GCNN Virtual Fall Workshop
"Master Planning for Public Gardens: Strategies, Insights, and New Perspectives"
Thursday, November 5, 2020
10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time
Live on Zoom
SPEAKERS
Lauren Schmitt (PLA, ASLA, AICP) is a landscape architect, planner, and principal with M.I.G., and their Director of Pacific Northwest operations at the M.I.G. offices in Portland, OR. As a regional and national leader in the field, Lauren will discuss how master planning can help gardens anticipate and prepare for new challenges and opportunities, using creative and collaborative approaches to problem solving. Lauren leads M.I.G.’s parks and recreation planning practice; her 20+ years of experience include a wide range of planning and design projects from large public spaces, to more intimate, private properties. As an urban planner and landscape architect, Lauren has been involved in both policy planning and placemaking for clients nationwide on projects addressing a wide variety of needs.
Lauren’s colleague, Rachel Edmonds (PLA, ASLA), will share her insights into the unique planning and design needs of historic properties. Rachel is a landscape architect with ten years of experience in master planning and design/construction, with special expertise in historic preservation and cultural landscapes. She has worked at National Park and National Monument sites in the West, as well as on listed historic sites in multiple states. She understands the Secretary of the Interior's standards and the complexities of adapting historic properties to current needs, including how to sensitively meet ADA and accessibility requirements.
Colleen Adams-Schuppe is the Executive Director of the Yakima Area Arboretum, where she inspires people of all ages to discover and connect with nature through a diverse collection of plants, educational programs, and community events. Over the last four years, Colleen has been working with a group of Arboretum board members, community volunteers, staff, and hired professionals to develop a new master plan for the Yakima Area Arboretum. With the plan scheduled for completion in February 2020, she is looking forward to turning all these dreams into reality.
In 1992, Nancy Kartes was hired by City of Bellevue Parks & Community Services to help transform the dreams of community organizers into a flourishing botanical garden. The Bellevue Botanical Garden has grown to 53-acres of curated living collections that operate in partnership with ten horticultural organizations. Nancy is committed to the success of community partner groups, and to ensuring the Garden’s accessibility and relevance to the community, as these are essential to the success of Bellevue Botanical Garden.