Washington, D.C., June 18, 2015—It’s National Pollinator Week, and Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), is helping to bring the issue of pollinator protection and the role of landscape architects to Capitol Hill.  In a congressional briefing broadcast today on Periscope, Somerville and her fellow speakers addressed the status of pollinator health, while describing solutions for bolstering the population of native pollinator species.

Today's briefing was hosted by U.S. Representatives Jeff Denham (CA) and Alcee L. Hastings (FL) of the Congressional Pollinator Protection Caucus in cooperation with the Pollinator Partnership and the American Society of Landscape Architects.

Somerville was joined by three experts in the field: Robert Snieckus, FASLA, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Anne Kinsinger, U.S. Geological Survey and Pollinator Task Force resource, and John Chandler, fourth-generation California farmer and agriculture advocate. The briefing was moderated by Laurie Davies Adams, executive director of the Pollinator Partnership, with additional remarks by Representative Denham on how the decline of pollinator populations is impacting the agriculture sector and the economy as a whole.

ASLA is a key player in promoting sustainable landscape design practices to improve pollinator habitat. ASLA is working with members of Congress, the administration and other stakeholders to ensure the enactment of  the Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment (BEE) Pollinator Protection Act (Highways BEE Act), a bipartisan bill introduced in Congress last week that will bolster the population of native pollinating species with the help of landscape architects.

About the American Society of Landscape Architects

Founded in 1899, ASLA is the national professional association for landscape architects, representing more than 15,000 members in 49 professional chapters and 72 student chapters. Members of the Society use "ASLA" after their names to denote membership and their commitment to the highest ethical standards of the profession. Landscape architects lead the stewardship, planning, and design of our built and natural environments; the Society’s mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education and fellowship.


Contact: 

Karen Grajales
American Society of Landscape Architects 
(202) 216-2371
Email Contact
@landarchitects