Conway School of Landscape DesignAlumni Magazine, Fall 2005

con'text

Conway School of Landscape Design

Cover: Ottowa Lesson by Sandy Ross ’05

The mission of the Conway School of LandscapeDesign is to explore, develop, practice and teachplanning, design and management of the land thatis environmentally and ecologically sound.

Graduate Program in Landscape Planning, Design, and Management

Car

l Hei

de

con'text Fall 2005

Taking the Measure of it All by Jean Killhour Akers........1

Athens, the World and New Ecologies by Paul Cawood Hellmund .....................2

School News .............................................................5

Board Retreat: Together into the Future...................12

Faith-Based Education by Ken Byrne ..........................17

Leaving a Dam Legacy by Jean Killhour Akers..............18

Student Projects 2004–2005...................................20

Responsible Design: Highlights fromthe 2005 Graduation Ceremony .............................24

Honoring Don .........................................................26

News from Alumni ..................................................28

Thank You, CSLD Alumni .........................................34

Annual Report ........................................................35

Letter from the Chair...............................................37

Facts in BriefFounded 1972

Program Ten months (September through June) of appliedintegrated study

Emphasis Environmentally sound land use planning, design andmanagement; integrated communication skills; individualeducational goals; learning through real residential andcommunity projects

Size 18–19 graduate students

Faculty Three core faculty, two adjunct faculty, 50+ guestspeakers

Degree Master of Arts in Landscape Design, authorized by the Massachusetts Council of Higher Education

Accreditation New England Association of Schools andColleges, Inc.

Location Rural western Massachusetts near the academic,cultural and natural resources of the Five College Consortium andthe Connecticut River Valley

Campus 24.5 acres of wooded hilltop located one-half mile eastof Conway town center

Facility 3000 square feet with four wood-stoves and solar hotwater panels, spacious design studio with individual draftingstations, library, classroom, design/print area, and kitchen/dining area

The intention is to:• Provide graduates with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to practice planning, design and

management of the land that respects nature as well as humanity;

• Develop ecological awareness, understanding, respect and accommodation in its students and project clients;

• Produce projects that fit human uses to natural conditions.

con'text

ANY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION MUST continually evaluate its programs and policies to ensure its success and future. The Conway School of Landscape Design must constantly examine its effectiveness as a graduate humanities program that focuses on conservation design. To fulfill this responsibility and be accountable to the manyalumni and current and prospective students, the school has been involved in a broadrange of activities.

The NEASC team conducted their ten-year accreditation review visit this past academic year. The new CSLD campus is the focus of a multi-year master planningprocess to exhibit a sustainable educational facility that exemplifies its mission state-ment. Our new school director is bringing a fresh perspective, additional technologies,expanded contacts and professional experiences into the academic program and CSLDcommunity. The Board of Trustees conducted a day-long summer retreat to examinefuture possibilities for the school’s direction.

While some students have questioned the amount of time spent on learning surveying techniques in their fall term, most graduates would admit that developing a complete inventory of a site’s physical characteristics was a prerequisite for their residential design projects. Evaluating the CSLD program and how best to implementthe school’s mission requires intense and exacting measurement of existing practices,policies and resources. CSLD is a dynamic institution that must grow and evolve tomaintain its place in the educational and ecological communities. Some of us will bereading the transit—getting bearings and distances, others will be holding the rod orassessing what next to measure. Whatever your role in the CSLD community, we lookforward to your participation in taking the measure of our future direction.

STAFF

FacultyPaul Cawood Hellmund,Director

Jean Killhour Akers

Ken Byrne

Bill Lattrell, Adjunct

Sue Reed, Adjunct

AdministrationNancy E. Braxton,Administrative Director

Ilze Meijers, Office Coordinator andFinancial Aid Advisor

David Nordstrom, Accounting Manager

Conway School of Landscape Design332 South Deerfield RoadP.O. Box 179Conway, MA 01341-0179413-369-4044www.csld.edu

con'text is publishedannually by the ConwaySchool of Landscape Design

Kirsten Baringer, Editor

Maureen Scanlon, Graphic Design

Taking the Measure of it All BY JEAN KILLHOUR AKERS

Jean

Ake

rs

Jean

Ake

rs

The Conway School of LandscapeDesign, Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit corporation underChapter180 of the General Laws,is a professional training school of landscape design and land useplanning. As an equal opportunityinstitution, it does not discriminateon the basis of race, color, nationalor ethnic origin, age, gender, sexualorientation, religion, marital or veteran status in the administrationof the educational, admissions,employment, or loan policies, or in any other school-administeredprogram.

con'text

September 24, 2005I’M IN ATHENS, GEORGIA, representingthe Conway School of LandscapeDesign at the annual meeting of theCouncil of Educators in LandscapeArchitecture and I’m in the midst of a lengthy discussion with the head of a large eastern department of

landscape architecture.After enumerating the challenges of trying to edu-

cate landscape professions at his cash-strapped stateuniversity, suddenly a light seems to come on for him.He turns to me, “You know, I think Conway has been ahead of its time. I mean, your model—intensive,project-based—is where things are headed. Thedemand for landscape architects has never beengreater, yet the number of students graduating in thefield hasn’t changed in many years. If we are going tomeet this demand we are going to have to find neweducational models, like Conway.”

While his perspective may be more about educatingenough professionals to meetdemand, he clearly appreciatesmuch more than that about our school and its “new”model. (He also recognizes that Conway’s mission is largerthan just educating those whowant to practice landscapearchitecture.)

At nearly ever turn here I am reminded of how signi-ficant Conway is and howgrateful I am to be associated

with it. People at the conference were amazed when I described the range of professional activities ofConway alumni. (I also note that the entire stack ofCSLD brochures I put out on the first morning herewas gone within hours.)

With my Conway glasses on, I was particularlyinterested to hear:

n “Deep” learning can result from small team projects, as one panel of educators concluded.Diverse perspectives are important and withoutrecognizing and honoring them, you can’t reachthe “pinnacle of learning,” they observe.

n Another faculty team concluded that often studioteaching reflects too much influence from teachers,engendering “decision-making dependency.” They are exploring ways an instructor can servemore as the “guide on the side.”

n One eastern school is about to launch a new “concurrent design curriculum,” a professionalbachelor’s degree in landscape architecture, inwhich two-thirds of the studio contact time takes place in professional offices, working onreal-world projects.

Of course these concepts are very familiar to thosewho know the Conway School and its decades-oldapproach. They were part of the vision of schoolfounder Walt Cudnohufsky, continued by his successor,Don Walker, and now passed on to me, the school’sthird director, as a rich legacy. It was reassuring toknow that other institutions are exploring these sameapproaches. I was also very interested to hear howother schools are attempting to evaluate these (forthem) alternative approaches. I made a mental note tolook for appropriate ways that we at Conway couldstart to evaluate the effectiveness of what we do.

Where do we go with what we have?

An important theme was reinforced for me during this meeting, one that seems relevant to the ConwaySchool and the work of its graduates. The future and its landscapes are likely to be very different fromthose of the past and the practitioners we train at theConway School will have to be prepared for changethroughout their careers. We are helping people fitthemselves to continue as life-long learners who wantto make meaningful contributions to society.

A new practice of this sort would be intensely ecological because it aims to be sustainable—sustaining people, place and natural process.

Athens, the World and New Ecologies BY PAUL CAWOOD HELLMUND, DIRECTOR

The special need

is for landscape

visionaries who can

look across time

and space and craft

designs that are as

forward-looking as

they are sensitive

to the past.

Car

rie M

akov

er

It seeks to fit between human communities and non-human ones. It helps people find beauty around themin their lives; it brings nature and natural processesclose to their homes.

The special need is for landscape visionaries whocan look across time and space and craft designs thatare as forward-looking as they are sensitive to the past.These kinds of designers will need to speak to expertsof many types. They will need to be able to integrateideas, work with diverse publics, facilitate, mediateand be willing to work when there is no RFP (requestfor proposal) or clear direction from others. They willneed to be rooted in the place where they work andcommitted to that place over the long haul. They maycall themselves landscape architects, but they are justas likely to be known by many other names, such asecological designer or planner.

This kind of design goes beyond trying to regainsome previous landscape state that is now most likelyunachievable. It seeks new ecologies that recognize that human influences in the landscape are pervasiveand must be acknowledged. I have seen this need onmany projects, but perhaps most clearly while workingon a plan for a large natural area in the Denver metropolitan area. Early desires to restore the area’s stream to its predisturbance state quicklydropped away once we realized that the stream’s nowurbanized watershed had forever changed the nature of the stream through the site. With all the impervioussurfaces in the watershed, the once seasonal flow was

more consistent throughout the year. Stream config-uration and vegetation through the natural area couldn’t be sustained as they had been historicallybecause the flow regimes had changed so much. What, then, should the stream “restoration” look like? What would be a sustainable condition for thecorridor that was informed by the past, but looked toeven greater and unknown changes in the future?

Another vivid example is found at the Rio GrandeState Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico—and at fartoo many places across the western United States. The cottonwood gallery forest in the state park hasbeen thoroughly invaded by the exotic tamarisk(Tamarisk hispida) and Russian olive (Elaeagnusangustifolia). The invasion is so complete and theinflux of new seed so constant that park managersdon’t believe the invasion can be reversed—ever. A new kind of design approach is needed to envision a future for this state park and countless other placeslike it across the country.

Out of Athens

September 25, 2005It’s time to head home and on the flight from Athens I am seated near another conference participant. He is a German landscape architect living and teachingin the US. It turns out his professional focus is on thedesign of post-industrial landscape sites—clear candi-dates for new ecologies. In the 45-minute flight toCharlotte (over the roaring engines of this small,

con'text

A thought-provoking example of a landscape design that required envisioning “new ecologies” was Peter Latz’s plan for the

100-hectare Duisburg Nord Emscher Park on the site of the former Thyssen blast furnace works in Duisburg, Germany. Here, very

little of the original infrastructure was removed. Instead, park elements were strategically inserted into a post-industrial matrix.

Paul

Caw

ood

Hel

lmun

d

con'text

twin-prop plane) we touch on the Iron Curtainthrough Europe, shrinking cities around the world(including Detroit and cities in Eastern Europe), theKorean DMZ, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, RockyFlats Nuclear Production Facility, Hanford NuclearReactor, Chernobyl, and former US military bases in Panama with unexploded ordinance, in a kind ofchart-topper list of post-industrial landscapes. For me the conversation is a powerful and energizing culmination of the previous few days, as we discuss the incredible opportunities and significance of thebrownfields, large and small, that permeate our citiesand countryside.

We also discover a shared love of the 100-hectareDuisburg Nord Emscher Park on the site of the formerThyssen blast furnace works in Duisburg, Germany.This was a place I visited and was profoundly affectedby two summers ago. It turns out he was involved inthe planning of this post-modernist masterpiece, whichresulted when the post-industrial site was converted to a park under the guidance of German landscapearchitect Peter Latz. We concurred that the significanceof that place is the manner in which the park design

embraces all the pasts of the site with considerableopenness. Latz masterfully made strategic cuts in the existing walls and other infrastructure, showing“cues to care,” and providing people with park-likeopportunities, but in a very bizarre setting. Nature,including an extensive wooded area off-limits to people, coexists with and is seen eating away at themassive structures that remain on the site, includingclimbable, 70-meter high towers.

My new friend makes an important observation: it is important to focus on successes like this one inDuisburg, he says, and not on the overwhelming scopeof environmental problems. At the end of the flight weexchange business cards and farewells and I head offto the final leg of my flight north. The plane lifts offand I have time to think about all I have heard overthe preceding days. As we prepare to land in Hartford,a landscape of fascinating juxtaposition and patternpresents itself wherever I look. As a westerner nowmaking his home here, I feel compelled to learn to read these patterns and the processes behind them, to understand the opportunities for future generations of ecological designers and to make a difference here.

In most areas of the park, natural processes are visibly, even if only gradually, reclaiming abandoned production facilities, such as

the cattails growing in the water tank shown here. In one area—in a provoctive juxtaposition of old (decaying ruins) and new (living,

carefully tended plants)—more formal gardens have been inserted into a series of walled compartments that formerly stored coal or

other production resources.

Phot

os b

y Pa

ul C

awoo

d H

ellm

und

con'text

FACULTY/STAFF UPDATES

A Commitment to Life-LongLearningIt is a challenge in many professionsto conduct the business of the dayand still allow time to “sharpen thesaw,” or keep technical skills up-to-date. This past academic year wasespecially busy with the school’sdirector search and the NEASCaccreditation team’s winter visit. Butbeyond the Conway hilltop of intenseactivity and learning, there is a largerworld for interaction, engagementand stimulation.

In the fall, the ASLA annual meet-ing was held in Salt Lake City, UT.Traveling to the heart of the LDSchurch and the arid regions of thesouthwest offered a very differentperspective on contemporary con-cerns of suburban sprawl, sustainablesite design and restoration ecology.While attending the conference, I wasable to delve into the copper extrac-tion process and mine restorationactivities at the Kennecott CopperMine. The Kennecott Land Companywas in the process of implementingDay Break, its traditional neighbor-hood development. Roof-top tours at the SLC public library andMormon temple complex offered two different approaches to greenroof designs. Educational sessions on LEED, planning, restoration, sitedesign and new technology generatedfresh ideas and stimulus for new classactivities and exercises. I was able toinitiate involvement with two ofASLA’s professional interest groups:restoration/reclamation and waterconservation. Renewing old and initiating new professional contactsrounded out the long weekend’sschedule.

On a Saturday in March at theMassachusetts Association ofConservation Commissioners annualseminar, I gave a presentation on thescience of vegetated buffers, jointlywith planner Lauren Gaherty fromthe Berkshire Regional PlanningCommission. The talk was very

well-received and CSLD got somegood exposure in our session. Beforeand after the presentation, I was ableto join hundreds of conservationcommissioners from across the stateattending the many workshops onwetland, riverfront, restoration andother ecological issues.

Squeezed into a weekend in April,I attended the ASLA PA/DE StateChapter Annual Workshops inHershey, PA. Of particular note weretwo presented projects focusing onrestoring floodplains based on legacysediment research and wildlife habitatrestoration on landfills. Some of thematerial was incorporated into ourspring term’s river morphology exploration. The speakers expressed a willingness to travel to CSLD in thefuture to share their expertise.

Lastly, a mid-June road trip toBordentown, NJ (accompanied byCSLD student, Johanna Stacy) led to a two-day seminar on the practiceof restoring native ecosystems. Led by Stephen Apfelbaum, principal of Applied Ecological Services, theapplied science of ecological processeswas revealed through numerousrestoration and development projects.We spent the two nights on the floorof my daughter’s apartment (ever fru-gal CSLD) in nearby Levittown, PA (a place of historic suburban planningsignificance). Despite the schedulingchallenges, the participation in all these activities generated newideas and fresh materials for futureexplorations in the CSLD learningenvironment.

—Jean Akers

Sue Reed Returns for Fall TermSue Reed ’87, a CSLD fall termadjunct from 1992–2002, hasreturned as residential project studioinstructor for the 2005 fall term tohelp assess and select residential projects, teach surveying and giveone-on-one studio guidance. Sue’swarmth and enthusiasm are leg-endary, and the class of 2006 is fortunate to have the benefit of her

knowledge of the school’s traditionsas well as her consummate skill in siteanalysis, developing base maps andguiding students through their initialdesign projects. A registered land-scape architect, Sue is the principal of a Shelburne Falls firm that focuseson residential design with an aim topromote native and local species torestore habitat.

New Accounting ManagerDavid Nordstrom ’04 joined the staffas Accounting Manager in November,2004. Prior to coming to CSLD,David was employed for 18 years as an accountant with several largecorporations.

School News

Sue Reed

David Nordstrom

Jean

Ake

rs

In addition to his accounting position at CSLD, David currentlyworks for a local landscape design/build firm and is involved in creatingresidential landscape design plans for his own clients. Since graduationhe has also worked as a staff assistanthelping in the preparation of comm-unity development block grant applications.

Originally from greater Boston,David moved to western Massa-chusetts in 1987 and has madeTurners Falls his home for the lastfive years.

Regular IT Support at CSLDWith the advent of GraphicsProfessor Jean Akers to the CSLDfaculty in fall 2002, a number of soft-ware programs have been introducedand incorporated into Wednesdaymorning presentations, communityproject public meetings, winterreports and spring design plans. All winter project reports and mostspring project designs are now produced on CD-ROM as well ashard-copy.

The increasing use of such software programs as MicrosoftPowerPoint, ESRI ArcView, AdobePhotoshop, Illustrator and InDesignon the students’ laptops (nowrequired) as well as on the school’sthree internet-connected student workstations has naturally called for ITconsultation on a monthly basis,which is being provided by GregAnderson.

EXTRACURRICULAR

An Environmental DesignWorkshop on CampusDarrel Morrison has noted that“there is often a perceived schismbetween ecologically sound landscapedesign and artful, aesthetically richdesign.” During the three-day periodof August 18–20, 2005, he led aworkshop serving to bridge thatschism.

In the workshop, “Reading theLandscape: Landscape Design asEcological Art,” participants studiedthe natural landscape through speciescomposition, distribution patterns

and aesthetics with a combination of quantitative and artistic methods.Lessons from field study were used todevelop a landscape design for a siteon campus.

Twenty-one people came fromMassachusetts, Maine, Connecticut,New York, New Jersey, Michigan,Texas, North Carolina, Washingtonand California to attend the work-shop. One participant wrote of theevent, “The location, the theme, thematerial, the venue, Darrel and all of you were superb and inspirational.It was just simply fun to be there and participate. Thanks to you all.”

Darrel Morrison, FASLA, is a professor and Dean Emeritus in theSchool of Environmental Design atthe University of Georgia. He is alsoan Advisor to, long-time friend of and annual instructor at the ConwaySchool of Landscape Design.

A Wood Duck Habitat Projectfor Conway StudentsDuring the fall term of 2004,Professor Jean Akers’ first clienttracked her down after many years,several moves to different states, anda marital name change to enlist helpfrom her and the class of 2005 withan ecological project. Linda Betzfeared that new home constructionactivities on an adjacent propertywould threaten the existing woodduck habitat at her 2-acre home inWest Chester, PA. Her family has aspecial bond with these elusive andbeautiful birds: a female duckling wasleft behind one year which the familyraised and released into the wild.Wood duck females typically returnto their birthplace seasonally, so it islikely that one of the current woodducks is “Woodie” herself.

A CSLD student team took part inthe research stages for the creation ofa design plan for the pond area.Shawn Callaghan ’05 traveled to theBetz property during spring breakand completed the first phase of thewood duck habitat enhancement.Through his company EarthViewDesign, Shawn installed native plant

con'text

Cla

ss o

f 20

05 a

t La

Mer

Ble

u, O

ttow

a. P

hoto

by

Sand

y Ro

ss

con'text

(including the arrival area) as part ofthe information base needed to teach residential design in the fall term, andJohanna Stacy ’05 is in the process ofpreparing a botanical inventory ofselected areas of the CSLD campusfor a certification class with NewEngland Wild Flower Society.

A Greener FacilityOn the facility front, with the intention of preparing to apply for a green building planning grant(offered by the Kresge Foundation,among others), a green building charrette took place at the CSLDcampus in December 2004. The charrette’s purpose was to gather and hone ideas for green buildingtechnologies to incorporate into thenew campus building and grounds. A number of ideas were generatedduring this constructive sessionaddressing the facility requirements,the needs of students, faculty andstaff and the many means toward creating a sustainable facility. Inattendance were Jonathan Tauer,

materials that provide forage, coverand escape habitat for the ducks.There were opportunities for home-owner education and public outreachto neighbors on issues of wildlife conservation, invasive plant identifi-cation, wetland issues and responsibleland stewardship. Despite neighboringconstruction disturbances, for the firsttime in years six ducklings were born!

CAMPUS AND FACILITY UPDATEPreparing an excellent master plan for the new CSLD campus and devel-oping a space/facilities plan to addressthe school’s current and future needsare priorities of the CSLD board, faculty and staff. During the past academic year, several steps weretaken to address each of these goals.

Toward a Master PlanOne of the projects during the 2005winter term was the preparation of aConway School of Landscape DesignSite Analysis & Assessment, under-taken by Eric Korn, Kristin Nelsonand Stephanie Rubin. The Board’sLong Range Planning Committeechaired by Jack Barclay served as theclient overseeing this project, whichincluded a public meeting at theConway Town Hall that drew severalresidents of the town and some abut-ters to our property. In spring 2006, astudent team will continue the masterplan development by producing ateam design project, again with theLRPC serving as the client.

Supplementing the school projectinitiatives, in May 2005 the schoolordered a survey of the western bor-der of the property, and in June DonWalker prepared “Proposed Walks &Pond of CSLD.” Over the spring andsummer of 2005, Kathleen Kerivan’84 & Jessica Mathon, MS candidatesfor Environmental Studies within the Conservation Biology Program at Antioch New England in Keene,NH, prepared a Natural ResourceInventory for CSLD. In addition, Sue Reed ’87 prepared a topo map of the area in front of the building

Seth Wilkinson ’99, Aaron Schlechter’01, Jono Neiger ’03, Ben Falk ’05,Don Walker, Nancy Braxton andKirsten Baringer ’04 (facilitating).

During the spring of 2005, CSLDstaff researched every possible way of installing a green roof on the stu-dio, but expert structural engineeringadvice negated this desired result. A standing seam metal roof wasdetermined to be the best option toreplace the current 20-year-old roof.This work was undertaken in lateOctober 2005.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES/ADVISORS/COMMITTEES

Major Board InitiativesDuring FY 05, while maintaining its high standards of oversight of the school’s fiscal health and mission, the 15-member Board ofTrustees was outstanding in accom-plishing two major initiatives: anational search for a new director,culminating in the appointment ofPaul Cawood Hellmund on July 1,

Shawn Callaghan ’05 teaching future environmentalists about enhancing

wood duck habitat.

con'text

In November 2005, the ConwaySchool of Landscape Design receivednotice from the Commission onInstitutions of Higher Education(CIHE) that the school had beenapproved for continuing accredita-tion, based on the recommendationof the New England Association of Schools & Colleges’ (NEASC)evaluation team following its com-prehensive 10-year review of CSLD.The school was originally accreditedin 1989, and the last comprehensiveevaluation was in 1994. This notifi-cation concluded the accreditationreview process undertaken by theschool over a 2-year period, coordi-nated by Administrative DirectorNancy Braxton and closely andcapably shepherded by the CSLDBoard’s NEASC Committee: AlRossiter, Chair, Buckingham,Browne & Nichols; Hank Art,Williams College; and Jack Barclay,University of Connecticut, Storrs.

In August 2005, CSLD hadreceived the formal report of theNEASC evaluation team, which was based on the team’s review ofthe school’s Self-Study responding to CIHE’s eleven standards ofaccreditation and on the team’sMarch 6–9, 2005 campus visit,when team members reviewed anarray of school materials and metintensively with Trustees, faculty,staff, students and alumni. Chairedby Mr. Lawrence H. Mandell,President of Woodbury College,Montpelier, VT, the other NEASCteam members were Dr. Glenn T. Miller, Academic Dean, BangorTheological Seminary, Bangor, ME; Ms. Kathleen C. Rood, Vice President for Finance &Administration, BostonArchitectural Center, Boston, MA; and Dr. Kerry D. Woods,Professor of Biology, Natural

Science, Bennington College,Bennington, VT.

The report’s introductionexpressed appreciation of the hospi-tality, cooperation and collegiality ofthe school. “The CSLD communitywelcomed the team and by doing sodemonstrated their openness to theprocess of peer review. The teamwas impressed with the quality andthoroughness of the School’s Self-Study and the materials provided to the team during the visit.” TheIntroduction went on to note:

Since the 1994 visit, the Schoolhas gone through some signifi-cant changes including moving toa new campus and modifying itscurriculum to incorporate newtechnology now available to thefield. More changes are likely inthe near future as a new directorbegins his tenure. The School hasnot veered from its mission toteach “planning, design, andmanagement of the land that isenvironmentally and ecologicallysound.” The team found that thismission was understood by allmembers of the CSLD communi-ty and was, for many students,the determining factor in theirattendance. CSLD is particularlyremarkable because of its smallstudent body. Even though theSchool has made extraordinarystrides in creating a strong finan-cial base for its operations, it willlikely remain a fragile institutionuntil it builds a significantendowment. The upcoming tran-sition in leadership creates anopportunity and a challenge forthe School. The Board of Trusteeshas done a great deal to preparefor this change and this attentionshould continue as the new direc-tor learns what is required of a

leader of an accredited institutionof higher education.

The 22-page report summarizedstrengths, concerns and recommen-dations for the school with respectto the eleven CIHE standards, andcited the following significantstrengths:

n The School has a clear missionthat is well understood by students, staff and faculty, and the Board of Trustees.

n The Board of Trustees hasimportant planning processes in place.

n The Board is well qualified anddedicated to the mission and success of the School.

n The core vision expressed inCSLD’s mission statement is clearly manifest in the educa-tional program.

n The project-oriented curriculum,with its focus on ‘real,’ uniqueprojects for outside clients, is dis-tinctive and carefully articulated to develop appropriate technicalexpertise and collaborative skills.

n Outside experts and CSLD alum-ni are powerfully incorporated asspeakers and critics throughoutthe program.

n The explicit incorporation of the humanities in the curriculum,and the emphasis on written andverbal presentation, add impor-tant dimensions to the basicdesign and planning skills.

n The faculty are unified in theirshared vision and support of theSchool’s mission.

The CSLD administration takesthis opportunity to express greatappreciation to the Board’s NEASCCommittee for its invaluable sup-port and expertise throughout the 2-year accreditation review process,now successfully completed.

CSLD AWARDED CONTINUING ACCREDITATION

con'text

2005, and overseeing the school’s 10-year accreditation review by theNew England Association of Schoolsand Colleges (see article p.8). The Director Search Committee,chaired by Art Collins ’79, culledapplications from around the countryand conducted on-campus interviewswith three candidates during the winter of 2005. Members of the committee (Jack Ahern, Rick Brown,Ruth Cutler ’85, Amy Klippenstein’95, Bill Richter ’78, former boardchair Joel Russell, Carrie Makover’86 (ex officio) and Nancy Braxton) are to be lauded for their care in setting a high standard and their diligence in assessing candidates. The board’s Transition Committee(Amy Klippenstein (Chair), JonathanTauer, Art Collins, Carrie Makoverand Joel Russell) capably smoothedthe entry for Paul, his wife Joan and their two children, Noah andAndrew.

Most recently (at their October2005 meeting) the Board of Trusteesgratefully accepted Vice Chair Bill Richter’s proposal for Richter & Cegan, Inc. to prepare, at cost, a site analysis, feasibility studies and campus master planning for the school during FY ’06. Bill also presented a proposal prepared at his initiative by Moser Pilon NelsonArchitects, LLC of CT to provide(also at cost) programming and space planning services for theschool’s facility during FY ’06.Hearty thanks go to Bill and his colleagues at Moser Pilon NelsonArchitects for their generosity anddedication in mobilizing these essen-tial and timely initiatives.

Outgoing Board Chair, Carrie Makover ’86At the October 2005 annual meetingof the Board of Trustees, Art Collins’79 was elected as Chair of the Boardof Trustees, replacing Carrie Makover’86. Carrie’s four year tenure in thisposition has been remarkable, encom-passing the creation of a new facultyposition and the appointment of Jean Akers, the school’s move from Delabarre Ave. to 332 SouthDeerfield Rd. including a highly successful Capital Campaign, thesearch for a new director, the school’s10-year accreditation review, and theceremonies celebrating Don Walker’s27 years. During this period of time,Carrie also served as chair of theAnnual Fund (FY 02), continued her amazing (volunteer) work as theschool’s Webmaster and vigorouslyinitiated an integrated marketing planfor the school, to mention only a fewmore of her activities. Carrie’s skillfulleadership of the Board during thesepivotal years in the school’s history is matched only by her tireless

dedication to every aspect of theschool, large and small. We cannotthank Carrie enough for her myriadcontributions to CSLD. With therelease of her “half-time job” withthe school, we hope Carrie will find alittle more time for some leisure whilepursuing her part-time work in webdesign and town planning consulta-tion. We are grateful that Carrie willcontinue to serve out her third three-year term as a member of the Boardand that she is also committed tocontinuing as CSLD Webmaster.

New Board Chair, Art Collins ’79The President of Collins Enterprise,Inc., a multidisciplinary developmentcompany in Greenwich, CT, is notonly a graduate of CSLD but alsoholds an MLA from the University ofPennsylvania, where he was a studentof Ian McHarg. Since joining theBoard in 2000, Art has been a strongforce as a member of the FinanceCommittee, which he chaired for twoyears, and as Advisor to the LongRange Planning Committee duringthe crucial period of assessing alterna-tive contractors for the renovations tothe new building, keeping a vigilantwatch on budget limits and the dead-line for completion—both of whichwere met, in large measure thanks toArt. He also served as Vice Chair ofthe Board from October 2004 toOctober 2005. Further, Art’s leader-ship of the Director Search Com-mittee during the 18-month searchprocess was outstanding, as evidencedby Paul Hellmund’s joining the schoolin July 2005. As we enter a new erain the history of the school, we canfeel confident in the school’s leader-ship at both the board and directoriallevels, and we can appreciate the col-laborative partnership between Artand Paul that is already emerging.

New Board MembersAs clear evidence of Art Collins’ leadership skills, Amy Klippenstein’95 and Bill Richter ’77 joined theBoard at the February 2005 meeting

In August, the Franklin Land Trust held a workshop at CSLD entitled “The Soulful Landscape,” conducted by writer Erica Wheeler. We welcome non-profits seeking an ideal environment for summerworkshops to contact us regarding use of our facility and campus. Please call or email Nancy Braxton at nebraxton@csld.edu.

Carrie Makover

as a continuation of the momentumof their involvement with the schoolas members of the Director SearchCommittee chaired by Art.

Amy served on the Board from2001–03, when she initiated theStudent Liaison Committee on which she continues to serve; she then served as a CSLD Advisor untilFebruary 2005. Working with fellowCSLD alumni and other members ofthe Director Search Committee, Amysaid she remembered once again howmuch she values what the school andits graduates are doing, and re-joinedthe Board. Amy chairs the TransitionCommittee, charged with oversightand implementation of activities forthe smooth entry of Paul Hellmundinto his new post; she is also a strongmember of the Long Range PlanningCommittee. An organic farmer whofounded the Ashfield farmers market,Amy has recently added cows and theproduction of yogurt to her vegetablemarketing. Amy has a BA fromAmherst College as well as her degree from Conway. She is a consultant, designer and builder forher partnership business, GreenspaceCollaborative in Ashfield.

Bill is a principal of Richter &Cegan, a landscape architecture andurban design firm in Avon, CT.

Recent projects include the HartfordRiverwalk, which received top honorsfrom The Waterfront Center, and theexpansion of Olmsted Seaside Park inBridgeport. Bill has been an Advisorto the school since 2002 as well as along-standing member of the LongRange Planning Committee, on whichhe played a pivotal role in the deci-sion to create the school’s second(westerly) studio during building renovations in 2002, denying thealternative of postponing this work toa later time. Bill is the new Chair ofthe Finance Committee, on which hehas served for several years, and inOctober 2005 Bill was elected as ViceChair of the Board. In addition to hisdegree from CSLD, Bill holds a BA in Architecture and a Masters inArchitecture and Urban Design, bothfrom Virginia Tech. He is a registeredarchitect.

Rick Brown Changes Hats Once AgainRick Brown has stepped down fromthe CSLD board. AdministrativeDirector from 1998–2001, in 2002Rick became an Advisor and a mem-ber of the Finance Committee, whichhe chaired from 2004–2005. In 2003 he became a member of theBoard of Trustees, masterminding

and chairing the school’s successfulCapital Campaign drive that resultedin the purchase of the new campusand renovations of the former residence to a school. A member of the Director Search Committee,Rick consistently contributed hisacute observations, drawing on hiscareer in educational administrationat every level: elementary, middle,high school, college and graduateschool. Rick is also changing hats atthe Darrow School in New Lebanon,NY, where he had been BusinessManager and Development Directorbut will now resume teaching history(we suspect, however, that he willalso be called upon for his acumen inschool management.) We are enor-mously grateful to Rick for the manycontributions he has made to thisunique institution, and we are gladthat he will be staying connected toCSLD as an Advisor and as a memberof the Finance Committee. Thankyou, Rick.

New AdvisorRich Hubble, Executive Director ofthe Franklin Land Trust, joined as anAdvisor to CSLD in May 2005. Hispredecessor, Mark Zenick, had been a valuable help to the school as anAdvisor for several years, and we areextremely pleased to strengthen ourrelationship with the Franklin LandTrust through Rich’s association as an Advisor. One early link is theholding of the Land Trust’s August2005 workshop, “Soulscapes,” on the CSLD campus.

Board CommitteesCSLD has six active committees. We invite you to consider joining one!It is not necessary to be a member ofthe Board of Trustees or a graduateof the school to be a committee mem-ber. Committees typically meet aboutthree times a year, and most work isaccomplished through email and/ortelephone communications. Pleasecontact Art Collins (acollins@collins-llc.com) or Nancy Braxton (nebrax-ton@csld.edu) if you would like to

con'text

Bill

Latt

rell

Bend

s Tr

ees.

Pho

to b

y Sa

ndy

Ross

con'text

be involved with the school in thisway. Your ideas and energy will beappreciated. The committees are:Long-Range Planning, Finance,Strategic Partnership, Student Liaison, Board Development andAnnual Fund.

CSLD ON THE NETAs we hope you’ve noticed, CSLD has been increasingly using email-distributed newsletters to help us stay in touch with you. There are cur-rently well over 300 alumni on ouremail distribution list. We think thereare many more alumni whose emailaddresses are either missing or incor-rect. We hope that you’ve updatedyour email address in your response

to our survey. If you haven’t, it’snever too late. You can sign yourselfup right now! Go to this page on theCSLD website: http://www.csld.edu/alumniresources.htm.

In the middle of the page you’ll seea box where you can sign up for ouremail mailing list. You will alwayshave the ability to change your ownemail address by following the linksat the bottom of each message sent toyou from this list. We promise neverto sell your address to another mailerand never to overwhelm you withemail.

This list is not the same as theYahoo Alumni mailing list, which isinteractive in nature and allows anyalumnus (about 70 of you right now)

to send emails to the entire group.That list is for your postings to theCSLD community. CSLD’s mailing list is for newsletters, announcements,invitations, etc. sent directly from the school. We hope that many ofyou will sign up for both mailinglists. You can join the Yahoo mailing list by visiting this page:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/csldalumni/members.

We both benefit by using email. It enables us to be more immediate in our communications, and substantially reduces our costs. It lets you know what’s going on atschool and the greater CSLD comm-unity. Please take a moment rightnow and sign up!

Please join new CSLD director Paul Cawood Hellmund on a week-long trip to work with the villagers of the Panamanian rainforest villageof Achiote, in the midst of one of the top birding spots in the world.We will work half days on simpleconstruction projects, teachingEnglish or drawing, or helpingevaluate the ecotourism potential of this impoverished area on the edge of new national park that was formerly a US Military base used for jungle warfare training. The other half of each day will bespent participating in rural heritagetours and enjoying the countrysideand beach. Paul has been workingwith villagers in Achiote for threeyears and was himself born inPanama. Last year he led a similar trip to the village,where villagers were eager to improve their lives bybuilding the capacity for appropriate ecotourism.This trip is part of a larger effort to understand howthe CSLD design approach might be shared withwould-be ecological designers in Latin America.Speaking Spanish is not a requirement of the trip.

For more information about the Feb. 11–18, 2006,trip see: www.emeraldplanet.com/html/conway.htm(All arrangements will be made by Emerald Planet, a professional ecotourism provider with extensiveexperience in Latin America.) A donation to theConway School of Landscape Design will be madefrom each participant’s fees. The deadline for registra-tion is Dec. 5.

Special work/travel opportunity in Panama for CSLD alumni

A 2005 trip participant is recognized by Achiote villagers.

con'text

Togetherinto the FutureOn August 8, 2005, the Board ofTrustees held an all-day retreat toidentify current and long-term priori-ties for the school. In the followingpages are the highlights of that day.They represent the breadth and ideasthat form this evolving institution.

Car

rie M

akov

er

The Conway School of Landscape DesignBY WALTER CUDNOHUFSKY, FOUNDER

AS A REMINDER FOR SOME, INCLUDING MYSELF, the impetus for the Conway School of Landscape Designgrew from several conditions. There was a certain restlessness with my own undergraduate design educa-tion, which appeared to be disconnected from reality.Also, there were both dutiful and rebellious aspects to my nature. For example, I felt both willing to follow a program as prescribed in the catalogue and,simultaneously, a propensity to challenge the nature of and benefit from its projects and exercises.

As part of a team that prepared a thesis and studyon design education while at the Harvard GSD in1963–5, I had the opportunity to think through whatmight be better methods for delivering a complex anddemanding design education. My own self study andexploration, voracious reading on educational theory,and exploration of holistic education began to illumi-

nate the possibility for a “design education in action”to serve those around me who could become landscapearchitects and designers.

It became apparent to me that one needed to betruly educated in a liberal sense, one needed to be lucid and mindful, to be an effective designer. The profession certainly requires us to be artists and more!Technician, problem solver, team player, writer, speak-er, community builder, financial conversant, designer,historian, ecologist are all roles that quickly come to mind. The luxury of this investigative reflection was a genuine gift and set the stage for a new program(CSLD), conceived “to prepare potential graduate students to better use their pending design education.”

There was a high quotient of naiveté, an ample dose of “don’t sweat the consequences” and a ‘little’arrogance that went into the founding of the school.

Ken Botnick ’79, facilitator of the retreat, began by reading the following statements prepared by

CSLD’s first two directors, Walt Cudnohufsky (1972–1992) and Don Walker (1992–2005), offering

their views about the school’s formation, its mission and their hopes for its future.

CSLD’s directors from left, Walter Cudnohufsky, Founder and Director

1972–1992; Donald L. Walker, Jr., Director 1992–2005; Paul Cawood Hellmund,

current Director.

con'text

so precious and special. I still believe that “design,”community-building and place-making are legitimateintentions and companions to the current programstrengths.

In my opinion, the school must continue to dare to be bold and encompassing. It must continue to seeacross boundaries in planning and design, architectureand landscape architecture, boundaries both ecologicaland social, technical and theoretical.

The hardest job for the school may be to sustain thebasics and fundamentals in a world that is operatingunder the mesmerizing umbrella of fast-paced technol-ogy. People (student and client) are the most importantof building blocks, not to be forgotten.

My pride in the school is enormous and my grati-tude limitless for those who have picked up the mantleand served tirelessly to sustain this wonderful school.It was simply “an idea whose time had come” andmany of us would like to think it is “a timeless idea.”

In my view, the heart of the school resides in theimpressive and unbelievably good work of CSLD graduates. That goes for people who are directly or peripherally engaged in so-called “professional”pursuits. A book that documents this work would be for the next decades an essential addition to thefoundation of this most wonderful “Place.”

I wish you all well in your deliberations and offermy willingness to remain engaged.

And Thank you ALL!

It was my belief that one did not need multipleyears of education to engage in the relevant and sub-stantive issues of design. And if it took a lifetime tobecome a good landscape architect, why would two,three or four years make any big difference? Why, Isubconsciously asked, wasn’t the “Lincoln Route ofself education” not a legitimate alternative for thosewho were equipped to self-learning?

I simply wanted to be part of a program where theinstitution did not get in the way of real learning, forwhich I had then developed an appetite. I wanted thegenuinely educational conversations to continue andnot be stopped by a bell. I wanted a space where onedid not need to arrange for opening a building a weekin advance, where knowledge was not parceled out incourse numbers and where grades did not rule.

A look around the world quickly demonstrated thatthe design being produced was greatly deficient bothecologically/environmentally and socially. The impor-tance of building community and a sense of place,while discussed, were only beginning to influence professional thinking. Instead, design assessments werepredominated by aesthetic and artistic efforts. We weretoo close to being exterior decorators for my comfort!

It is a blessing that the school has along the wayembraced projects that focus on “community building,” which is desperately needed in our societyand strongly tied to our professional work. It is anabsolutely wondrous blessing that ecologically-based thinking is nowgrowing in acceptance.

Still, my perception is that theConway School of Landscape Designremains unique, unfortunately! It ismore essential than ever as a touchstone of what design education canand should be.

My request is that the school notlose the connection to its roots andmission. Continue with a nature-based, ecologically sustainableapproach to design. Continue withthe team approach to self exploration and understanding,

Eric

Kor

n ’0

5 .Ph

oto

by S

andy

Ros

s

con'text

BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT CSLD IN 1978, I had aban-doned hope for the landscape architects who hadfounded and subsequently jettisoned the whole field ofcity planning and were ignoring or bad-mouthing theirpotential savior, Ian McHarg. Garrett Eckbo accusedMcHarg of “turning the fine art of landscape architec-ture into a science.” As Richard Williams said ofRepublicans, landscape architects had a death wish: abelief to continue to harbor their role in the demolitionof the natural world. This belief shapes my teachingand has shaped the program at CSLD in recent years.

In 1984 I described the school this way: “[The]Conway School of Landscape Design is a place wherepeople who think they want to design landscapes comefor a short time to ‘learn to do it.’” In fact, you cannotlearn ‘to do it’ in 9 months or even in 5 years; a life-time is required by the best of us. So what is the purpose of the Conway School? “It is a place whereyou who think you want to design landscapes come to experience what is involved when designing land-scapes. It is a gestation period during which your con-ception of “it” develops, and whether you are ready or not you, with “it,” are put back into the workingworld to find and make your ways as best you can.

“While at the Conway School you may have learnedor improved some skills, acquired knowledge anddeveloped understanding of yourselves, the world, and your role in it.

“You are encouraged to look for the ‘values’ thathide behind desires and things, to expand in height,depth, and breadth your field of vision as a means ofdiscovering and focusing on essentials. It is our experi-ence to discover the ‘design’ that lurks in every situa-tion: from our best understanding of ecological actionsthat are inherent in the natural and social spheres;from available materials and methods of construction;from a desire to incur the least cost, least destruction,and least dismay.

“You leave with numerous facts which contribute to the formation of numerous options which can berationally evaluated and clearly explained. You striveto be straightforward, and let your actions and prod-ucts speak for you. You came to the Conway Schoolbecause you believe that designing landscapes (wherenothing you can see, hear, touch, feel, inhale, drink, eat or experience as radiation is irrelevant) is an

important and satisfying human endeavor. You havegrown in power along these lines. The purpose ofCSLD is to make it possible for such growth to occur.”

Twenty years later I can only add the conclusion toone of my Con'text articles. “Designing requires seeingclearly, collecting, analyzing, and assessing all relevantinformation, developing and evaluating alternative scenarios, envisioning the implementation of each, andthoroughly explaining the advantages and disadvan-tages to create an informed clientele. Clear and logical(and ecological) thinking must lead to drastic changesin the way we live on earth, so that every project andevery action will replace current landscape decorationwith scientifically grounded ecosystem/landscaperestoration. These skills become evermore critical as the earth’s condition deteriorates. There will be an ever-greater need for the kind of education the Conway School of Landscape Design currently provides.”

What of the future? Certain predictions seem easyenough simply by extending current trends. Thehuman population continues to engulf all other lifeand earth resources, diversity of habitats and specieswill be reduced ever more rapidly, dwindling suppliesof fossil fuel will severely alter lifestyles in the U.S.,more drastic measures will be taken to protect the“haves” from the “have-nots,” the majority of thepopulace will remain ignorant of their place in theecosphere, and so on.

In some ways, we are faced with a repeat of 1970but no one is taking any noticeable action. I subscribeto David Orr’s evolving thesis, expressed in Earth inMind; On Education, Environment, and the HumanProspect, Chapter 16, “Designing Minds.” The futurerequires individuals who know their place in natureand have the practical skills to fashion reasonable liveswhich may be able to convert civilization to repairingthe damage we continue to do.

The Conway School of Landscape Design mustdevise ways to give students what they need to go out and act to make a difference right away, not tosuccumb to the status quo as many seem to do. Findalumni who are making a difference and have time tocome and give pep talks. Bring in speakers (like SteveStrong and John Todd) who can do the same; eliminatethe rest. Reduce the ever-increasing burden of student

The Past, Present and Future of CSLD BY DONALD J. WALKER, JR.

con'text

projects (I wish I knew how) so there is more time for field trips and on-site experiences. Reduce the cost(now +/- $50,000) of attending this school so morewill apply and selections can be made. (The first schoolcharter invited everyone from practicing landscapearchitects to homeowners. If I could have, I wouldonly have accepted experienced ecologists who want to apply their knowledge in redesigning cities, towns

and countryside.) Continue to improve the physicalplant as a model of sustainability and the grounds as amodel of ecosystem stewardship where one can some-times observe dragonflies, a flock of turkeys, spottedsalamanders, an ermine, a bear, or a moose. For someof us, such sightings and the satisfaction of healing ourchildren’s environment remain among the greatest joysof life.

Some Results of the On-Line Survey

In the summer of 2005, the school sent a request to alumni, current and former trustees, staff, faculty, friends and others

associated with the school to participate in an on-line survey. The survey was specifically prepared in advance of the

retreat to review with the entire CSLD community the school’s 33-year progress and how best to build its future.

n Most of the questions in the briefsurvey focused on perceptions ofthe school’s mission and futureprospects. There were also open-ended questions that allowedrespondents to elaborate on theirthoughts. As of July 31, 2005,over 449 requests were sent outand 144 individuals completed thesurvey.

n The largest category of respon-dents (42%) were those who weremost recently involved with theschool, within the last five years.Over 80% of the respondentswere alumni.

n The school’s “current position and future prospects in the world”are “strong” according to 52% of respondents; 5% said they are “weak,” 11% said that theyare “neutral,” and 32% are “not sure.”

n When asked about their agree-ment with the statement that theschool “has done a good job ofstaying true to its mission relatedto ecologically sound landscapedesign,” over 93% either agreedor strongly agreed (with 50%strongly agreeing). 4% were notsure, and 2% either disagreed orstrongly disagreed.

n There were similar numbers forthe statement that the school’smission is the “right one for it to pursue”: over 93% agreed or

strongly agreed (66% saying theystrongly agreed), 4% were not sure, and 2% disagreed orstrongly disagreed.

n Perceptions of the school’s national reputation were some-what murkier. When asked torespond to the statement “I thinkthe Conway School of LandscapeDesign is well known and respect-ed on a national level,” the mostselected response was “Not sure”(46%). Roughly comparable percentages disagreed (27%) andagreed (21%) with the statement.

n Almost 76% felt that the schoolshould “offer more short-termworkshops on timely topics foralumni and friends of the school,”and 61% said they would partici-pate in workshops if they were onrelevant topics. In the space forcomments, one respondent sug-gested that rather than offeringworkshops for alumni, “I’d ratherhave workshops for strangers, tostrengthen the fold and to betterdisperse the message.” Half of therespondents said they were inter-ested in participating in the schoolby sharing skills and experienceswith students and alumni.

n The survey’s open-ended questionsincluded “My vision for theschool is that in five years it willbe…” and “Anything else youwould like to say?” Most of the

responses to these focused on theschool’s reputation; there is a clear desire that the schoolbecome better known. Thisappears to be in part related tothe desire among respondents thatthe school’s philosophies, values,and practices spread and becomemore accepted, and in part tosome respondents’ concerns about their future careerprospects. There appears to be some tension or divergencebetween those advocating formore technical or applied skills(such as CAD, for example) andthose hoping that the school con-tinues the educational philosophyand traditions of the school (thedesire that the school not becomea vocational/technical school).Many expressed a desire that theschool be more financially secure,which would allow for a morediverse student body, and manyalso expressed the desire that thecampus be more aligned with theschool’s mission. A few studentscalled for the expansion of theprogram to two or more years; a PhD degree was mentioned.Better preparation for the “realworld” job search was also a concern raised by a number ofrespondents.

con'text

ALUMNI OUTREACH Since our alumni body is the most important part of the Conway community,we can offer more services to them such as job leads,professional support via gatherings and workshopswith CEU credits, regional meetings, connecting newalumni with older alumni, offering life-long emailaliases under a csld.edu name, helping to start newbusinesses and improving access to the CSLD data-base. Consequently, we can also receive support fromalumni through representation at conferences, assistingstaff with fundraising events, providing job leads tonew students, recruiting new students, helping withgrant leads, project recruitment, publishing accom-plishments and holding off-site information sessions.

MARKETING/DEVELOPMENT AND STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Strategic efforts should be more efficient by combiningprofessional development with marketing enhance-ment. An integrated market scheme needs to be developed to promote a consistent recognizable imagethroughout the school’s literature, website, facility andpromotional materials: letterhead, ads and businesscards. [Update: the development of a new logo is nowin progress.] Marketing efforts should include activitiesreaching a national audience as well as strengtheningFive College contacts. This should help produce a larger pool of qualified applicants.

FACILITY Since the image of the school is connected to our physical presence, our entry should model ourmission as a positive example of a natural and sustain-able landscape and building that is attractive and welcoming. This group identified the need for a facilityspace plan and a campus master plan (update: bothare now in progress, thanks to at-cost initiatives led by Trustee Bill Richter ’77).

EXTERNAL PROGRAM We need to develop a nationalpresence as well as promote the concept of CSLD asthe 6th college in the 5-college region. An endowedchair is a clear fundraising priority.

COMMUNITY BUILDING CSLD is a community on sev-eral levels: from staff and current students to local andwidespread alumni; from project clients to donors and

a larger circle of friends, including other educators,designers, and institutions. To expand the larger community, CSLD could create a publication series,publish our student community projects and giveawards. The faculty should attend more conferences.Trails from town to campus would help with localconnections, as would instigating more events to whichcommunity members are invited, such as the socialevent at the conclusion of the August Darrel Morrisonworkshop and the second NESEA Solar Day at CSLDon October 1.

CONCLUSION A final topic raised at the conclusion of the session focused on the school’s financial picture:the need to retire the school’s $170,000 mortgage andto enhance financial aid opportunities for students inorder to reduce reliance on federal loans.

Concluding comments also noted that while theideas generated are wonderful, implementing them has huge staff and budgetary implications. This small institution must use caution by selectively implementing targeted goals.

Key Topics Identified at the RetreatFollowing a presentation by Director Paul Hellmund on his vision of the school as “The Beginning of a Lifetime of Learning,”

the retreat attendees—10 Trustees, 4 former Trustees, 2 Advisors, faculty and staff—identified goals pertaining to five key topics.

There is a surprising number of grads in the

100-mile vicinity of CSLD and if we pooled our

efforts we could do such things as change the

Massachusetts zoning regulations so open space

is actually public land and not private trustees

land, for example. We could move legislatures,

move mountains!— A SURVEY RESPONDENT

Kris

tin N

elso

n

con'text

IN THE BBC TELEVISION SERIES Faking It, a person has onemonth to “pass” as someone they are not. The vicar isto pass as a used-car salesman, the classical cellist as adj, the burger flipper as a chef, the punk rocker as aclassical music conductor. They are taken under thewings of minders who steer them through the processof transformation. The fakers learn the right moves,the lingo, the body language; they record, privately, adaily video diary of their struggles. And they do strug-gle, mightily. They address fears, well known to them-selves or long hidden (leaping off buildings, steppinginto a boxing ring, climbing onto a horse for the firsttime four weeks before the competition). Late at night,exhausted, they speak directly to the camera in whis-pers, saying how they just can’t go on, they’ve hadenough, they have no desire to continue. Meanwhile,we hear from their minders how poorly things aregoing, how they’ll never get their charges to pass, it’s a hopeless case. And they strategize what else they cando, who else they can bring in to help.

But at some point, the person faking it sloughs offtheir resistance, and their desire to become X—thenightclub bouncer, the chef, the conductor—blossoms.In the midst of their ordeal, they collect their energies.They pass, and afterwards have the same singularmoment when they say, choked with genuine emotion,“I am an X.” I am a used-car salesman! I am a stunt-man! I am a bouncer! They say it with pride, and witha kind of awe as well, acknowledging how deeplytransformed they have become.

Like the participants in Faking It, many CSLD students go through a momentous transformation, similarly identifying with a new community and crossing an unknowable gap between who they wereand who they become.

Adults decide to return to school, of course, formany reasons: financial motivations, unexpected life-changing events, the loss of a job, a career path thathas lost its luster. There are clear and logical objectivesthat can be listed, pragmatic utilitarian considerationsthat are easily explained to partners, family andfriends. There are also other, maybe less speakable or

even less understandable motivations: a vague sense ofdissatisfaction with what one is doing, with the wayone’s life has turned out, or the sense that this recentlydiscovered field of ecological design/planning exertssome unexpected pull.

Looking to return to school, they desire to trans-form their lives in a fundamental way—even to transform who they are. They have the desire to knowsomething else, butalso the desire tobecome someone theycurrently are not, andparadoxically theycan not know inadvance what exactlythis change entails;they want something,but they don’t knowwhat. Like a baseballteam making a tradefor a player to benamed later, they aregiving up somethingsubstantial for some-thing they can onlyguess at. Conse-quently, all educationis faith-based educa-tion, requiring a leap across an unknowable gap.

In this process, the whole CSLD community playsan important role, because students engage not justwith the faculty who lie (presumably) across that gap,but all the people they come in contact with while inschool—those who lead field trips, those whose officeswe visit, those who come and speak in the evening,those who talk about their work over lunch.

Like the minders in Faking It, these members of thecommunity represent a world of ethical commitments,of practice in the field, that is absolutely essential tothe educational process of students identifying with thedesires of others, of crossing the gap.

Faith-Based EducationBY KEN BYRNE

Linc

oln

Smith

’05

at

the

Parc

Jea

n D

rape

au in

Mon

trea

l. Ph

oto

by S

andy

Ros

s

con'text

TODAY NEARLY THREE THOUSAND DAMS exist in the stateof Massachusetts, altering the hydrology of nearly everybrook and river. Some of these dams have been retain-ing sediments for more than 150 years. These “legacy”sediments, generated from past land use, could be thesource of some water quality problems today.*

A Legacy of Settlement and Deforestation

Deforestation

Colonial settlement patterns generated rapid andextensive changes in the land, concurrent with dambuilding. By 1830, more than 80% of Massachusettswas deforested. By the 1850s, 75% of Connecticut was cleared of forest. The use of the mechanized plow(late 1800s) increased gully formation and downslopesediment deposition. Industrial charcoaling added tothe sedimentation of waterways in the late 1800s.

Mill Dams

Mill dams sprang up in all but a dozen towns inMassachusetts. The town of Conway had more than50 mills in operation over the course of its first 200-year history. During the 1800s, at least 34 mills werelocated on the waterways within CSLD’s Mill Riverwatershed. West Brook alone had 21 dams capturingpower for manufacturing activities. By 1880, the sixstates of New England possessed 1/3 of the developedwater power in the US while representing only 2% ofthe country’s land area. Most dams were built between1850 and 1900.

Legacy Sediments

The dams created mill ponds to impound enoughwater to avoid power losses during dry weather. All these dams altered the natural river hydrology byslowing down the streamflow and trapping sedimentsbehind the impoundment structures. Many former damsites now have sediment terraces in the former millpond locations. The present stream channel carves andincises the sediment terrace.

Recent research projects in the Chesapeake Baywatershed are exploring the effect of these dam

sediments on water quality impairment and potentialstream restoration projects. The depth of legacy sedi-ment (ranging from three to over twenty feet) confineslarger floods, keeping flood water from spreading intothe flood plain. Major bank instability in the sediment terrace also creates significant sediment loading (justfrom the collapsing bank).

Restoration Considerations

Hydrological Patterns

Restoration practitioners who are stabilizing stream-banks, realigning stream channels and day-lighting historic streambeds must have an understanding of the natural processes affecting the site. With riparianrestoration, the approach should account for the natural self-stabilizing tendencies of rivers. The riverchannel patterns naturally evolve to provide for

Leaving a Dam LegacyBY JEAN KILLHOUR AKERS

*Post-settlement land use (with agricultural conservation practices and Clean Water Act regulations now in place) does not generate as much sediment.

The Hubbard Brook study (a long-term ecological

research project in North Woodstock, NH) documented

the drastic effects of deforestation on water quantity and

quality. Water runoff quantities after complete removal of

vegetation increased as much as 418%. Nutrient runoff

increases (forty-five times higher for nitrogen, twenty-one

times higher for potassium, and ten times higher for

calcium) and massive soil erosion caused serious

disruptions in the ecosystem. For more information see

http://www.hubbardbrook.org

Jean

Ake

rs

con'text

dissipating the energy of moving water and transport-ing sediment. Natural rivers make adjustments in sinuosity to balance the streamflow energy and sedi-ment transport so that the system neither degrades nor aggrades.

Floodplain Function

Restoration involves re-connecting the stream flow tothe historic flood plain. The stream channel should bedesigned to connect to its flood plain to allow normalflood water storage and alleviate streambank stressesfrom incised channels. Recapturing flood waters intheir original floodplains can alleviate downstreamflood damage and provide groundwater rechargeopportunities for the local aquifer.

Groundwater Connection

The gravel bed of the historic stream channel may still exist beneath the layers of legacy sediments. Oftenthe gravel beds were discharge locations for ground-water base flow into the stream. If the pre-settlementvalley floor is re-established, this groundwater sourcecould connect cool, clean water back into the stream’saquatic ecosystem, mitigating some of the heated surface runoff from urbanized land uses.

Historical Seedbeds & Invasive Species

The sediment deposits represent decades (or centuries)of disturbance events that favor colonization of invasive plant species. Cattail swamps are a typicalmonoculture plant community found on legacy sedi-ments. Even after being buried for 100 to 200 years,the seedbeds from the original floodplain terrace can provide native riparian plant species for the restorationtarget plant community. Reconnecting the originalfloodplain elevations and re-aligning the stream channel to its former gravel bed can expose the historical native seedbeds, breaking their dormancyand promoting a diverse riparian habitat.

Root Zone Separation

Legacy sediments can separate riparian plant rootzones from their natural connection to groundwaterand its nitrogen availability. Native plants in function-ing riparian communities can access the nitrogen ingroundwater, promoting plant health and reducing the nitrate-loading in streams.

Topsoil Source

Legacy sediment can consist of prime agricultural soil,eroded as lost topsoil centuries ago. Although soil test-ing may be prudent since stream and pond sedimentsare collecting areas for whatever flows off the land, thereclaimed topsoil could be a valuable commodity forreuse in the upland portions of the watershed.

Summary

Dam removals are warranted across the country asmany aging structures have lost their function andaquatic ecosystems are being restored. With currentdirectives for improving water quality, uncovering legacy sediments may be an opportunity for restorationpractitioners to undo the historic land use conse-quences of leaving a dam legacy.

a few resources for further information:

“Unearthing New Truths,” by Lisa M. Christopher,

Franklin & Marshall Magazine, Winter 2005

In the Shadow of the Dam, The Aftermath of the Mill River

Flood of 1874 by Elizabeth M. Sharpe. Free Press: 2004

The River Book by James Grant MacBroom. Natural

Resources Center: 1998

Applied River Morphology by Dave Rosgen. Wildland

Hydrology: 1996

Internet: http://www.landstudies.com

A Google search for “legacy sediment”

Beaver dams create a cycle of disturbance in natural streams that initially

floods adjacent land converting upland to water. Upon abandonment, the dam

eventually fails and the former pond becomes a wet meadow plant community

growing upon the rich sediments that settled out of the stream’s flow behind the

beaver dam. Many plant species are dependent on this disturbance pattern and the resulting

islands of wet meadow habitat in dense forested landscapes. Understanding this cyclical

pattern of natural disturbance can help us tolerate the legacy left by those industrious dam-builders.

Jean

Ake

rs

con'text

Student Projects ‒FALL PROJECT CSLD students begin their year working with arearesidents on their home properties. Projects may involve siting a newhouse, reducing erosion, reorienting driveways, or making a propertymore habitable for wildlife. Through careful observation, students cometo understand the relationships among natural systems.

Enjoying the Sun in WinterThe Feitner-Knox Property, Cummington, Massachusetts. Designer: Erin Flather

Designing for Solar Gain

The final plan locates the house along the alignmentof a remnant stone wall with the garage placed to thenorth and a twenty-foot connecting breezeway framingthe view to a pine forest opening. The driveway align-ment protects existing trees and provides a view to the house before the driveway turns into the parkingand garage area. Selective clearing south of the houseopens the tree canopy for passive solar access.

Judicious placement of under-story trees frames the view

to the sugar maple and fern grove and provides a transition to the forestinterior without affect-

ing the house’s exposureto the sun.

Peter Feitner and Christy Knox wanted to find a location for a new house, garage and driveway on their 32.4-acre

property, which is forested except for the immediate vicinity of their current house and pottery studio near a discontinued road. They wanted to site the new house within a natural forest setting, near a grove of sugar maples and ferns. They also wanted the designer to consider the location of a hot tub, patio and vegetable garden, and to minimize lawn.

An analysis of vegetation, slopes, soils, infrastruc-ture and legal restrictions revealed the two acres of the property that were most appropriate for a futurehouse site. These two acres were then subject to fur-ther detailed study. One critical analysis for houseplacement was the winter sun and shadow patterns ofthe existing sugar maple forest. It was determined thatthe house must be placed at least sixty-nine feet northof the existing maples to ensure at least four hours ofdirect sunlight during eight months of the year. Thisplacement would provide passive solar gain for thehouse without requiring the removal of trees.

February/October 21, NOON

con'text

and forest that provide habitat for the rich and variedwildlife in this scenic Hudson Valley town might belost forever.

These concerns, raised in visioning workshops andsurveys, led to a year-long moratorium on large devel-opments while the town’s Comprehensive Plan wasreviewed. The town’s Environmental ConservationCommission engaged a student team from CSLD toresearch and analyze the town’s resources. The result-ing Marbletown 2005 Index of Natural, Cultural, andHistorical Resources helps to identify undevelopedlands for protection and to establish the pattern offuture land use in the town.

More than an inventory, the index incorporatesinformation about the importance of each resource tothe environment and society. Recommendations forpreservation and for the means of conducting morecomprehensive inventories are included. Paper maps ofeach resource provide a graphic means for understand-ing the landscape; electronic maps in GIS format allownew maps to be created as new data become available.

The student team also used GIS to create a powerfulmeans for understanding the constraints and opportu-nities of the town’s resources: an Overlay PlanningTool. The tool allows the overlay of resources; layerscan be turned on or off so that resources can be con-sidered individually or in aggregate. Employing theelectronic format, users can focus on particular areasand change scale depending on their needs.

The Index is currently being used in the implement-ation of Marbletown’s new zoning regulations for conservation overlay districts and design standards for conservation subdivisions.

Marbletown Looks to the FutureMarbletown, NY, 2005 Index of Natural, Cultural, and Historical Resources. Designers: David Campolong, Nicholas T. Lasoff, Sandy Ross

Accommodating Growth and Preserving Resources

WINTER PROJECT For their second project, student teamswork with local communities and nonprofit agencies throughoutNew England and eastern New York to develop long-range plansfor conserving fragile ecosystems and placing human activitieswhere the land can sustain them. Students identify and map natural resources and immerse themselves in local governmentissues, state regulations and regional contexts.

In recent years, the citizens of Marbletown havebecome increasingly aware that the character oftheir town and their quality of life are changing.

While moderate growth and improved infrastructureare favored by the public, there are concerns that“McMansions” and strip malls are not in keeping withthe quiet community of hamlets and farms. Wetlands

Protected Land

con'text

The Church of St. Andrew sits exposed on a rockyhill along a major roadway at the entrance toMarblehead. Recent construction of the new

parish hall and the main entrance has created signifi-cant disturbance, with adjacent areas that are unvege-tated, compacted and covered with fill and rock.Several patches of bedrock are exposed throughout thesite due to naturally occurring conditions. One-third of the acreage is covered with impervious buildingroofs, paving, or bedrock; most of the remainingground surface is covered with lawn. Native treesincluding pitch pine, black birch, ash and oak are scattered around the property, as well as some invasiveexotic plants. The elevation changes as much as thirtyfeet from the northwest corner of the lot to the hilltop.

A circulation analysis revealed significant conflictsand safety concerns around pedestrian and vehiculartraffic near all the southern building entrances.Continuous impervious surfaces, shallow soils andexposed bedrock accelerated stormwater runoff problems. The existing parking was inadequate and its arrangement was impractical.

The proposed design reduces impervious surfaces by 13,500 square feet and lawn by 25,000 square feet.Garden swales, cisterns, dry stone beds and vegetatedslopes collect and retain stormwater runoff. The driveway is moved, improving vehicle circulation by delineatingparking spaces and creating a distinct drop-off point for church-goers. Pedestrians and nursery

school children cross safely between parking and playareas. Outdoor spaces connected by paths, stairs andramps create opportunities for gathering and contem-plation. The design accommodates phased implementa-tion and incorporates a successional landscape plantingpattern. A welcoming, unified experience of place reinforces the church mission of responsive steward-ship of the human and ecological community.

SPRING PROJECT CSLD student teams spend the third term working with community and nonprofit clients to develop site-specific design plans for parks, town centers and riverways.Students base recommendations on ecological conditions and onassessed community needs. Final designs illustrate foot and bikepaths, planting choices, lamp standards and other details.

Built on a RockChurch of St. Andrew, Marblehead, Massachusetts.Designers: C. Todd Lynch & Deborah Smith

Experience of Place in a New England Parish

Because of CSLD’s commitment to a philosophy of good stewardship, you seem to attract students dedicated to doing the right thing by the planet. Fromthe beginning, I was confident that Deb and Todd’sproduct would be a useful tool for our parish (in need of broadening our understanding of stewardship).They carefully listened to our concerns and needs….They worked together gracefully and respectfully….We particularly appreciated their bringing to light significant site concerns that must be addressed.…

the church of st. andrew

con'text

WINTER PROJECTS

Menla Mountain Retreat andConference Center Master Plan:Phoenicia NYShawn Callaghan, Ben Falk, Erin Flather

Nestled in the heart of the CatskillMountains, this 310-acre property is surrounded on three sides by protected wildnerness areas. The master plan focuses on highlightingand protecting the site’s unique natu-ral features while guiding its currentand future use as a retreat, conferenceand Tibetan healing center.

Conway School of Landscape Design Master Plan: Conway MAEric Korn, Kristin Nelson, Stephanie Rubin

The school’s 25-acre wooded hilltopand abutting 10-acre co-owned parcel provide a rich landscape forlearning. The student design created apreliminary master plan exemplifyingthe school’s environmental mission,addressing its long-term goals andexploring opportunities for creatingan exemplary campus for future students and the larger community.

Affordable Housing Feasibility Studyand Master Plan: Spencer MAKaren Hardy, Linda Leduc,Christopher Stevenson

A private landowner contracted the team to conduct analysis andassessment for the development of his 20.5-acre property as a state-subsidized Chapter 40B affordablehousing community. The design teamanalyzed the site’s natural and socialcontexts to determine potentialimpacts of development and created a master plan for ecologically soundfuture land use.

Open Space Action Plan: Philipstown NYTodd Lynch, Sasha Pilyavskiy,Johanna Stacy

The design team prepared an ActionPlan with recommendations for conserving the natural resources andscenic character of this town locatedforty miles north of New York City.

Open Space and Recreation Plan:Great Barrington MADel Orloske, Deborah Smith, Lincoln Smith

This update of the town’s 1998 OSRPis based upon community input andthe student team’s analysis of GreatBarrington’s ecological, historical andcultural features. The documentserves as a planning tool that willhelp the town identify and preserveits most valuable open space andrecreational resources.

SPRING PROJECTS

Shkreli Estate Master Plan: Patterson NYDavid Campolong, Sasha Pilyavskiy,Christopher Stevenson

The Shkreli’s 119-acre family estateincludes a lake shared by the family,80 acres of forest and three recentlyconstructed homes with a fourth andfinal home ready for construction inthe near future. The design focusedon connecting the four homes viafootpaths, creating destination pointsand family gathering areas, designingthe landscape around the three exist-ing homes, and solving the problemof vehicle headlights shining into oneof the houses.

Ives Trail Greenway EnvironmentalAssessment and DesignRecommendations: Danbury CTKaren Hardy, Kristin Nelson, Sandy Ross

The Ives Trail Greenway is a 14.4-mile proposed connecting corridorthat will pass through open space andrecreational areas of the Connecticuttowns of Ridgefield, Danbury andBethel. The design team used GIS andsite visits to analyze state listedThreatened and Endangered Specieshabitat, identify potential negativeimpacts and offer trail design andalignment recommendations.

Poplar Street Canoe Launch: Turners Falls MA Eric Korn, Nicholas Lasoff

This .75-acre site is characterized bydangerous slopes, invasive plants andunclear signals about the site’s use.

Other Community Student Projects ‒The master plan created a model forenvironmental stewardship with safeand easy access to and from the waterand clear indications about the use ofthe site.

Wolbach Farm Master Plan: Sudbury MAErin Flather, Stephanie Rubin,Johanna Stacy

The Sudbury Valley Trustees is a regional land trust that workswithin the thirty-six towns of theSudbury-Assabet-Concord RiversWatershed. The project focused onturning five of the fifty-three acresinto ecological demonstration gardens. Streamside vegetation,stormwater management, lawn alternatives, septic-field plants andwildlife habitat were addressed ineasy-to-implement designs for visitorsto be able to recreate on their ownproperties.

Breakneck Hill Master Plan:Southborough MAShawn Callaghan, Linda Leduc, Del Orloske

The Breakneck Hill ConservationLand Trust owns an 80-acre site withwetland, pasture, orchard and forestwoodland. The master plan includedrecommendations for restoring andmanaging a wetland and grasslandhabitat, suggestions for clearing invasive plant species from the site,an interpretive trail to inform thepublic about ecology and a hayingplan intended to supplement the feeding for a group of BeltedGalloway cows adjacent the site.

The Rowe Elementary School Campus Master Plan: Rowe MABen Falk, Lincoln Smith

The design team prepared a masterplan for improving field drainage, sit-ing a media center and incorporatingthe natural environment into the cur-riculum through such features as abird blind and sheltered outdoorclassroom.

con'text

From an Introduction by Ken Byrne

“Take the I out” is something you hear almost fromthe first day here at Conway. It’s about taking yourselfout of your presentation of the topic at hand. So itmay be a bit ironic that we have today a commence-ment speaker who is so well known for autobiography.Dr. Jill Ker Conway has kept the I in, from The Roadfrom Coorain through True North to A Woman’sEducation. She has also edited collections of others’memoirs, and in When Memory Speaks explored thedifferent narrative patterns recurring in the memoirs of women and men over the centuries.

However, there is a link from the narratives of the memoir to the narratives of landscape design andplanning. Dr. Conway in When Memory Speaks askswhy memoirs and biographies are still so popular,when our passion for fiction has faded. We don’t suspend disbelief when reading fiction, but we dowhen we read autobiographies and biographies. She writes that we “crave the confirmation of likeexperience, or the enlargement or transformationwhich can come from viewing a similar experiencefrom a different perspective.”

Furthermore, “Whether we are aware of it or not,our culture gives us an inner script by which we liveour lives….We all practice the craft of autobiographyin our inner conversations with ourselves about themeaning of our experience…. But few of us give close attention to the forms and tropes of the culturethrough which we report ourselves to ourselves.”

A compelling narrative about a site does thesethings also. It confirms the experience of others about that place. But it also gives the listener anenlarged and transformed understanding. A good landscape narrative is attentive to that inner script, the cultural patterns through which we all variouslyunderstand and act in the landscape. A good landscapenarrative releases us from those inherited psycho-logical-cultural traps that would otherwise have usrepeating over and over the damage that is secondnature.

From Graduation Speaker, Jill Ker ConwayA profession is a vocation or occupation requiringadvanced education and training and involving intellectual skills, or, the body of people practicingsuch skills.

We’re celebrating the education part today, andyou’ll be joining the body of practitioners very shortly, so let’s take up the vocation part of the defini-tion. It comes from the Latin vocare—to be called. It originally had a religious meaning—to be called byGod to use one’s talents. The problem today is thatmany regard education as an investment which will bevalued to the degree it pays off, monetarily. Of course,that first job is on everyone’s mind just now. But manybecome embittered when the right job doesn’t instantlyappear. You must keep in mind that it usually takesthree to five years to launch oneself in a profession, to establish one’s credentials, to find work with theright team, to find the clientele, to find the right balance between practitioner and client. So graduates,friends, and family—be patient.

Responsible DesignHighlights from the 2005 Graduation Ceremony

Gab

riel S

uare

z

con'text

And remember the vocation part—the combinationof skills, knowledge, visual sense, and design creativitythat is uniquely you and enables your best work.

My own experience has focused on the history ofthe ways we apprehend the biota, how our views ofthe plants and animals offers a way into understandingmany core cultural constructs. In my native Australia,farmers and ranchers were celebrated in the popularculture, as strong, brave, hardy people who “battleddaily with nature.” It truly was understood as a battle.The battle made them tough, and the culture nourishedthe illusion that one could win.

Of course, the necessity to battle droughts, floods,plagues of grasshoppers and locusts came from introducing temperate-climate farming and animal husbandry into a semi-arid Mediterranean climate. In cities as well as in rural life, there was another form of the struggle as people planted English peren-nial gardens in a water-scarce environment. So muchenergy and so many resources would be spent to sub-vert water-use restrictions, to keep one’s peonies or delphiniums alive.

The net result was a view of nature as hostile and a great respect for battlers, for the people who couldsucceed.

The responsible designer has an enlarged role intoday’s world, and must have an enlarged understand-ing of this cultural history. A responsibility to the land,to preservation, to correcting past traditions of land-scaping that are not environmentally sound—all of this involves teaching, which is something that wasonce not considered part of the designer’s job. Thereare, of course, many ways to do this teaching, but it ismost successful when the designer is able to draw onthe history of landscape design—and to explain whyand how we get our notions of what is beautiful.

From Don Walker’sGraduation RemarksOver the years I have collected dozens of quotationsthat express my ideas much better than I can. Today I am going to share a few of my favorites with you,beginning with Henry David Thoreau, “What is theuse of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on?” And Frank Lloyd Wright, “Heavencouldn’t be as beautiful as nature on earth.”

Students have often heard what my undergraduateprofessor, Stanley Hart White, convinced me of, “Theearth and the cosmos IS design.” This may be the firsttime you have heard Ruth Parnall’s explication: “Asyou come to understand the magnificent organizationof natural systems, you can’t help but realize thatchanging the natural landscape (or the human body, or the genes of bacteria) is not making order out ofchaos. Changing nature is making chaos out of order.”

Here are some quotes about designing. The first oneis my own. “Landscape design should not be exteriordecoration, not the ego-trip of an outdoor ‘artiste,’ not the latest fad nor the conventional destruction ofnatural habitat for neighborhood neatness. To designwell requires intelligence, logical thinking, knowledgeof natural systems, understanding of human desiresand foibles, and a very large scoop of imagination andinventiveness. Add to that list a blind sense of hopewhich allows one to persevere against all indications of powerlessness, against the tide of non-sense.”

Here is a quote that students have heard once ortwice before. “Everything should be made as simple as possible but not simpler.” That’s a tricky one fromAlbert Einstein. From Buckminster Fuller, “When I am working on a problem, I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when Ihave finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

A series of maps of the lower 48 states illustratesthe cessation of the existence of virgin forests between1620 and 1940. Similar maps could be made for grassland, wetland, species of plants or animals. They all would have similar characteristics and conveythe identical message.

In Futures by Design, Douglas Abermathy wrote,“This is heaven, right here. This is it. Give it all you’vegot.” For the future well-being of my grandchildren,your grandchildren and all living things, I implore you, let us all give it all we’ve got.

Sand

y Ro

ss

con'text

Striving for Fit: Repairing the Human Connection toNature, was the title we chose for a colloquium heldJuly 2 at CSLD honoring Don Walker’s contribution to the school over the last twenty-six years. CarolFranklin, principal of Andropogon Associates and along time friend of Don, moderated a lively daylongsequence of presentations and discussion touching onthe work of all the CSLD community.

Distinguished ecologist Steward T.A. Pickett led off, sharing his hope for a working partnership withdesign in a talk he titled, “Conceptual Foundations forRepairing the Flux of Nature.” He explained that thefield of ecology is working with a new paradigm whichframes sustainability as a stable dynamic of changerather than a stable state. Natural and human distur-bance and repair are the invariants with which wework. The inference for designers, he concludes, is that the critical value to be sought in a landscape or an ecosystem is resilience.

Noted author Evan Eisenberg urged us to look atpattern and process as a way to understand our placein the natural world. We can appreciate that humanbeings are an inextricable part of the ecosystem by recognizing the legacy effect of our time on earth.Fields plowed 800 years ago, abandoned and“reclaimed by nature” continue to this day to expresshuman intervention in patterns of disruption on theground. Carol Franklin reiterated Evan’s point that

these patterns are tools we can use to appreciate ourplace in the world, “examining and claiming our her-itage, the loss of it, the repair of it….”

In his talk, “Wright and Wrong in Phoenix: UrbanEcology and the American Dream,” Evan noted thatby the year 2007, half the world’s people will live incities. To survive, humans will need to participate morefully with the process of nature, moving beyond theirpassive affinity for grass and trees to a more activepartnership with the ecologies in which they live.

This question of how to live successfully in citieswas addressed in remarks by Darrel Morrison, read byKen Byrne. Reflecting on his own lived experience of asingle day in the city, “Summer Solstice in New York”was Darrel’s thoughtful essay on human response tothe often barren phenomena of modern urban life.Bringing people and nature into a healthy balancerequires designers to provide access to the process ofthe natural world, including public spaces dedicated tosupporting genuine dialogue with the process of flux.

John Reynolds, Senior Fellow with the NationalPark Foundation, addressed these issues at the nationalscale, further speculating on our obligation to preserveand restore the ground of experience that is our legacy.He noted, “most of our childhood landscapes havebeen obliterated.” If experience is a good teacher, thenwe need to ensure that our legacy is not the extinctionof experience through the extinction of the places

Honoring Don BY GINNY SULLIVAN AND RUTH PARNALL

Sean Gaffney ’04, Trustee Jonathan Tauer, Lela and Lizzy Gaffney,

Sarah and Beatrice Tauer

Randy Griffith and Don Ruth Parnall and Don

Jenn

ifer

Luck

Jenn

ifer

Luck

Car

rie M

akov

er

con'text

where it can occur. Much is at stake. John argued forgoing beyond the idea of National Parks to that ofNational Heritage Areas. The way forward is not ideological, but rather to work toward agreement on a shared picture, just as Bill MacLeish would say wecan develop agreement on a story. Both pictures andnarrative are thus important tools for preserving place.

Writer and storyteller Bill MacLeish suggested thatthe key to our survival lies in understanding the storyof our dependence on the natural world. This story, he surmised, will develop “In Place” (the title of histalk). In a world heading “down the road to ecologicalsuicide,” where environmentalists are having difficultybeing heard, Bill argued for place as the middle groundbetween science and faith, the ground where we canmeet to discuss ideas in relative calm. In 1970, whenrivers were literally bursting into flame and the EPAhad new regulatory power, we had both discrete issuesto solve and tools to fight with. In fact, “a lot ofAmericans thought the job was just about done.”

Conversely, in the world today we must try tounderstand and reverse complex and often terrifyingglobal trends that defy discrete solutions. To preserveour heritage, he suggests that we must re-experienceand re-learn our place within the ecosystem by partici-pating in the narrative of our own particular places.

In fact, this universal call for an engaged dialoguewith particular places links each speaker to the heartof Don’s life and teaching. Don, himself, expressed thequality of engagement with nature that is required ofus in an article he wrote for Landscape Journal (Jan.1993) describing influences which shaped his designphilosophy. Relating his mother’s tears as a youngsterwhen a neighborhood urban woodland was replacedby an asphalt “playground,” he went on to describehis own summer camp explorations:

But most memorable are the times after long slow rainswhen the forest is still misty, the leaves shed their last silver drips, the moss is a brilliant luxuriant carpet, andthe little red efts miraculously appear as scurrying flame-orange apparitions on moss and brown leaves.

His life’s work has been “to protect efts, resist pavements, and prevent tears.”

Sunday Brunch: A Gathering of Friends and AlumniClear blue skies and mild summer temperatures provided a welcome setting for over 100 guests who gathered at our hilltop campus on Sundaymorning July 3 to honor Don Walker. A range ofpeople came to bid farewell and to pay tribute to his many contributions to CSLD as a teacher, director, taskmaster, mentor, meliorist and allaround fix-it man.

Alumni, along with their family and friends camefrom 15 states and Canada. Friends and long timesupporters of the school came from near and far,including Bill Gundermann, Bob and Mary Merriam,Don and Betty Fitzgerald, and Hal and Fran Hatch.Our caterers Bruce and Jeanne Jouannet were hereas guests for a change. Also present were theschool’s first board chair, David Bird, along withother current and past board members. Former faculty Randy Griffith and Maureen BuchananJones came, as well as previous accounting manager Janice Wood. The school’s founder andfirst director Walt Cudnohufsky and his wife Susanwere part of the occasion, as were incoming direc-tor Paul Cawood Hellmund and his wife Joan.

Ruth Parnall and Ginny Sullivan were a greathelp in setting up this event, aided by John andSusan Gutting and alumna Laura Stack.

(from left) speakers Bill MacLeish, Steward T.A. Pickett,

(below) Bethany Atkins ’04 and Crystal Hitchings ’04

Car

l Hei

deK

irste

n Ba

ringe

r

Car

rie M

akov

er

1973 Barbara Barros launched StrataVarious, Inc. to promote newly available HyperMapAtlas software templates for organizing project data and graphics into a dynamic,multi-layered map. The patented Strata-Various data visualization technology elimi-nates multiple layer map clutter by allowingthe user to continuously show and hide fea-tures so only the selected information is visi-ble (www.StrataV.com/HyperMapAtlas.html).

1975Peter Dailey is principal of Dailey DesignGroup, Inc., a land use consulting firm inSarasota, FL. He continues to work withdevelopment and permitting. His son Austin,17, ranked 230th in USA Tennis and daugh-ter Caroline, 10, ranked 20th. Jack Hannulawon first place in painting from the Arts Clubof Washington. His work is currently exhibit-ed at Phoenix Gallery/Gallery 325 on CapitolHill and at the Andrei Kushnir Michele TaylorGallery in New York.

1977William Richter continues his work onHartford, CT’s Riverwalk. The most recent .5-mile stretch included an unprecedentedgate opening in the flood dike to achievepublic, on-grade access to the ConnecticutRiver. He is planning the Lincoln FinancialSculpture Walk featuring four dozen selectedsculptures on both sides of the river.

1978Robbin Peach is on sabbatical from herposition as the Executive Director for theMassachusetts Environmental Trust and is currently a Robert F. Bradford Fellow atHarvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

1979Ken Botnick will be in residence at theNational Institute of Design in Ahmedabad,

India for four months on a FulbrightFellowship beginning December 2005. Heand his wife Karen celebrated 20 years ofmarriage last May. His daughter Claire beganher second year at Mount Holyoke College.Karen, Claire, and Molly, 15, will join him in India. In his new title as Director ofBusiness Development with AIDS Housing of Washington, Donald Chamberlain isexploring the needs across the state for additional funding, training, capacity buildingand leadership to assist the State in meetingits goal of reducing homelessness by 50%over the next ten years. Over the past year he has visited with Tom and BarbaraSargent (“and their fabulous kids”) in theBay area, as well as David Ivancic andJeannine Furrer. He writes, “I’m hopingthat Don Walker wanders out this way. SorryI wasn’t here for you, man, but I was up onMt. Rainier!” After a four-generation familyreunion of 30 on an Alaskan cruise inAugust, he is looking forward to enjoying thefall. Margaret (Peg) Read-Weiss was hiredat the Shady Hill School to teach art and isalso doing her own artwork. Her daugherMarina is a sophomore at Amherst Collegeand her son Logan is a junior in high schoolat the Cambridge School of Weston. Shewrites, “Fred and I send our best to all myclassmates. I’d love to hear from you guys!”

1980Christopher Gallagher is Principal Landscape Designer at Gallagher DesignAssociates in Framingham, MA. Bryne Kellyis president at The STUDIO @ The GreenfieldsCompany, Inc. in Takoma Park, MD.

1981Jeanne Furstoss practices occupationaltherapy in Oakland, CA. Her daughter isstudying Landscape Architecture at theUniversity of California.

Robyn Jones is a massage therapist andcranio-sacral practitioner in private practiceon Whidbey Island in the Puget Sound.Having completed training in SpatialDynamics, she teaches movement andsinging to adults through the Sound CircleCenter in Seattle. Her daughter Hana Bloomwill graduate from the Hazel Wolf WaldorfHigh School this June and her son Toby is inthe 10th grade on Whidbey Island. She has 2 cats, a dog and a beautiful old sailboat thatshe is restoring with fiance, David Malony.

1982John Hamilton joined Masson & Associates,Inc. in Escondido, CA as a Senior LandPlanner. After five years doing environmentalimpact assessments, he is happy to return to land planning, a department his companywill be looking to expand in the near future.He and his wife Jane have been in Californiafor five years and report, “we miss ourfriends in Massachusetts (where we lived for 25 years), but not the winter weather.”

1983 Phyllis Croce is a Landscape RestorationSpecialist/Public Education Coordinator forthe Jefferson County Metropolitan SewerDistrict in Louisville, KY. The job includes roles as watershed coordinator, interagencycoordinator for local and state governmentalagencies and instructor for an outdoor class-room course for public school teachers whoproduced the State of the Streams Report forthe Beargrass Watershed, published August2005. She reports that “the corporate nativelandscape” was almost wiped out due tomisunderstanding and lack of maintenanceknowledge. Her agency turned things aroundquickly with public education and a ConsentDecree with state and federal EPA. PriscillaDavies Brennan is a Landscape Designer forthe Professional Landscape Association, asmall design/build company in Schneckville,PA. Her husband Andrew is president of thecompany. Their son Will, 14, works with the crews during the summer months whenhe’s not busy with marching band and other activities. Their daughter Erin, 12, has recovered from a broken femur injured in a soccer game last spring. Priscilla serveson the Heidelberg Township Land PlanningCommission and the Environmental AdvisoryCouncil. Dean Maynard owns SummerStreet Gardens in Lanesborough, MA. Heoffers garden supplies, plants and landscapedesign services showcased in demonstrationareas. Peter Owens completed a PhD inUrban Design/Environmental Planning fromthe University of California, Berkeley inAugust 2005 with the dissertation BeyondDensity: Measuring Neighborhood Form inNew England’s Upper Connecticut RiverValley. He has also been working on theVermont Neighborhood Project, which devel-oped a model of smart growth urban design

con'text

News from Alumni

Sand

y Ro

ss

Shawn Callaghan ’05 and Ben Falk ’05

con'text

guidelines for three neighborhood develop-ment sites in Addison County. It was awardedProject of the Year (2005) from the VermontPlanners Association. His son James, 8, isentering 3rd grade and daughter Amanda, 6, is entering 1st grade. Carolyn Radisch, his wife, works for the ORW, LandscapeArchitects and Planners in Norwich, VT, witha specialty in transit-oriented development.

1984David Jacke’s new book, Edible ForestGardens (with Eric Toensmeier) receivedfavorable review by Verlyn Klinkenborg in the June 5, 2005 New York Times as offering“a vision of the garden that reaches wellbeneath its aesthetic surface and into its ecological depths.” Kathleen Kerivancompleted an M.S. in environmentalstudies/conservation biology at Antioch New England. Early successional habitat management and GIS mapping are the subjects of her thesis. She recently purchaseda house in Ashfield, MA across the streetfrom Walt Cudnohufsky, where she wouldlike to start a native plant nursery. Her 19year-old son has joined her there while onleave from Hampshire College.

1985Mary Parker owns her own landscape/interior design company, Mary ParkerDesigns, in Northampton, MA. She is a consultant for the Wisteriahurst Museum inHolyoke and the Fischer Home in Amherstand gives lectures on garden history.

1986 Donna Eldridge is a LandscapeDesigner/Planner and Partner at CleaverDesign Associates. She lives in Lafayette, CA.Bill Halleck is now an elected MunicipalEnvironmental Compliance Specialist at theCity of San Jose, CA, while still serving as a board member of the North Willow GlenNeighborhood Association and the SiliconValley Gay Lesbian Bisexual TransgenderDemocratic Club. Divorced after 18 years ofmarriage and a child, he has been with hispartner, Tom Smith, for 2 1/2 years. An ener-getic personal trainer, Bill lives close enoughto work that he frequently bikes, and dedi-cates his life to the environment. CarrieMakover reports she is “sort of ‘retired,’ but very busy doing website project manage-ment, and of course, CSLD!” Jean-PierreMarcoux is a Regional Park Planner andCoordinator in Rawdon, Quebec. He saysprojects “meet with resistance from some of the local population, and relief and excite-ment from others.” Janet McLaughlinworks for the state of Maine as Director ofSchool Construction. Michael Thornton ishead of the humanities department at theDenver School of the Arts. His wife Donna’sbusiness, Altieri Instrument Bags, has anupdated website: altieribags.com. His sonDexter graduated from the Pratt Institute

with a degree in Industrial Design; he workedfor ADB (Architectural Design Build) in NewYork City and recently returned to Denver topursue a design career.

1987Steve Stranz is a Landscape Architect withthe design/build firm Young’s LandscapeManagement, Inc. in Moorestown, NJ. KarenTiede published the book Carve Smart: 100Chainsaw Carvers from Around the WorldAnswer Questions About Carving. She is awriter and a sculptor, specializing in “jewelryfor the garden and the world’s finest penguindecoys.” She lives in Moncure, NC.

1988Helen Anzuoni has begun the process oftaking the Landcape Architecture RegistrationExamination in Nevada. She completed thethree multiple choice sections in July andhopes to take the remaining two sections inDecember. Helen is a landscape designer/planner at LJM Design Group in Truckee, CA.Michael Goldfinger completed his radiol-ogy residency in June and reports he’s“arrived at his final career stop.” He and his wife Jennifer have two daughters, Eva, 9, and Esme, 6. Jennifer is a children’s bookauthor/illustrator. They live in Norwood, MA.Claudia Kopkowski’s position as Land Protection Specialist for Mass Audubon was eliminated due to budget cuts. She is nowinvolved with Propeninsula, a conservationorganization protecting Baja California’sdunes and sea turtle habitat. She is exploringopportunities for habitat protection projectsin MA. Barbara Mackey has worked as apark planner with the National Park Service in Boston for 14 years. Her projects includethe Boston Harbor Islands, the Statue ofLiberty/Ellis Island, the Harriet Tubman homefeasibility study and the FDR & EleanorRoosevelt home. As president of The Friendsof Hall’s Pond, she assisted in wetlands

rehabilitation. Ginny Raub moved to Exeter,NH, where she serves on The ConservationCommission. She reports, “It is a very activeboard committed to preserving open spacesand creating spaces for public access. Theyhave an excellent trail system and a river-front park and walkway.” She continuesworking as a Title 1 tutor with the SeabrookElementary School in Seabrook NH, workingwith K–4th grades on reading and math skills and with the GED program on mathand algebra.

1989As Chair of Guildford, CT’s ConservationCommission, Jennifer Allcock prepared thetown’s first Natural Resource Inventory andAssessment, online at www.ci.guilford.ct.us.Cindy Knauf has started her own business,Cynthia Knauf Landscape Design in Mont-pelier, VT. Gordon Shaw continues to workfor Concord Land Conservation Trust in MA,focusing on land acquisitions, fundraising andproperty maintenance. He and Joy bicycledthrough Southern Bohemia in June, enjoyingPrague and the countryside. PamelaUnderhill writes, “As my children are growing into independance, I am able to findmore time to participate in ‘new’ learningadventures.” She participated in the 2004Trail-Making workshop at CSLD with PeterJensen and joined an exciting and innovativeinternational gathering at the Green Roofsconference in DC. Word of mouth has givenher enough work to choose design projects,and she continues to do art work. She andher husband are planning on adding a porch to their home, with the goal of makingthe roof a garden and sitting area. The challenge, she says, will be finding the timeto sit. Jim Urban is Project Manager at LandDesign & Development, Inc., a planning/design firm staffed by several registered landscape architects which offers civil

2005 ANNUAL FUND/PHONATHONS

The FY ’05 phonathons held on Saturday, November 14, in Boston and Amherst,Massachusetts, and on Saturday, May 7th in Portland, Oregon, once again proved to beimportant vehicles for annual fund giving, raising $7,914 or 13% of the FY ’05 annualfund. Special thanks go to the volunteers and those who made their facilities or homeavailable for these efforts:

n Boston, MA, at the law offices of Duane Morris, LLP, available thanks to RichardSnyder: Candace Currie ‘97 and Judy Thompson ‘99, Co-Coordinators, WendyIngram ‘98, Sonja Kenny ‘02, Lauren Snyder Lautner ’90 and Roger Plourde ‘97.

n Amherst, MA, at the office of Blair, Cutting and Smith Insurance Agency: Carla Cooke‘92, Sue Crimmins ‘97, Sean Gaffney ‘04, Anna James ‘99, Jen Luck ‘00, DavidNordstorm ‘04, Cindy Tavernise ‘99, and staff: Nancy Braxton, Ken Byrne, IlzeMeijers and Don Walker.

n Portland, Oregon, at Lupin Hill’s home: Lupin Hill ‘04, James Allison ‘04 and KarenLamson ’01.

con'text

engineering and surveying services. He assists in writing comprehensive plans, zoning andsubdivision regulations, stormwater manage-ment plans, architecture and landscapedesign regulations and has provided experttestimony in court cases.

1990Wendi Goldsmith’s expanding set of clientshas allowed her to bring “a Conway styleperspective” to agencies/projects such as theNJ DOT, whose project PortWay plans multi-purpose greenways throughout Newark andvicinity to carry and treat stormwater, providehabitat linkages and introduce bike and walking trails between formerly isolatedneighborhoods, open space and workplaces.Her team played the leading role in conserv-ing a 62,000-acre former army property withspecial resource value. She says she is “con-tinually inspired and relieved to find that landstewardship approaches are embraced byorganizations formerly known for the oppo-site tendency, and often all that is needed is a rigorous and persuasive outline of how andwhy to do it.” The Bioengineering Group ishiring for various positions, entry level andabove. www.bioengineering.com.

1992Christopher Elkow won third place in the2005 APLD Design Awards for residentialdesigns of $150,000 and over. He is a design-er at Elise Landscapes and Nursery in NewCanaan, CT. His dog Duby (who was at CSLD)died. Bailey, a new puppy, is keeping every-one busy. Kiera is in 4th grade and Sadi is in1st grade. Vincent Falcione is the superin-tendent of the Fresh Pond Reservation for theWater Department of Cambridge, MA. JohnSaveson left Walt Cudnohufsky Associates.He is busy raising children and moving intoRocky Hill Cohousing, a new cohousing community in Northampton, MA.

1993Sunnifa Deehr designs landscapes forfriends and family near Fairbanks, AK. She isa music teacher, gives private violin lessonsand performs with a quartet. Jim Donahueis the head horticulturist at Green AnimalsTopiary Garden in Portsmouth, RI. He is work-ing on garden restoration and the installationof a new hummingbird garden. Beth Ferrarienjoys her work as Program Administratorwith the Genesee Waterways Center, a non-profit organization promoting paddling, row-ing and related activities near Rochester, NY.Ann Sinclair reports that after three years of running her own design company, AnnSinclair Landscape Design in Jamaica Plain,MA, the volume of work has increased and is approaching a sustainable income with asatisfying diversity of properties and clients.

1994Grey Angell bought Bookends, the usedbookstore on Maple Street in Florence, MA

where he has worked for seven years. Thestore has a large selection of “CSLD-typebooks” and he’d love for students and alumni to stop by. He tries to stay involvedwith planning and design by doing a projecteach year. Lynn Harper recently completedwork on the Massachusetts ComprehensiveWildlife Conservation Plan, a federallyrequired set of strategies for conserving theanimals at risk in the state. Jeffery Hortonowns HORTicultural Resources, a wholesaleplant nursery in Gray, ME. Melissa Mourkasowns Landscape Legacy in Sacramento, CA,offering garden design, master planning, and historic and native landscapes. MarthaPetersen owns Martha Petersen LandscapeDesign in Kittery, ME and provides services in residential and community landscapedesign and construction management withemphasis on coastline vegetative buffersusing native plants.

1995 James Cowen is Senior Wetland Scientist at Environmental Planning Services inStonington, CT. His current projects includeThe Preserve, a 1,000 acre open space/golf course/residential development. Jamesand Pamela Jean Lewis were married inSeptember 2004. Kristin Fletcher was busy weathering hurricanes this summer inGainsville, Florida where she is a SpanishProfessor at Santa Fe Community College.She traveled to Costa Rica and Oregon thisyear. Cynthia Hayes owns MozaicLandscape design in Sunol, CA. A NativeAmerican/multi-cultural residential landscapedesign (reflecting her family’s origin) is fea-tured in the September ‘05 issue of SunsetMagazine (“Viva Mexico”). Last year a designwas featured in WaterShapes trade maga-zine. She is working on her first greenroof of approx. 8,000 sq. ft. She is remarried toFrancisco Villa, who runs Villa LandscapeConstruction and installs most of her designs.Amy Klippenstein’s Sidehill Farm inAshfield, MA has begun a mid-week pickupfor people who do not own shares in any of the local CSAs but would like to buy localorganic produce. She also supplies localrestaurants with unique produce, such aspurple carrots and lemon cucumbers.Christopher Rice owns Designs for NativeLandscapes in Newcastle, ME, specializing in residential and commercial design. SusanRosenburg reports “All kids are out of college, hurrah!!!” She is chair of Canopy:Trees for Palo Alto (CA) and is a board mem-ber of the Palo Alto Art Center. She recentlymanaged a friend’s campaign for city council,and is “still cooking, futzing in the garden,and reading.”

1996Jeanne Azarovitz offers independentdesign consultation as JLA Associates inPocasset, MA. She also works as a substitute

teacher in her children’s Montessori school.Her son Trevor is starting preschool and herson Jacob is entering 2nd grade, reading andwriting Braille. She tries to stay ahead of himin learning Braille so she can at least checkhis homework. Marcia Fischer and her part-ner Ted Enderlein welcomed their daughterPiper, born June 6, 2004. Marcia left herposition at Sheldon and Associates and isnow self-employed, working in collaborationwith two others on ecological restorationprojects in Seattle, WA. Andrew Franch isthe lead designer at Snow Creek Nursery andLandscaping, Inc., a design/build firm special-izing in sustainable landscapes in Asheville,NC. Amy Spencer Ackroyd relocated to theOlympia, WA area. Sylvie and Rae welcomedtheir baby brother Rowan, born July 1, 2005.

1997Sue Crimmins just moved to Florence, MAand is excited about working with a CSLDstudent on a residential design of her newproperty. Candace Currie and her spouseEdi bought a home in Watertown, MA inMay. She now walks or rides her bike to workeveryday! She is the Mapping and PlanningProjects Manager for Mt. Auburn Cemetaryin Cambridge, MA. Selina Lamb has movedto Great Barrington, MA and continues herlandscape design business, Selina Lamb LTD.Christine (’97) and Jim McGrath (’98) stillenjoy living and working in the Berkshireswith their son Ian, who will be 3 in January.Jim’s responsibilities as Director of thePittsfield Parks Department now includemaintaining the city’s school grounds andathletic fields, and he was appointed thecity’s Harbormaster. Christine continues atOkerstrom Lang Landscape Architects inGreat Barrington, MA. Recent projectsinclude Renfrew Park improvements inAdams, MA and work on numerous lakefrontbuffer designs for private residences onPontoosuc Lake. Barbara Popolow boughta retail garden business in Arlington, MA

Wynne Wirth ’98 and son Owen Thomas Coon

Car

rie M

akov

er

con'text

called Derby Farm Flowers and Gardens. Shecontinues to do landscape design. Sergevan der Voo is Landscape Project Managerat Glacier Hills Rehabilitation Community inAnn Arbor, MI. The 40-acre campus masterplan calls for a new outdoor amphitheatre, alarge retention pond with native plants, resi-dent garden plots and single family homes.

1998Matthew Arnsberger is the sole proprietorof Piedmont Environmental Planning &Design in Carrboro, NC. Peter Freisemoperates Cricket Hill Landscapes, specializingin design, installation and maintenance, inConway, MA. Brian Higgins married JillWeems on August 27, 2005. They live inSeattle, WA. Wendy Ingram is a Transporta-tion Planner and GIS Analyst for the Metro-politan Area Planning Council in Boston. Herwork concentrates on bicycle and restorationplanning, scenic byways and the MetroFutureProject. She is active in the Neponset RiverWatershed Association as a water qualitymonitor and is a member of the MiltonVillage Revitalization Committee and theNeponset Greenway Council. She enjoyed thesummer bicycling with relatives fromGermany and Iowa. For news on JimMcGrath, see Christine McGrath (’97).Sally Naser works as Boundary ProgramManager for the Appalachian TrailConservancy in Boiling Springs, PA. She maintains NPS Exterior Corridor Boundariesfrom Virginia to Maine and assists NPS fieldrangers with encroachment issues and remediation. Darcie (Woodruff) Perkinsdesigned a native landscape for an elemen-tary school near her home in DrippingSprings, TX. The beautification project useddrought-tolerant plants native to Texas hillcountry and attractive to birds. She is work-ing with a literature-based art enrichmentorganization to create an outdoor space thatactively engages young children and offersnature-based art and exploration. She hasbegun homeschooling her two young chil-dren. There is potential to combine her inter-ests in outdoor education and landscapedesign into a future business opportunity.Wynne Wirth and her partner Pat Coon celebrated the birth of Owen Thomas Coonon September 24, 2004. Wynne enjoysspending days with Owen while Pat operatesEnergyworks, a mechanical contracting company that specializes in energy-efficientheating systems (radiant floors, wood andpropane-fired boilers), solar hot water, on-demand water heaters, super-insulated tanks,solar electric systems (off-grid and grid-tie)and wind power. They live in Liberty, ME.

1999Paul Esswein is Director of Planning andCommunity Development for the town ofFarmington, NH. Ben Hren is Head of Formal Education for the World Wildlife

Federation-UK in Surry, England. He is co-author (with A. Birney) of Pathways: A Development Framework for SchoolSustainability and One School at a Time: A Decade of Learning for Sustainability (avail-able at www.wwflearning.org.uk). Pathwayshas been adopted by England’s Departmentfor Education and Skills as a national modelfor school sustainability and is the centerpieceof a new sustainable development govern-ment website for teachers. He works for theUK Sustainable Development Commission inthe Department for Education and Skills tosupport the development of the website andto develop additional web-based tools forschools, including: a sustainable developmentclassroom resource review tool, a sustainableschool self-assessment method and a schoolenvironmental assessment method. CindyTavernise is working on detailed existingconditions drawings for the BerkshireBotanical Gardens in Stockbridge, MA. She is painting a series of large Russian land-scapes (5’x7’), from photographs taken onher trip after graduation from CSLD. Her husband Silvio is the manager of computersystems for the city of Westfield, MA. Herdaughter Sabrina is a staff writer for the New York Times and has spent extensive time in Baghdad. Niko, her son, filmed a documentary about the making of theWarner Brothers film, The Fountain. It will be included on the movie’s DVD to bereleased spring 2006.

2000Janet Curtis has left her position at theUniversity of Vermont and is pursuing aMasters degree in Public Policy at TuftsUniversity. Leslie Dutton Jakobs is a free-lance landscape designer, currently working

on residential and schoolyard design. Shelives in Germany with her husband Ralph,daughter Sydney, 4, and son Benjamin, 2.Carl Heide is the President of GardenWizard,Inc. in Beverly, MA. Judy Rice is finishing her fourth season with Three SeasonLandscaping, which is moving to a renovatedhistoric railroad depot in Henniker, NH by the end of 2005. She is looking forward todesigning new display gardens for prospec-tive clients. Teresa Rogerson is an alternatefor the U.S. West Coast Surf Kayak Team and will compete at worlds in Costa Rica in October 2005. Her landscape design/build business has slowed by choice, and she says she is “looking for a new path.” Judy Sherburne expanded her business J.L. Sherburne Designs to include installationand maintenance. She also manages the new Juneau, AK Arboretum and teacheslandscaping at the University of Alaska. She is on the committee writing the third and final edition of Gardening in SoutheastAlaska. Rebecca Way was married inSeptember 2005. She is the Town Planner in Windham, NH.

2001Karen Lamson designs riparian buffers and teaches conservation landscaping in her position as Conservation Technician for Wasco County, OR Soil and WaterConservation District. She is certified by the NRCS as a conservation planner. LoraMigliore Shelly and her partner ChristineShelly had a commitment ceremony in May 2004 and celebrated the birth of theirdaughter Sydney Phillips Shelly on November11, 2004. They live in Arlington, VA. AaronSchlecter will be speaking about meadowsat the 2006 Connecticut Flower & Garden

Cla

ss O

ver.

Phot

o by

San

dy R

oss

con'text

Show. He recently completed a park designfor Westchester County DEP in Rye Brook,NY, and is currently working on a wetlandrestoration in Roosevelt, NJ to improve turtlehabitat, as well as honing his technique forkilling Japanese knotweed and mile-a-minutewith several projects on Staten Island. Hiswork with Creative Habitat Corp. on thePryer Marsh in Mamaroneck, NY won anaward for successful habitat improvementand his pond study at Paine Lake in NewRochelle was covered in a half-page article inthe New York Times Westchester section onAugust 14, 2005. Robin Simmen is Manag-er of the Brooklyn Greenbridge CommunityHorticulture Program at the Brooklyn BotanicGarden in NY. Lesya Struz is a member ofthe Waltham Conservation Commission.Jason Williams was engaged in May to his “beautiful fiancée Gina.” He now workswith Milone and Macbroom, a large multi-disciplinary firm located in CT, ME, VT andSC. Working amongst surveyors, landscapearchitects/planners, engineers, scientists andconstruction managers has been rewarding.With little free time, he continues to run asmall business, Container Gardens, and workin gardens. He writes that he is looking for-ward to the winter winds. Francie FleckYeager works for Parker Garden Design, adesign/build firm in NH. She also tutors, leadsthe youth work program for GroundworkConcord and is responsible for the street treeplanting in town. She visited classmate TerryMarvel in Milwaukee and reports he is well.

2002Cindy Bright is a children’s librarian in Ware,MA. Ecology and wildlife are often the themefor library programs. Michael Cavanaghand his wife Sheri welcomed their son Julian Michael Cavanagh on March 9, 2005.Graham Claydon reports he is “much hap-pier since leaving Home Depot” and workingas a professional handyman. His new solarhot water heating system was featured in anarticle in the Shirley Oracle (MA) January 9,2005. Gove DePuy oversees on-site projectdevelopment and systems quality control forWastewater Gardens Indonesia, an ecologicalwastewater treatment company in Bali. He isworking to improve the system’s biodiversitycomponent. Sonja Kenny and classmateSelina Rossiter own Twinleaf Associates,specializing in residential and small commer-cial landscape design serving the greaterBoston area. Selina and her husband SandyColhoun have moved to Canterbury, NH.Andrea Morris writes, “Living EarthLandscapes is in the midst of very positivegrowth in the areas of landscape design,installation, consulting and management.”She completed several new designs which are being installed in phases and is involvedin ongoing landscape restoration projects of neglected properties and intense invasivespecies removal. Whitney Rapp is the first

Invasive Plant Coordinator at Glacier BayNational Park, AK. She is excited that theNational Park Service is proactive in protect-ing native species before invasives becomewell established in the region, as the largepopulations of moose and chain-saw lovers inAlaska hinder the growth of native woodyplants. Laurie Tanenbaum completed thefirst public Logan Square Illinois PrairieGarden. This was the first phase of an ongo-ing project of Logan Square Walks, a non-profit group involved in projects that encour-age bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly neighbor-hoods. Over 50 residents came to prep andplant beds in a 1/4 acre property next to anelevated train exit which had been an eyesoreof litter and hypodermic needles for years.The new plants are guarded and watered bylocal community groups. Her daughter Coryspent the summer working on the first U.S.Truth and Reconcilliation Commission inGreensboro, NC and her daughter Meganreceived a Bachelors degree from SmithCollege in May. She is heading to Mexico forSpanish lessons and then on to Cuba to studyhealth and agriculture systems.

2003Madeleine Charney works for the NewEngland Small Farm Institute in Belchertown,MA. She is assisting with a USDA/NRCS project to promote ecologically-sound grazingin the Chicopee River Watershed. She boughta condo in Granby, where the Mt. HolyokeRange State Park is literally in her backyard.Terra Freeman DeMedici spent the firsttwo post-graduate years as the LandscapeManager of an environmental education cen-ter located in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains,where she put to use her Conway-inducedgarden and trail design skills. In the fall of

2005, she ventured into operating her ownlandscape design business, Grounds forNature. She continues to happily reside inBerkeley Springs, WV, with her husband Richand their growing menagerie of pets. BillJoyce was promoted to Project Manager atIsabelle Greene & Associates in SantaBarbara, CA, where he says they design envi-ronmentally sound landscapes with an artisticflare. He is engaged to be married to Nicolein September 2006 at a 40-acre manor in CT.They traveled to Tahiti and Moorea Island thissummer for a celebratory pre-wedding vaca-tion. Angela Kearney taught a course onlandscape play spaces for children at the NewEngland Wildflower Society’s Garden in theWoods and the Berkshire Botanical Garden inStockbridge, MA. She is engaged to JimmySeaborg. They plan a honeymoon sail in theCaribbean next year and hope to build a“green” house and start a native plant nursery in New England. Heather Nichols-Crowell and her husband Aaron are living in Edinburgh, Scotland while Aaron studies at the Edinburgh College of Art. AndrewRobertson moved to the Vail, CO areawhere he is a Land Planner/Designer at BraunAssociates. He is working on a land preserva-tion project for a ranch-style development inSteamboat Springs where his main objectivesare to protect wildlife, the riparian corridor,agriculture lands and the ridgeline. He andpartner Jennifer are training for a triathlon,climbing mountains, camping in Moab,snowshoeing, snowboarding and skiing.Mary Whitney is an independent consultantpracticing ecological landscape design. Shehas given presentations on organic landcareand landscape design to conserve and protectwater resources. She hopes to branch out

Matt ’04 and Michelle Bourne

Kirs

ten

Barin

ger

con'text

and use her undergrad degree in MarineAnthropology to do more with coastal issues.An anticipated move to the north shore ofBoston should help with that. AmandaWischmeyer is in the process of relocatingto Lima, OH where her husband has accepteda position with Proctor and Gamble. She willwork part-time as a civil engineer technicianuntil spring when she can start her owndesign/build business.

2004Bethany Atkins is the Lands ProgramDirector for the Sheepscot Valley ConservationAssociation in Newcastle, ME. The land trustfocuses on land protection, trail design anddevelopment in an area of important salmonhabitat. Kirsten Baringer has joined theranks of CSLD alumni working at WalterCudnohufsky Associates in Ashfield, MA. She spent the past year gathering a variety of design projects, including presentationdrawings for a local landscaper, working with CSLD toward a green facility plan, andediting Con’text. As editor, she’s finding itodd to write about herself in the third per-son. Matthew Bourne had a successful first year in Maine operating BourneLandscape, a design/build company. Hisdaughters Olivia and Mchale will turn 3 and4 in January. Josh Clague has created a GISdatabase of Scenic Hudson’s land and conser-vation easement holdings to aid with pre-serve management and easement monitor-ing. He also works with the NYS NaturalHeritage Program to ensure that the presenceof sensitive species and important habitatsinform land acquisition and managementdecisions. He and Tracey have moved to New

Paltz, NY where she has accepted a positionas a caretaker on a small farm. It was a hot,difficult summer, but it is a beautiful placeand they are happy to get all the fresh pro-duce they can eat! They plan a trip to St.Johns in the Virgin Islands this fall. JudithGriggs is presently splitting her timebetween two positions: as ConservationAgent for the Town of Maynard, MA and asPlanner for Deerfield, MA. She is also doingsome independent work with a realtor/developer in Templeton, MA to create moresustainable developments. She writes, “It isan interesting way to see how differenttowns handle state legislation, buildout andgrowth.” Lupin Hill is working on severalindependent landscape design projects inPortland OR. She lives in the same neighbor-hood as Tim Brooks (‘87) and they attendlocal land trust meetings together. KarenLamson (’01) also lives close by and hashelped Lupin with her job search. CrystalHitchings is a Landscape Planner/Designerwith Hillier and Associates EnvironmentalConsultants in Augusta, ME. After graduationfrom CSLD, she held an Americorps intern-ship with the Friends of the CobbosseeWatershed. She directed the “Slow the FlowProgram,” focusing on shoreline stabilizationand non-point source pollution preventionthrough ecological landscape design. Sheoversaw several work crews as they complet-ed 30 stabilization projects. She and Jeff planto visit the Azores this fall. Robin MacEwanis living in Seattle and working as aRestoration Planner with Jones and Stokes inBellevue, WA. She has also finished herMasters in Resource Management. LizabethMoniz owns Flying Mammoths Landscape

Design in Worcester, VT. Her house was featured in The House That Jill Built, a bookby Judy Ostrow, and in Vermont magazine inJuly/August 2005.

2005Ben Falk operates Whole Systems Design inMoretown, VT, a design/build company spe-cializing in landscape design, land planningand timber outbuildings for residences,schools and summer camps. He finished con-struction of a timber-framed (in the round)bathhouse with living roof started beforeCSLD. He is teaching a new course in micro-climate design at Yestermorrow and contin-ues teaching biofuel energy workshops acrossthe country. Projects on his own land includeplanting an orchard, landscaping with edibleplants, digging new ponds, laying up largestones for mammal habitat, building arammed-straw, wood-fired sauna and doinginterior renovations. He is working on a siteand outbuilding design-build project for asummer camp in New Hampshire. Eric Kornis President of Ecotone Land Designs, adesign/build company in Richboro, PA. He isworking on several patio design/installationprojects with pavers, fieldstone and free-standing walls. Kristin Nelson reports herdad was very happy she returned to hishouse in Buffalo, NY last summer, where shewill live until she considers moving elsewherefor work. She says she is “relieved and proudto be a CSLD alumna.” Del Orloske is start-ing up a landscape design/build company inFairfield County, CT. He writes, “Graduatingfrom CSLD and finding a new place for mywife and me to live and play was perhaps theheight of accomplishments for me this year.”He is currently working on a wildflowermeadow restoration project with pathwaysand trails and plans to continue to write andspeak about ecology and nature to variousage groups with the intention of improvingeco-literacy.The class of 2004 was well represented at the brunch for Don.

arrow arumPeltandra virginica

Shaw

n C

alla

ghan

con'text

during the academic year of 2005, CSLD alumniwere awesome in responding to calls for their helpwith three major initiatives: the search for a newDirector, the 10-year accreditation review, and theAnnual Fund, which included phonathons and thesilent auction. This is an opportunity to publicly thankall those who gave their time, energy and experience,as well as to communicate their knowledge of andenthusiastic dedication to the school, exhibited throughthese crucial drives. THANK YOU, one and all!

Director Search

Three candidates for the opening of CSLD Directorwere brought to the campus during December 2004and January 2005 for 3-day sessions with the DirectorSearch Committee, current students and alumni. Ahearty thanks goes to the following alumni for their role in this important process: Michael Cavanagh ’02,Madeleine Charney ’03, Sean Gaffney ’04, Sue Reed’87, Gordon Shaw ’89, Liz Vizza ’82, and SethWilkinson ’99.

10-Year Accreditation Review

On the third day of its visit to the CSLD campus, theNEASC visiting team met with those hardy alumniwho were not daunted by a major snow storm andfound their way to the campus. Thank you MollieBabize ’86, Sean Gaffney ’04, Sue Reed ’87, ChuckSchnell ’01, and Cindy Tavernise ’99.

Annual Fund

The FY ’05 Annual Fund, composed of fall and springletter drives, fall and spring phonathons and the end-of-year silent auction, brought in a total of $62,959,playing a vital role in enabling the school to mount its2005 operating costs. A total of 277 donors con-tributed, 192 alumni (or a fabulous 39% of the 491CSLD graduates through FY ’04) and 85 friends.(Another alumnus and 9 friends also contributed in-kind gifts (e.g. speaker fees) bringing in an additional$2,971 to the school’s unrestricted giving for FY ’05).Sincere thanks go to Annual Fund Chair CandaceCurrie for her fabulous leadership in a very successfulAnnual Fund campaign and to her terrific hard-work-ing committee composed of Michael Cavanagh ’02,Peter Phippen ’00 and Judith Thompson ’99.

Silent Auction

The first-ever CSLD silent auction mounted in July in connection with the colloquium/brunch celebratingDon Walker brought in $6,095, nearly 10% of theunrestricted gifts for FY ’05. It would never have happened without the nearly single-handed efforts of Board member Clémence Corriveau ’02, who conceived of and implemented this wonderfully successful first-time event. Special thanks to you,Clémence! Thanks also to Carrie Makover for heroversight, web-work and help in coordinating this ini-tiative. Finally, we are grateful to the 39 alumni andfriends who contributed items or events to the auctionand the 24 alumni and friends who purchased them.

Thank You, CSLD Alumni

PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A PLANNED GIFT to theConway School of Landscape Design. The simplestway to do this is through a bequest in your will, designating CSLD as a beneficiary. As mentioned in the2002 Con'text, three alumni led the way by includingCSLD in their wills. Since that time, three friends of the school have informed us that they also have madebequests to CSLD in their wills, for which we are mostgrateful. In addition, Jennifer Allcock ’89 thrilled uslast November when she informed us that she hadnamed CSLD as the beneficiary of a $100,000 annuity,adding, “I wonder if other alumni might be encouragedto do the same thing.” Thank you Jennifer! We hope

that your lead will indeed encourage others to includeCSLD in their estate planning.

In addition to or in lieu of a bequest in your will,there are many different planned giving tools that youcan consider, including naming the school as benefici-ary of your IRA, and life income arrangements such ascharitable gift annuities or charitable remainder trusts.Please feel free to contact Nancy Braxton, Administra-tive Director, to receive information on setting upinstruments such as these or to talk about yourthoughts concerning planned giving.(nebraxton@csld.edu, 413-369-4044)

Planned Giving

con'text

STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2005 (with comparative figures for 2004)

FY 2005 FY 2004UNRESTRICTED PUBLIC SUPPORT AND REVENUERevenue and Gains:Contributions 62,951 57,520In-kind contributions 2,971 4,775Tuition and fees 405,505 324,800Project fees 54,403 53,716Workshop fees 5,300 –Investment income 13,579 12,111Net realized and unrealized investment gains/losses (9,413) (12,824)Net realized gain on sale of property – (146)Miscellaneous income 3,304 2,051

Total Unrestricted Support and Revenue 538,600 442,003Net assets released from restrictions 12,334 31,930

TOTAL UNRESTRICTED SUPPORT AND REVENUE

AND NET ASSETS RELEASED 550,934 473,933

EXPENSESSchool activities 390,557 366,179Administration 81,522 78,211Fundraising 29,867 29,639Other expenses 44,947 –

TOTAL EXPENSES 546,893 474,029

NET CHANGE IN UNRESTRICTED NET ASSETS 4,041 (96)

TEMPORARILY RESTRICTED NET ASSETSContributions 14,044 28,342Interest earned—scholarship/loan fund 544 232Investment income—scholarship/loan fund 556 500Net assets released from restrictions (12,334) (31,930)

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN TEMPORARILY

RESTRICTED NET ASSETS 2,810 (2,856)

NET ASSETS AT BEGINNING OF YEAR 956,565 959,517

NET ASSETS AT END OF YEAR 963,416 956,565

INCREASE IN NET ASSETS 6,851 (2,952)

Annual Report Fiscal Year 2005

Capital Campaign Donors FY 2005THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FACULTY AND STAFF of the Conway School of Landscape Design are deeply grateful to the following individuals and institutions for their generous donations to the school’s Capital Campaign during the period July 1, 2004 through June 30, 2005. This support enabled us to make necessary improvements to the driveway (including regrading and widening the hairpin turn at the bottom and repairing and resurfacing the upperportion), install two woodstoves, replace the insulation for the carpet in studio A, and prepare for major roofrepairs in the fall of 2005. These improvements are vital to maintaining CSLD’s beautiful facility and campus.Thank you very much.

Henry Warren ArtDavid BirdRick Brown &

Anita Loose-BrownElisabeth Reese CadiganMichael Cavanagh

Donald ChamberlainArt CollingsArthur Collins IIMichael DobsonClémence CorriveauCandace Currie

Sarah Drew ReevesWendi GoldsmithWilliam GundermannLynn HarperBrian HigginsBetsy Hopkins

Claudia KopkowskiChristopher RiceJeffrey RichardsKatherine SchreiberAndrew & Nancy Smith

State St. Matching GiftsProgram

Jonathan TauerPeter & Susan Van BurenJ. Jackson WalterWynne Wirth

Summary of Operations FY 2005DURING FY ’05, the second year at CSLD’snew campus, the school’s net assetsincreased by approximately $7,000 despiteextraordinary non-operating expensesincurred in connection with two major initiatives: the 10-year accreditation reviewand the nationwide search for a new direc-tor. This continues the overall steady pic-ture of the school’s fiscal stability, with netassets approaching the million-dollar mark.The positive end-of-year balance is attribut-able not only to FY 05’s full enrollment of18 students and a sustained level of projectreimbursements, but also to the excellentAnnual Fund campaign, proceeds from thefirst CSLD silent auction and solid contri-butions to the school’s Capital Campaign.We are very grateful to all who made contributions to the Conway School ofLandscape Design in FY ’05.

bobolink

Lind

a Le

duc

con'text

Susanna AdamsJohn F. AhernJennifer AllcockJames AllisonKatherine AndersonMike & Marilyn

AndersonGeorge AnzuoniHelen AnzuoniMatthew ArnsbergerHenry Warren ArtJeanne AzarovitzMollie Babize &

Mary QuigleyYanhua Bao Jack BarclaySuzanne Barclay Susan Kiely BarryAina & David BartenArthur BartensteinBaltimore Community

FoundationTerence BeltraminiMark BethelBlair, Cutting & SmithLinda BetzDavid Bird Cynthia BoettnerMichele LoGrande

BongiornoCharlie BossonKen Botnick & Karen

WernerTerrence Boyle

& AssociatesSunnifa Deehr BradyNancy E. BraxtonBarbara Keene BriggsCindy & Eric BrightTim BrooksLarissa BrownRichard K. Brown &

Anita Loose-BrownJane Roy BrownBrown, Hart & KaplanDavid BuchananElisabeth Reese CadiganAlexander H.P. CalhounRalph A. CaputoJoan CaseyDonald ChamberlainJosh ClagueGraham Claydon

Russell A. CohenBruce ColdhamDavid B. ColemanArthur Collins IIJill Ker ConwayCarla Manene CookeClémence CorriveauSerge CorriveauJames CowenPhyllis CroceAmy CraigSue CrimminsWalter CudnohufskyBill CullinaCandace CurrieRuth B. CutlerEsther DanielsonMimi DarrowRobert DashevskyBrian DobynsHarry DodsonLea DoranGregory DrakeMark EdelmanArden EdwardsFreda & Evan EisenbergDonna EldridgeMarlene EldridgeChristopher ElkowJon & Barbara ElkowCarolyn EllisJonathon EllisonPaul EssweinDavid EvansLila FendrickElizabeth FerrariPatricia Finley &

Charles TaylorMarcia FischerDon & Betty FitzgeraldGeorge & Kristen FlatherAdeline FortierAndrew FranchThomas Fredrick, CPAPeter FreisemJeannine Keith FurrerJeanne FurstossSean GaffneyChristopher GallagherDr. & Mrs. Edgar

GarbischMary Garrett WilsonElisabeth Gick

Nat GoodhueSharyl GreenBradford M. GreeneGreenfield Savings Bank,

Conway branchRandy GriffithJudith GriggsWilliam GundermannSue & John GuttingJames & Alice HardiggLynn HarperNeil & Ann HarperFran & Hal HatchCynthia HayesAlma HechtCarl HeideJane Sexton HemmingsenLupin HillDavid & Marcia HoldenDaniel HolmesMichael HyltonIBMOlivia ImoberdorfWendy IngramJohn & Cynthia IrwinDavid JackeLeslie Dutton JakobsJudy & Bob JanowiakPeter JeswaldMaureen Buchanan JonesBill JoyceDaniel KadenSteve KellermannByrne H. KellyAnnice Kenan &

Jesse SmithSonja KennyKathleen KerivanAnne & John “Hiki”

KlauderPeter KlejnaAmy Klippenstein & Paul

LacinskiCindy KnaufKathleen Hogan KniselyNancy KnoxEero KolaKaren LamsonEd and Sandra LandauElsie H. LandstromBill LattrellLauren Snyder LautnerJorge Leal

Learning by the YardJackie LeopoldSusan LeopoldMark LeuchtenKaren LeveilleJason LongMarc & Susan LongDavid LynchRobin MacEwanBarbara MackeyCarrie MakoverMargaret &

Andrew MaleyAnn Georgia McCaffrayTim McClaranMassachusetts

Association ofConservationCommissions

Heather McCargoTom McCarthyThomas McCurryChristine & James

McGrathJanet McLaughlinIlze MeijersRobert & Mary MerriamRenny Merritt &

Janet TaftE. Lynn MillerWilliam & Melody

MontgomeryTerry MooreAndrea MorganteBrooke & Judith

Morowski HollisJames MourkasMary MourkasRobert MulcahyDonna MurphyGwendolyn & Andrew

Nagy-BensonMarilyn NordbyJohn NuzziRebecca OkrentOmgeo LLCWendy PageRuth ParnallRobbin PeachMary Crain PennimanMartha PetersenRoger PlourdeBarbara PopolowNata PostLinda & Ron ProkopyHeidi PutnamWhitney RappGinny RaubSarah Drew ReevesSeth ReynellsWalter Reynolds Design

Assoc. Ltd.Donald RichardWilliam & Sally RichterCatherine RiouxAnn R. RobertsAndrew RobertsonMelissa Robin &

Michael CaplanTeresa RogersonRose AssociatesSusan Rosenberg

David RosenmillerSandy RossAllen & Selina RossiterClarissa RoweJoel RussellStuart SachsBarbara & Tom SargentSheafe SatterthwaiteTina SchneiderChuck SchnellKatherine SchreiberAnnette SchultzBarbara & James ScottDonald R. ScottAngela SissonGordon & Joy ShawValerie ShulockRobin SimmenDiane SiroisAngela Sisson Patsy SlothowerRobert SmallAndrew & Nancy SmithGary SmithKaren Bess SmithRichard SnyderState St. Matching Gifts

ProgramLaura StackBruce StedmanJohn A. SteeleJudith StoneLesya StruzWilliam StreeterJonathan TauerCindy TaverniseBetsy & Brian TaylorW. Barry ThomsonFloyd Thompson Judith ThompsonRobert & Lydia McIntire

ThompsonBrinkley ThorneMichael ThorntonKate TroastAlison TrowbridgeJean TuftsPamela UnderhillJim UrbanMr. & Mrs. M. E.

Van BurenPeter & Susan Van BurenChris VanceLiz VizzaDonald L. Walker, Jr. J. Jackson Walter George WatkinsEric Weber & Barbara

YoungFrederick & Peg Read

WeissMiles WestonAnn Turner WhitmanJudith & Robert

WilkinsonSeth WilkinsonJudith WilsonMary Garrett WilsonLarry & Vicki WintersThomas & Helene WirthWynne Wirth

Donors FY 2005 THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FACULTY AND STAFF of the Conway School of Landscape Design extend deep appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their contributions credited to theschool’s 2005 fiscal year. This list includes unrestricted Annual Fund/Phonathon gift, as well as gifts-in-kind, donations to and purchases at the July silent auction and restricted donations (except CapitalCampaign gifts, which are reported on p.35). The generosity of all our donors was crucial to offering our unique graduate program inecological landscape design, planning and management during this fiscal year, contributing 12% of the school’s operating income, whichcovered 34% of operating costs (excluding salaries). We extend ourwarm and whole-hearted thanks to all of you.

We make every effort to acknowledge everyone’s generosity. If a mistake has been made, please accept our apology and contact us so that we may correct the error in our records.

Letter from the Chair

Dear Alumni and Friends:

I am honored to be the new Chairman of the Board ofTrustees of the Conway School of Landscape Designand continue the great strides that the school has takenover the last few years. In fact, your board would liketo pick up the pace.

You have heard it said that “nothing comes easy”and at this point, it is well worth acknowledging thetireless work of many to transform the school intowhat it is today. The volunteer efforts of Board mem-

bers, the cutting-edge curriculum guided by Jean and Ken, the outreach activitiesof the staff, the support of the alumni and friends all have contributed so much tothe school and its mission. It is also a time to recognize the dedication of DonWalker for 26 years at CSLD. In his own distinctive way, Don has led the trans-formation and defined what has become a timely mission for the school to follow. His leadership will be missed, but his message will live on.

The hiring of our new Director Paul Hellmund is the light that shines on thehill. He started in July and has already gotten the school to look “across scales”in promoting the Conway message. Our goal is to make a significant contributionin the cause for environmental and land design conscience in the world. It is trulyan exciting time for the school.

This year begins the 34th year of CSLD, and there is much to look forward to. The mission has never been clearer and the efforts to broadcast that missionwill be a primary focus. Students will write press releases on their projects, thefaculty will attend more national conferences and publish exciting articles andthere are plans to create a Conway Press to publish the ideas and concepts generated at Conway.

You are encouraged to come participate and learn. Our vision is not completewithout the continued and increased participation of the alumni and friends. Youcan anticipate more communication from the school and perhaps a visit from ourtraveling faculty and Trustees.

Thank you for your continued support and active interest in supporting theConway message.

Sincerely,

Art Collins ’79

foamflowerTiarella cordifolia

Deb

orah

Sm

ith

BOARD OF TRUSTEESArthur Collins II ’79 (Chair)Collins Enterprises LLCStamford, CT

William Richter ’77 (Vice Chair)Landscape ArchitectWest Hartford, CT

John Ahern University of Massachusetts, LARP, ChairAmherst, MA

Henry Art Williams College Biology Dept.Williamstown, MA

John S. BarclayUniversity of Connecticut,Wildlife Conservation CenterStorrs, CT

Clémence Corriveau ’02Landscape DesignerWest Hartford, CT

Candace Currie ’97Mt. Auburn CemeteryWatertown & Cambridge, MA

Nat Goodhue ’91Goodhue Land DesignStowe, VT

Amy Klippenstein ’95FarmerAshfield, MA

Carrie Makover ’86Consulting PlannerFairfield, CT

Donald Richard ’77Landscape ArchitectMarlborough, MA

Allen RossiterBuckingham, Browne and Nichols SchoolCambridge, MA

Jonathan TauerCellu-SprayColrain, MA

EMERITUS TRUSTEES

David BirdGordon H. Shaw ’89Bruce Stedman ’78

FOUNDING DIRECTOR

Walter Cudnohufsky

ADVISORSRichard K. BrownDarrow SchoolNew Lebanon, NY

John Hanning ’82GIS Database SpecialistMontpelier, VT

Richard HubbleFranklin Land Trust, Executive DirectorShelburne Falls, MA

David Lynch ’85MA Capital Asset ManagementWatertown, MA

William Montgomery ’91Landscape DesignerDanbury, CT

Darrel MorrisonUniversity of Georgia, Professor EmeritusWatkinsville, GA & NYC, NY

Ruth ParnallLandscape ArchitectConway, MA

Joel RussellLand Use AttorneyNorthampton, MA

Steven StangInvestment AdvisorSimsbury, CT

Jean

Ake

rs

The Class of 2005

From left to right: Back row; Johanna Stacy,

Karen Hardy, Christopher Stevenson, David

Campolong, Lincoln Smith, Don Walker, Jr.

Middle row; Stephanie Rubin, Nicholas Lasoff,

Linda Leduc, Eric Korn, Kristin Nelson, Todd

Lynch, Deborah Smith. Kneeling; Sandy Ross,

Ben Falk, Del Orloske, Erin Flather, Shawn

Callaghan. Missing from the photo: Sasha

Pilyavskiy.

NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. Postage

PAID

Permit No. 7

Conway, MA

South Deerfield RoadP.O. Box

Conway, MA

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

Conway School of Landscape Design