NJASLA Executive Committee Election Results: Welcome Scott Levy, President Elect and  Dave Lustberg, Secretary
The Chapter has successfully attracted new talent to the Executive Committee and managed to keep a key Committee member for the future.

Our new President-Elect is Scott Levy, CLA, ASLA of Scott Alan Design, Inc.   Also licensed in New York, with offices situated at 3610 Route 23, North Hamburg, New Jersey 07419, Scott serves both New Jersey and New York markets. Landscape Architecture, Site Design and Construction Management are specialities of his firm. Scott has been a strong proponent of the profession and past active volunteer for NJASLA. We appreciate the enthusiasm and sense of humor Scott will bring to Committee.

Our new Secretary is David I. Lustberg, CLA. Dave has recently become theDirector of Urban Design and Landscape Architecture at Newwork, 744 Broad Street Suite 3000 Newark, NJ 07102.  'Assisting in the development of cities and towns' , Newwork specializes in Real Estate, Planning, Design, and Multimedia services.

Dave has assumed the secretary role from our prior two-term Secretary, Jerry Lewis, who has been elected to the First Vice President position. Jerry has been a consistently reliable and forceful member of the Executive Committee. His continued involvement is a boon to the Chapter in ensuring continuity of the goals and programmed activities of ASLA  in New Jersey.

You can benefit from active participation in NJASLA Activities

Members are reminded that new recommendations for leadership positions, activities and volunteers are warmly accepted by NJASLA. National Landscape Architecture Month is April and NJASLA is interested in sponsoring groundbreaking ceremonies or “kickoff” sessions for innovative landscape architecture and planning projects. Please step up with an your project concepts and help us bring it to life and into the limelight. Contact any Executive Committee members with your ideas and comments.

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Rutgers University, Cook College (CAES)
Spring 2006 Landscape Architecture Lecture Series

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Native Plant Society Of New Jersey 2006 Annual Meeting
March 18, 2006, 10:00 AM
Holly House, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Plant Raffle, Meet Others Who Get Out & Enjoy NJ's Gardens, Forests, Open Spaces & Landscaping, Plus Free Refreshments The public is welcome.

This event is for anyone interested in learning more about what the NPSNJ as a non-profit organization is doing to promote the appreciation, protection, and study of the native flora of New Jersey

Our keynote speakers: Tony Federici and Bill Young from the Native Plant Society of NJ.

Topic: Rain Gardens

The Holly House is located at Rutgers University, Cook College Campus, New Brunswick. Located on Log Cabin Road off of Riders Lane (Rte 617) Northbound, just south of Route 1. One can get a map on the Internet at: http://www.mapquest.com
For the address enter: Log Cabin Road city: New Brunswick, state: NJ zip: 08901

For further information, contact bill@npsnj.org or fedmail2@yahoo.com Visit the Native Plant Society of New Jersey website at: http://www.npsnj.org/

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March 2006

March 23, 2006
4pm - 5:15pm
NJ-EGB Tour of Willow School
The Willow School
Gladstone, NJ
For details click here: EGB Willow Tour
Questions, RSVP please contact Allison Para : EGB-NJ@hotmail.com
Directions: http://www.willowschool.org/campus/environment.htm

April 2006

April 11, 2006
8am-10:15am
LEED CI Overview presentation and Tour
Cherokee Northeast
E. Rutherford, NJ
Hosted by:
Featuring an educational overview of the LEED CI process, a frank discussion of the process and lessons learned, and a tour of the facility.
For more details click here: 4.11.06.LEEDCI.
Sponsorship opportunites available.
$25 USGBC-NJ members, $35 non-members. $40 at door
AIA - 1 Learning unit credit provided.


NEW: April 13, 2006
EGB-NJ Kick-off and seminar
Bloustein School of Public Policy & Planning
USGBC-NJ's Emerging Green Builders will have their 2006 kick-off and short seminar at the Bloustein School in New Brunswick. Save the date. Details to come.

April 18, 2006
5pm (tentative)
Tour of Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs
Jersey City, NJ
Save the date. Details to come.

April 18,2006
9am-3pm
NJHEPS Spring Green Design Workshop
Montclair State University
New Academic Building
USGBC-NJ is co-sponsoring this event. Save the date. Details to come.


April 21, 2006
8:30am-5:00pm
LEED NC-Technical Review
Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison campus
Details click here: printable flyer
Registration:

1. click here: "USGBC Products and Services",
2. click on "workshops"
3. click on "LEED NC"
4. )click on this event.

Members: $325, non-members $425 FYI:3/24 LEED Technical Review in New York. SOLD OUT!

May 2006

NEW: May 15,2006
8:00am-3:00pm 
USGBC-NJ 3rd Annual Golf Outing
Bella Vista Country Club
Marlboro, NJ
Save the date! Better than last year! Details to come.

June 2006

June 7,2006
8:00am-5:00pm 
High Performance Redevelopment Conference
Co-presented by USGBC-NJ and NJSLOM
Save The Date! Details to come!
Sponsorship Opportunities click here: HPRCsponsorletter &  HPRCSponsorpacket

DVGBC hosts  Green Advantage Workshops March 18 and April 21. Complete details at www.dvgbc.org

Other tentative USGBC-NJ educational programs and workshops in the works for Spring 06....

• LEED EB information program- June
• LEED NC workshop- Summer and Fall
• LEED EB workshop- November
• Labs 21 - June 13, 2006
• Labs 21 Advanced-  September 12, 2006
• Energy Star & LEED - September

Other tentative USGBC-NJ programs and tours in the works for Spring 06....

• BASF House Tour
• Homasote Tour
• Janssen Pharmaceutica LEED EB Tour

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National Website Begun For Invasive Species Information
The National Invasive Species Information Center (NISIC) at the National Agricultural Library (NAL) has launched a redesigned Web site making it easier to find information about invasive species.

Invasive species are harmful non-native species, and a serious and costly national problem, often with personal impact. For example, the Emerald Ash Borer--a wood boring insect that targets ash and other trees--was first detected in Michigan in 2002; it now covers 5,600 square miles from Michigan to Virginia, plus Canada. In some cases homeowners have been asked to remove infected trees at their own considerable cost.

The costs to prevent, eradicate, or control invasive species are high and fall on all levels of society. Finding solutions to the invasive species problem depends on access to reliable information. Invasivespeciesinfo.gov i s a convenient Web gateway to more than 13,000 science-backed information resources.

The design of the new site allows better cross-referencing of information across the site, meaning that customers can more quickly find the information they need. Users of the redesigned site can browse for information by invasive species type - aquatic species, plants, animals and microbes--or by other topics, such as economic impacts, laws and regulations, management, or news and events. The Web site features links to images, fact sheets, management plans, and an extensive list of agencies and organizations with interest in preventing, controlling, or eradicating invasive species.

Species profiles are core to the Web site; more than 80 profiles are currently available, with new profiles added every year. All types of invasive species are profiled, including the northern snakehead fish, cane toad, brown tree snake, fire ants, nutria, West Nile Virus, water hyacinth, and kudzu. Profiles link to information about the scientific name, distribution, life cycle, introduction, and fact sheets, frequently asked questions, management plans and more.

NISIC is one of eight information centers at NAL, supported by the Agricultural Research Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific research agency. NISIC was established in 2005 at the National
Agricultural Library to meet the information needs of users, including the National Invasive Species Council (Council). The Council was established by Executive Order 13112 in 1999. The United States Department of Agriculture is a member of the Council.

The redesign of the NISIC Web site implements USDA Web standards and meets U.S. Office of Management and Budget guidelines for focusing on customer needs. For more information, contact: Joyce Bolton, National Invasive Species Information Center, National Agricultural Library, (E-mail Invasive, 301 504-6454).

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Wetland Webcast Series
FHWA-sponsored series on LID and Stormwater Management
presented by the Izaak Walton League of America

Wetland Webcast Series: Conserving Wetlands Through Land Management

Starting in Spring 2006, the League will offer two series of live Webcasts called Conserving Wetlands Through Land Management. In March and April, two webcasts will provide homeowners and small business owners information about gardening and other backyard techniques to conserve wetlands and improve water quality. Then, beginning in May, a series of features will explore how to treat highway runoff with affordable and manageable techniques that replicate pre-construction hydrology.

Upcoming Webcasts

Backyard Wetland Conservation Series - Register Now!
Two programs will highlight conservation techniques that individuals can implement in their own backyards. The sessions will be aired on-line in March and April 2006, and will also be broadcast simultaneously on cable and satellite television stations in North Carolina by the Agency for Public Telecommunications. North Carolina viewers can find out what channel is carrying this series in your area by clicking on this link: www.ncapt.tv/local.htm.

• Wetland-Friendly Lawn and Garden (March 28, 8:00-10:00pm, EST) What you plant in your garden and how you take care of your lawn can affect water quality in your neighborhood. In this Webcast series, the concept of backyard conservation will be introduced, as well as some of the basic things people are doing to make their yards more eco-friendly. The focus of this segment will be practical, and will include how-to sections on creating rain gardens, installing rain barrels and designing wetland-friendly landscapes on your own property. Additionally, we will document the experiences of actual homeowners that have successfully implemented these practices in their own yards.
• Wet Spots into Wonderlands (April 25, 8:00-10:00pm, EST) Do you have a wetland on your property? Discover the many benefits (both environmental and economic) of "greening" your property, and find out how you can ensure that these sensitive ecosystems remain healthy. No wetlands on your property? Learn how to create vernal pools and backyard bogs that are guaranteed to attract wildlife and reduce storm-water runoff. Using low-cost materials and simple techniques, this program will demonstrate how you can transform your backyard landscape into a "greenscape."

Alternative Practices for Highway Stormwater Management
This four-part Webcast series will outline the latest techniques available to help transportation agencies save money, comply with water quality and water supply regulations, and improve water quality with context-sensitive stormwater management practices, including low impact development techniques. These techniques also can help highway department personnel manage stormwater quantity and quality while using existing rights of way and providing easy access for maintenance crews. Each session will include valuable background information and specific guidance on how to apply these principles for highway projects. The series will also address barriers to using innovative stormwater management techniques and how to overcome those barriers. This series will provide valuable information to design engineers, planners, regulators, students, maintenance supervisors, construction engineers, and consultants.

• Introduction to Alternative Practices to Manage Highway Runoff (May 18): This session will explore alternative practices to manage highway runoff using low impact development (LID) principals. LID refers to a toolbox of techniques, some of which provide excellent stormwater management options at low life-cycle cost for highways. LID in a highway environment means managing stormwater safely and cost-effectively to reproduce predevelopment hydrology while using methods that are appropriate to and fit within existing streetscapes and landscapes. Learn more about the benefits of these techniques and transportation projects that have used them successfully.
• Planning Highway Projects Using Alternative Practices for Stormwater Management (June 15): Everyone involved in planning and scoping highway projects will learn about the benefits of watershed-scale planning in the highway environment. The session will include factors to consider in watershed-scale planning and how to save costs over the life-cycle of projects by planning projects in ways that allow design engineers to take advantage of existing stormwater management properties of the landscape.
• Alternative Practices for Highway Stormwater Management: Design, Construction and Maintenance – Part One (September – exact date TBD): Design engineers, construction engineers, and maintenance supervisors will learn detailed information about how to design, construct and maintain stormwater management techniques that use existing rights of way immediately adjacent to the roadway. Two or three project case studies will be presented in depth by a panel of engineers experienced in implementing these techniques. Design criteria and specifications will be provided.
• Alternative Practices for Highway Stormwater Management: Design, Construction and Maintenance – Part Two (October – exact date TBD): This continuation of the previous session will explore three additional techniques.

This on-line training series is made possible with support from the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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