong as well. Business quarterly showed higher inquiries and consulting services. After much discussion dues increased for the first time in several years $9 for full members.

In the area of PR and Communications, ASLA.org stated that 200 stories were in print in the first quarter of 2010. ASLA.org has had 7 million page views, 2 million visits, and 840,000 unique visitors since October 2008. The Dirt blog earned more than 90,000 page views in the first quarter of 2010. 4,057 Facebook, 3,403 LinkedIn, 2467 Twitter, 60,610 YouTube views.

Bradford Mckee was selected as the new editor of Landscape Architecture Magazine.

In regards to the Sustainable Sites Initiative, coordination with the US Green Building Council is on track. Coordinating committee forms with large profile. Three hundred forty five applicants were accepted for the SSI pilot program, and 216 projects were invited to participate in thirty-six U.S. states. Approximately 150 or so projects are anticipated to participate, 28% are parks.

The Advocacy Day 2010 was held on May 5-6. Two hundred individual meetings were completed in the Capitol promoting 2 bills -- H.R. 3734, The Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities Act, and H.R. 4202, The Green Infrastructure for Clean Water Act.

During the ASLA Board of Trustees meeting, the topic of Public Policies on Universal Design and Public Lands was discussed and approved. As a Strategic Objective, the BOT urged staff to emphasize public awareness.