Designing for Climate Change Resilience

Designing for Climate Change Resilience con'text Magazine of The Conway School //2 01 7// Faculty Administration Mollie Babize ’84 Bruce Stedman ’78 Planning + Design Executive Director Ken Byrne Ken Byrne Humanities Academic Director Anne Capra ’00 Dave Nordstrom ’04 Planning Finance Director Kate Cholakis ’11 Nancy Braxton Landscape Planning + Alum Coordinator Design Kate Cholakis ’11 Kim Erslev Admissions Manager Landscape Design, Site Rachel Lindsay ’15 Engineering, Graphics Publications Manager CJ Lammers Priscilla Novitt ’07 Planning Senior Administrator Bill Lattrell Kristin Thomas ’10 Ecology Project Manager Rachel Loeffler Dave Weber ’15 Site Engineering + Campus Manager Landscape Design Elaine Williamson ’11 Glenn Motzkin Event Coordinator Ecology Jono Neiger ’03 Board of Trustees Regenerative Design Keith Ross, Chair Keith Zaltzberg LandVest Digital Design Warwick, MA Stephen Thor Johnson, Visiting Instructors Vice Chair + Clerk Michael Ben-Eli North American Land Trust Sustainability Chadds Ford, PA Walt Cudnohufsky Timothy A. Umbach, Design Process Treasurer Northampton, MA Edwina von Gal Landscape Architecture Mitch Anthony Clarity David Jacke ’84 Northampton, MA Permaculture Janet Curtis ’00 Erik van Lennep ’83 Union of Concerned Sustainability Scientists Climate Program John O’Keefe Cambridge, MA Ecology Marianne Jorgenson Keith Ross ALPINE Conservation Innovation Cambridge, MA Joel Russell Nicholas Filler Conservation Law Conway, MA Dana Tomlin John O’Keefe GIS Harvard Forest Petersham, MA Greg Watson Food Systems Theresa Sprague ’08 Ecological Landscape Alliance The Conway School Harwich, MA of Landscape Design 322 S. Deerfield Road Charles Tracy PO Box 179 US National Park Service Conway, MA 01341-0179 Boston, MA 180 Pleasant St. Studio 211 William B. Sayre Easthampton, MA 01027 Wm. B. Sayre, Inc. Williamsburg, MA The mission of the Conway School is to explore, (413) 369-4044 www.csld.edu develop, practice, and teach design of the land Emeritus Trustees Nicholas T. Lasoff ’05 David Bird (d. 2007) that is ecologically and socially sustainable. Editor Gordon H. Shaw ’89 Bruce Stedman ’78 Rachel Lindsay ’15 Project Manager Past Directors The Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc., a Massachusetts non-profit corporation Allison Gramolini ’16 Walter Cudnohufsky organized under Chapter 180 of the General Laws, is a school of sustainable landscape Corrin Meise-Munns ’16 Founder, Director design and land use planning. As an equal opportunity institution, we do not con’text Interns (1972–1992) discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital or veteran status in the administration of educational, Lilly Pereira, Murre Creative Donald Walker ’79 admissions, employment, or loan policies, or in any other school-administered program. Kristen Winstead, Director (1992–2005) Sund Studio Paul Cawood Hellmund © 2017 con’text is published by The Conway School of Landscape Design, Inc. Design Director (2005–2015) All rights reserved. John Baldwin Bruce Stedman ’78 Priscilla Novitt ’07 Contributing Writers con'text Magazine of The Conway School //2 017//

FEATURES

04 Implementing Resilient Systems Robbin Peach ’78 on asking the right questions and bringing key players together to understand the implications of a changing climate.

08 From Rural Costa Rica Professional photographer Gioia Kuss ’99 shares images and reflections from her David Bird International Service Fellowship.

11 Be Curious. Create Masterpieces. Tell Stories. Claudia J. Ford asks the class of 2016 to imagine, design, and repair the world.

DEPARTMENTS

RAINGARDENS FOR CITY STREETS 02 From the Directors 14 Class of 2016 A message from Conway Highlights from the first As part of their green streets design for the X Intersection in the Forest Hills neighborhood of Springfield, Massachusetts, codirectors Bruce Stedman year with two cohorts of Breyonne Golding ’16 and Eric DePalo ’16 recommended adding ’78, Ken Byrne, and Dave students. raingardens (image above), bioswales, and street trees to the asphalt-dominated area. These elements of Complete Streets Nordstrom ’04. increase the amount of stormwater infiltrated before entering the combined sewer and stormwater system. The plans, which 16 Portfolio the city planning board intends to implement along with other 03 Perspectives Students’ projects focus on road improvements, address anticipated increases in precipitation due to climate change. Complete Streets are also associated with Using skills from two revitalization, accessibility, better mental and physical health of residents. Read about this graduate degrees, Willa climate change resilience, and other students’ projects on page 16. Caughey ’14 designs a and more. therapeutic garden. ON THE COVER 22 Conway Currents Photograph of the Quabbin Reservoir by Margot Halpin ’16. Find additional photos and a description of the class trip that Margot 10 Perspectives News of and from the school. participated in at csld.edu/2017/02/on-the-cover. As a built environment specialist, Melissa Mourkas 26 Annual Report ’94 analyses the impact of A summary of operations Printed on Rolland Environment 100 Satin, energy plants on cultural for the 2016 fiscal year. an uncoated 100% post-consumer reycled paper that is processed chlorine free, EcoLogo landscapes. and FSC® Certified, and is manufactured using biogas energy. Printed by Hadley Printing, Holyoke, Massachusetts.

//2 017// con'text 1 FROM THE DIRECTORS

Taking Our Responsibility to Heart

The year 2017 promises to be one of California, Melissa Mourkas ’94 analyzes history’s most significant years. We are the impact of energy plant proposals on facing unprecedented challenges that local cultural resources as new regula- need to be addressed in policy, law, tions are introduced in energy generation, planning, and design. (p. 10), and Willa Caughey ’14 designs “Conway believes that As this issue of con’text demonstrates, for the health of inner-city communities Conway believes that professionals in and the environment in the city of San professionals in design design and planning fields have a respon- Mateo (p. 3). The scope of 2016 student sibility to address many of the challenges projects (pp. 16–21) further demonstrates and planning fields have we face, especially climate change. how communities are faced with com- a responsibility to address Commencement speaker Claudia J. Ford plex socio-economic and environmental challenged the class of 2016 to “go for- challenges—and how our students work to many of the challenges ward and repair the world” (see p. 11). Her design appropriate solutions. call to action underscores our resolve to This issue should help inspire us all we face, especially engage in an inclusive conversation about to further consider what we can do to climate change.” what needs repair; to bring climate issues improve our own homes, to influence into each student project; and to reduce planning for our communities, and to the carbon footprint of the school. help shape the policies of our states and Our community of alums takes these nation. As designers and planners with issues to heart, and works alongside us an understanding of how to adapt to at the innovative edges of design and the changing climate and how to create planning fields. They apply the “Conway resilient communities, we each have the approach”—conducting rigorous site anal- profound responsibility to be at the fore- yses while considering socio-economic front of these issues. context and regional climate change Like our alums, the Conway School impacts—to an impressively wide range of must be attentive to the changing places and professions. The Massachusetts demands for ecologically oriented design Port Authority manages a complicated and planning professionals, and regularly built environments that require cut- assess what we do and how we function. ting-edge technologies. There, Robbin As you may know, the school is drafting Peach ’78 has implemented changes as an updated strategic plan for our campus, the founding resiliency program manager governance, and curriculum. We genuinely (p. 4). In the remote rural community welcome your advice on these and other of Mastatal, Costa Rica, Gioia Kuss ’99 topics. Together, we are taking seriously used her skills as David Bird International the responsibility of shaping the future of Service Fellow to identify valuable our school, of our communities, and of the Directors Bruce, Dave, and Ken and fragile natural resources (p. 8). In ecological design field. Join us!

BRUCE STEDMAN DAVE NORDSTROM KEN BYRNE Executive Director Finance Director Academic Director

2 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design Perspectives Report from a Recent Conway Graduate

Conway Meets Copenhagen

BY WILLA CAUGHEY ’14, MLA

Walking out of the examination room after design. My thesis, The Phoenix Garden, presenting my master’s thesis in September presents a vision for an evidence-based 2016, I was greeted by a warm cohort of therapeutic garden for incarcerated friends popping champagne and placing youth in San Mateo County, California. plant trophies in my hands. That day was Designed for a largely Latino, socioeco- full of celebration, giving way to a period of nomically disadvantaged population with reflection and gratitude—for my time at the a disproportionate share of psychiatric University of Copenhagen, where I received disorders, the garden uses naturalistic a master of landscape architecture, and for spaces to address psychiatric conditions the path that led me there. and learning differences and restores I went to Conway to follow a passion, to valuable habitat. pursue the education I wished I could find To a Conway School graduate in Willa Caughey in a conventional landscape architecture relentless pursuit of the so what? an program. I knew I would, in all likelihood, evidence-based approach may sound continue on to pursue an MLA, but I wanted the Conway experience to inform obvious. But in the field of landscape what followed. A confluence of factors led me to study in Denmark. architecture, where poetic language and My first studio revealed an alarming clash between my professor’s abstract sun-drenched visualizations can be a treatment of projects, and Conway’s commitment to analysis-based, real-world substitute for substance, it has profound design solutions. I found myself struggling to communicate effectively and to implications. Incorporating qualitative figure out how the design identity I forged at Conway fit in here. Only when I and quantitative evidence from a defined had to explain to my confused classmates what a watershed was, did I begin to group of users—be they individuals with understand more tangibly the value of the Conway degree. I worked to integrate dementia or those in need of physical the best from each of my rich design educations, and this ultimately led me to activity and stress reduction—increases evidence-based health design. the ability for landscapes to support and Evidence-based health design uses the best available research, along with enhance the health and well-being of institutional and user-based knowledge, to design for maximum health benefits our population, and elevates the field of and quality of life for users. In my thesis, I merge health design with ecological landscape design.

From my thesis: An outdoor amphitheater, designed for youth in San Mateo, California, creates a flexible gathering, recreational, and contemplative space.

//2 017// con’text 3 Implementing Resilient

Anticipating the Impacts of Climate Change Systems BY ROBBIN PEACH ’78

ost-tropical cyclone Hermine headed north from North Carolina in September 2016 and stalled off the coast of New England. My days became filled with anxiety. As program manager Pof resiliency for the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), I was responsible for ensuring that Logan International Airport and the Port of Boston’s critical assets were resilient to flooding and other disruptive forces. Over the previous three years, since the program at Massport was created, staff and consultants had run predictive flood modeling, identified the most essential assets for Massport’s daily function, and installed both permanent and temporary flood barriers to protect them.

The parking lot at Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown, Massachusetts has succumbed to storm surges over the years. The town plans to rebuild it 125 feet farther from the beach in 2018, employing what the National Park Service has called “managed retreat” from increasingly fragile coastlines. PHOTO: RACHEL LINDSAY ’15 “Nowhere in New England are natural threats more apparent than in coastal urban environments.”

By 2016, we had comprehensive operational flood in the environment, and nowhere in New England plans in place that outlined the details for what had are natural threats more apparent than in coastal to be done, by whom, and when, in the event of a urban environments. Surrounded on three sides significant flood. We had practiced interdepartmen- by water in Boston Harbor, Logan International tal tabletop exercises that were co-facilitated with Airport and Massport’s maritime assets are the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency extremely vulnerable to a climate-induced increase to prepare for a hypothetical storm. We were watch- in storms, flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise. ing and communicating continuously about the The vulnerability of Massport’s property is track of Hermine. Yet even with all this preparation further increased by the fact that much of it lies on behind us, there was good reason to be concerned. infilled land that was once open harbor. In Boston, Massport’s world-transportation network, most infilled land is more vulnerable because including three airports and significant maritime it is both closer to the water and the infilled properties in the port of Boston, connects elevations are not adequately high to accommodate New England to the world and promotes the future sea level rise and increased storm surge. regional economy through its operations. Logan Consequently, during a storm surge and sea level International airport alone provides $13.3 billion rise, the infilled land actually acts as a buffer to annually to the New England economy. Port the higher land behind it! The highly vulnerable security, however, is increasingly threatened by location of Massport’s property contributed to its human-made events and climate-induced changes becoming one of the first airports in the nation to

Design approaches to increasing the resiliency of our communities differ widely in technological complexity. Left: The temporary ma- rine-grade laminate panels around the police building at Massport snap together and are engineered so that the floodwater pressure consolidates and strengthens the system. They can be deployed quickly before a pending storm—eight people can assemble 150 linear feet of four-foot panels in less than an hour. Right: In contrast, a man in a coastal community, photographed by Gioia Kuss ’99 while on her David Bird Service Fellowship in Mastatal, Costa Rica (see p. 8), protects his house with sandbags and a living barrier of coconut palms and sea-almond trees. PHOTO, LEFT: MASSPORT; PHOTO, RIGHT: GIOIA KUSS ’99

//2 017// con'text 5 devote its own funds to implementing a comprehensive climate resiliency program. For Massport, “resilient” means able to get back to business as usual as quickly as possible after a disruptive event, and limiting any failures to prevent them from rippling across functions. Resiliency, sustainability, and emergency response are critical cross-cutting initiatives, but not interchangeable terminology. For planners and designers of the built environment, climate change will increasingly be a factor in the design-build equation. Boston’s relative sea level has risen 11.8 inches since 1900 (the peak of infill development in the city), and sea levels are predicted to continue to rise three to six feet more by 2100. In the northeast, more than a 21 percent increase in precipitation is expected. Extended, extreme temperatures will likely increase in frequency and intensity. Across the region, aging infrastructure, eroding coastal protection, and our existing energy Boston was founded in 1630 on a narrow peninsula of 487 acres. PHOTO: RAREMAPS.COM and transportation systems are already stressed. Improving the resiliency of these infrastructural elements will tax our collective imagination, 10 percent were spent on temporary terminal in the world), and Massport but will also present opportunities flood barriers; and the remainder operates a fleet of compressed natural for visionary design and planning. on permanent infrastructure gas shuttle buses, which reached their The strategic thinking and planning improvements. The improvements 12-millionth clean air mile in 2008. As skills honed at Conway are necessary included installing custom flood-proof part of its commitment to sustainable components in a design process that doors, upgrading emergency power building practices, Massport recently encompasses both how we address systems, and installing water level repaved a runway with “warm-mix” climate challenges, and what we sensors. Our goals are to improve the asphalt, saving 200,000 gallons of die- design for the built environment. resiliency of the overall infrastructure sel fuel, 2,000 tons of carbon dioxide, We must convene stakeholders and operations, increase our ability and 26.4 billion BTUs over conven- to strengthen our understanding to restore operations during and tional paving practices. of threats and vulnerabilities, after disruptive events in a safe and Given the results of the recent conduct robust research and share economically viable time frame, and federal election, climate change knowledge, and plan collaboratively to create robust feedback loops that mitigation may not be robustly and interdependently while we work inform new solutions as conditions addressed on a national scale in the toward reinforcing our existing change. These are also sound planning near future. This makes our collective infrastructure and incorporating and design principles for any land-use work on preparing ourselves to be resiliency into the design approach for or capital project. climate resilient even more necessary. future developments. Investing in making our infrastruc- Massport has had the luxury of having Since the Massport resiliency ture more resilient should come in both the resources and political will program’s initiation in 2014, sound tandem with mitigating the causes by to conduct extensive studies and scientific research and principles have reducing greenhouse gasses emitted by implement capital improvements, informed changes in our operations our infrastructure, when possible. In but this work can be done at any and policies, leveraging investments 2001, Massport began a 15-year initia- scale. Green infrastructure such of over nine million dollars in analysis tive to keep nitrogen oxide emissions as green roofs, urban forests, and and capital improvements. Of those at Logan airport at or below levels water conservation technologies like funds, approximately 20 percent recorded in 1999. Logan airport now rainwater harvesting systems can were spent on studies, planning, has two LEED-certified buildings (one be implemented at individual and and predictive modeling; another was the first LEED-certified airline community sites or at a regional scale.

6 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design change and other national security Mystic River threats. The reports, resources, and design guidelines we publically share on Massport’s website are designed to encourage broad adoption of the strategies we employ, and to encourage others to ask the right questions that lead to site-specific solutions. What are the most relevant projected climate threats? How can we best address them in an adaptive, sustainable, and economically feasible manner? By answering these questions Charles River Boston Inner Harbor in the best way possible in our work, we will help to build resilient, healthy, sustainable communities—which is not only a wonderful aspiration, but also a critical and pressing need.

Boston Harbor Robbin E. Peach ’78 received a graduate certificate in 1978 and, in 1985, a master’s degree from the Conway School. She also has a master’s Massport Property Coastal land in- lled degree in public administration 1630 - 1995 0 1 from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Miles N Government. She worked at Massport as the founding resiliency program By 1880, infill development had more than doubled the area of the city. Today, the city occupies manager from 2014 to January, 2017. 57,360 acres of original, inland, and infilled land. A large portion of Massport’s property is built on the infilled areas, and so increases its vulnerability to sea level rise.IMAGE: THE CONWAY SCHOOL; She has served on Conway’s board of DATA FROM BOSTON PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCY GIS AND GOOGLE EARTH trustees, has lectured at the school, and remains an ardent Conway fan.

Projected extreme temperatures and Matthew, have missed us altogether. “urban heat islands” due to climate Nationwide, Hermine caused three change can be addressed through deaths, inflicted widespread property cooling from increased tree canopy damage, and knocked out power to and open, permeable space. Better hundreds of thousands of people management of storm-water run-off, from Florida to Virginia, inflicting storm-surge protection, and flood total economic prevention can be managed with green - damages close spaces, wetlands, permeable surfaces, Access Massport’s to $1 billion. and berms. Many of these design resiliency resources However, elements are adaptive, appropriate at massport.com damage in New for projects with fewer financial England was resources and in other parts of the minimal, affecting mainly Eastern world, and can be customized to serve Massachusetts and Cape Cod with dual purposes—such as a green park downed trees, branches, power lines, that absorbs excess precipitation and light poles. while also providing a space for We cannot rely on chance low passive recreation. tides to protect us in the future. Fortunately, most major storms to Our opportunity to have a positive hit Boston Harbor in the last decade impact lies in the broad application of have happened during a low tide cycle. resiliency planning across scales and If Hurricane Sandy had hit Boston design fields. Through its resiliency at high tide, significant New York- program, Massport hopes to model a style flooding would have occurred. planning process that both heightens Luckily for us, Hermine was not the our collective overall security and superstorm we feared, and subsequent influences the global discourse on storms, such as the recent Hurricane resiliency in the face of climate

//2 017// con'text 7 Chepo, a local farmer and employee at Rancho Mastatal, harvests beans on a slope recently deforested for a new palm oil plantation. He planted between the rows of the newly established orchard. This helps minimize runoff and increases nitrogen fixing for the plantation, and Chepo can use or sell his crop. Bird Fellow Report What We Have To Lose: Erosion in Rural Costa Rica

STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY GIOIA KUSS ’99

Costa Rica: The name conjures images of rich I witnessed rampant erosion on the steep terrain of Mastatal, 4 dense vegetation spilling down hills to pristine particularly where livestock trample the vegetation that stabi- See full-color photographs beaches, but these landscapes are threatened. lizes the soil, and along the roads and built environment where at csld.edu With nearly a thousand miles of coastline, Costa runoff channels. The anticipated increase in storm intensity, /2017/ 03/bird Rica faces loss of land from rising ocean levels. variability, and intermittent droughts from climate change Inland, where the volcanic spine of the nation will result in a higher rate of soil erosion, further affecting the spills down toward the coasts, land is also being lost. These region’s ability to maintain healthy agricultural systems as well steep areas, with naturally occurring dense tropical rainforests, as water quality and quantity. harbor agrarian communities and their land-use patterns of The extreme soil erosion I witnessed comes from years of development, livestock grazing, and crop production. road building, logging, and cattle grazing, all done without I was fortunate to be chosen as Conway’s 2016 David Bird implementing measures to limit displacement of soil due to International Service Fellow and to experience the hospitality the impact of pelting rains and overland flow. Installing water of a country that is the size of Vermont and New Hampshire put bars, regrading roads, planting on contour, and limiting access together. My goals were to immerse myself in the culture and of cattle to waterways and steeply sloped areas would reduce community of my project site, create a management plan for a the loss of soil, increase groundwater retention, and help re- 100-acre privately-owned property, and lend my professional generate biodiverse tropical ecosystems. photography skills to document the landscape and community. Perhaps the least publicized problem of climate change is The property, bordered by the area’s main river, Rio Chires, abuts the unmitigated loss of our most underrated natural resource— a private wildlife refuge, owned by the sustainability education soil. If we hope to feed the planet, maintain sources of clean center, Rancho Mastatal, that borders La Cangreja National Park. drinking water, and support healthy ecosystems in any biome, A corner of the site lies a stone’s throw from Mastatal, a town of soil conservation must become the vernacular of all citizens in 100 residents within the capital city’s province, and yet two and a the 21st century. half hours from the capital and major tourist attractions.

8 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design 1 2

3 4

1. Abundant in the rain forest, trees with shallow roots such as Ficus spp. take advantage of surface-level nutrients and develop buttresses for stabilization. 2. Cows descend deep in the forest to the stream to stay cool and hydrate. Their movement increases turbidity through defecation, disruption of the streambed, and stirring particles already suspended from upland erosion. 3. Grazing cattle wear down paths that become rivulets during downpours. Finding its way downhill, the water gains speed and exposes the roots of vegetation. The water rises and breaches the downside edge, falling to the next level in cascading mudflows. 4. Gioia Kuss at the Rio Chires. 5. Thirty miles away, Playa Esterillo Oeste is one of the beaches closest to Mastatal. Most local Costa Ricans enjoy the beaches and appreciate that the first 50 meters above the high-tide line are reserved solely for public access. 6. La Cangreja Mountain and National Park, seen from a gently sloping pasture. Jorge Salazar Garcia, who runs a local chocolate business, leads a tree identification tour—there are approximately 2,000 tree species in Costa Rica.

5 6

//2 017// con’text 9 Perspectives From the Energy Field

At the Intersection of Energy Generation and Cultural Landscapes

MELISSA MOURKAS ’94

Although desert environments have figured largely in our siting reviews, we have also begun analyzing applications in the coastal regions of California, as all power plants using ocean water for cooling water must eliminate ocean water intake by 2020 for biological environmental reasons. Throughout the state, we are analyzing a smattering of re-power proposals to switch sources from old gas plants to more modern “peaker” plants, which ramp up and supply power to the grid quickly, supporting the variability of renewable power sources. California has a goal of 50 percent renewable energy sources by 2030. When I consider my year at Conway, with its emphasis on written and spoken communication skills, I realize these core Melissa at the 1950s era Mandalay Generating Station (MGS) in Oxnard, California. MGS is one competencies inform my work on a daily of many post-war coastal power plants in California being replaced with newer, more efficient power plants that do not use ocean water for cooling purposes. basis. During my studies at Conway I also honed my ability to read the landscape for clues that reveal the evolution into its When I tell people that the focus of my work is the siting of power plants, I’m sure present form. You never know where a their first thought is an environmental review of air quality, flora, and fauna, but Conway education might take you. my work in the Siting, Transmission and Environmental Protection Office of the California Energy Commission is much more. As a “built environment” specialist, I apply my skills as an architectural and landscape historian to analyze the potential for impacts on cultural resources from these proposed power plant applications. In the case of a solar power project, staff members identified a cultural landscape that extended out 15 miles from a proposed project site near Desert Center, California. The project had the potential for significant, immitigable impacts on tribal cultural resources within that landscape, even though the impacts to the built environment were all less than significant. Since then, the thinking has evolved that the tribal cultural landscape in that region is even larger. This is just one instance where the cultural resources unit at the Energy Commission has raised the level of awareness of cultural landscapes. Last year, we took on a planning project that built a cultural resources sensitivity model for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area (DRECP). The DRECP encompasses 22.6 million acres of desert regions and adjacent lands in sev- en counties within California. The intent of the project was to identify those areas that are more suitable for development and less likely to disrupt cultural resources The Eagle Mountain Railroad tracks are an example of a built-environment historical of all kinds. The Energy Commission awarded our cultural resources unit and our resource that was included in the DRECP GIS support team a special achievement certificate for the project. cultural resources sensitivity model.

10 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design Be Curious. Create Masterpieces. Tell Stories. Imagining, designing, and repairing the world

2016 COMMENCEMENT SPEECH BY CLAUDIA J. FORD

The Conway School was honored to have had Claudia J. Ford, PhD, interdisciplinary scholar and faculty member at Rhode Island School of Design, address the class of 2016 at commencement. Claudia’s research interests include historical ethnobotany, traditional ecological and indigenous knowledge, environmental history, women’s health history, sustainable agriculture, and ecological resilience. A midwife, artist, writer, and poet, Claudia’s extensive time living abroad has inspired an interest in the relationship between humans and nature and in the enhancement of environmental care and awareness for governments, corporations, institutions, communities, and individuals.

I begin by acknowledging the original keepers of the place where we celebrate this occasion, the Pocumtuck and Mohegan peoples who cared for this land for many millennia before we arrived. I thank them for their stewardship of this land. I acknowledge their wisdom as a model for our current environmental decision-making. As a lover of stories, I will start with a short one:

There was once a sage who would walk the streets shouting at the people to change their ways. At first some of them listened. But over time, they stopped listening and returned to their old lives and wasteful ways. The sage continued to walk the streets and shout. One day a small boy approached the sage. “Do you not know that they do not listen to you?” the boy asked. “Yes, I know,” replied the sage. “Then why do you keep shouting?” “If I still shout,” answered the sage, “it is no longer to change them—it is so they do not change me.”

PHOTO: AMY NYMAN ’13 The members of the class of 2016 embody the hopes, dreams, and vision of the founders of the Conway School, who communities, natural and human; one which defines itself by were fired up by their innovative model of planning, design, learning to listen, respect, and respond to the needs of both and management that equally respects nature and humanity. people and nature. This vision of ecological and social sustainability became and We are designing and imagining a better future and yet, two remains the mission for the Conway School. Let us not forget, weeks ago, we witnessed the joy-filled lives of 300 mostly Lat- however, that the idea of respect for the land, the idea of land inx, gender queer, young people interrupted in a heinous, brutal sovereignty that the indigenous stewards of this land based fashion at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, as they cel- their way of life on, is yet quite radical. We are privileged to ebrated their identity, their lives, and their love for themselves experience a radical education in designing a future for all and each other. We mourn, and we weep over the individual

//2 017// con’text 11 / GRADUATION /

stories of each of the victims. We are equity, and peace. Those days are finally mit to the continuous incorporation of traumatized and broken hearted—and we (and thankfully) over, but it will take a diversity, social justice, and hope in our are reminded, yet again, that we live in a great deal of imagination to understand ecologically informed practices—here are society that harbors racism, homophobia, how to continue to bring all of these three habits that we can cultivate: Be cu- transphobia, Islamophobia, violence, and conversations under one roof.” rious. Create masterpieces. Tell stories. hate in our public discourse. Nothing We can deeply engage our society’s about this is okay. shifts in social consciousness and de- Be curious In the shadow of these tragedies, we mographics by tending to and nurturing If you entertain curiosity, you will not are forced to ask ourselves some difficult diversity. Who do we discuss in our be afraid to ask the naïve questions. If questions: What is our obligation and practices, whose work do we promote, you continuously entertain curiosity, you responsibility to the creation of a more use, and talk about? If there are people will be fortunate enough to approach just world? What actions can we take whose differences of age, race, nation- every situation with what Buddhists call personally and within our communities ality, religion, gender, class, or ability “beginners mind,” a condition of extraor- to dispel hatred and nurture hope? We have historically kept them from having dinary receptivity to creative ideas. Peter can start by joining the change-makers a seat at the table, it is up to us to open Senge, American systems scientist, re- in decisive action that recognizes the im- the door, and by listening, let them minds us that as ecologists, planners, and portant cultural shifts in this moment, in know they are welcome. Listening is a environmentalists, no one knows these this country. Welcome this change, em- fundamental act of social justice. We interconnections better or can teach and brace it, chase away any fear of it, and be need to make reaching out and deep transmit this interconnectedness with curious about it. Chip Blake, chief editor listening an integral part of our personal more passion and vibrancy. of Orion Magazine, reminds us, “People and professional practices. used to believe that environmental issues For the task of imagining, designing, Create masterpieces could be held separate from issues of and building the future we hope for—to Make everything you do a work of art. justice, race, gender, sexual orientation, seek the meaning of our lives and com- This is not perfection, which is a trap of

Lucy Conley shares some of her work with Claudia J. Ford in the Mill 180 studio before commencement. PHOTO: AMY NYMAN ’13

12 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design / GRADUATION /

Clockwise from top left: Faculty member CJ Lammers and Claudia J. Ford at commencement. | Doug Serrill presents a diploma to his classmate Margot Halpin. | Executive Director Bruce Stedman ’78, right, welcomes Ryan Corrigan and his family to the Mill 180 studio. | Mariko McNamara addresses her classmates and a full tent of graduation guests. PHOTOS: AMY NYMAN ’13.

the ego. Walking on this path means that human experience us. As we celebrate your graduation and we are observant, we allow wisdom into ‘ that enable us to face your success, and the love of your family Read Claudia’s our lives, and we have a good relation- full speech at: complex and intrac- and friends, we simultaneously embrace ship with all beings and people. Making csld.edu/2016/ table problems with the heartache and danger of these times. 10/ford/ everything a masterpiece means that resolve and perspec- I wish for each graduate every op- your work is your signature; it is your tive, again and again. portunity to rise, put on your shoes, and unique and important contract with the Stories are born of observation—of deep make the world new, individually and world. Making everything a masterpiece listening and deep attention. For any of together. Go forth, enjoy the accolades means that you will not neglect the art of us who dedicate our lives to a just con- which are your earned present, the conversation and the building of commu- cern about our collective future, an abil- sense of accomplishment which ac- nity, the art of relationships with other ity to tell stories is critical to grounding knowledges the past that led you to this humans and non-humans. our respect for a shared environment. moment, and your earnest hopes for the Maybe we cannot individually ad- future. Go forward and repair the world Tell stories dress all of the challenges that face this with your newly found skills in ecolog- Stories require cognitive complexity and troubled and beautiful world. But we ical planning and community building. emotional maturity. Stories require crit- must keep shouting like the sage, so that Go forth from here with a hint of unrest ical thinking and openness to innovation we are certain that the fear, hate, and married to a profound sense of peace and change. Stories are blueprints for violence of this society do not change and joy. Congratulations!

//2 017// con’text 13 Class of 2016 Conway’s Forty-Fourth Class

Ten Months, Two Cohorts, and One Commencement Ceremony

BY KATE CHOLAKIS ’11 AND RACHEL LINDSAY ’15

The class of 2016 celebrates at their graduation ceremony: standing, left to right, Max Madalinski, Miranda Feldmann, Ryan Corrigan, Grant Kokernak, Susan Schen, Eric DePalo, Margot Halpin, Kelly Corbin, Mike Conover, Armi Macaballug, Doug Serrill, Helmi Hunin, Oliver Osnoss, Breyonne Golding; kneeling, Allison Gramolini, Warren Lee, Max Ehrman-Shapiro, Mariko McNamara, Corrin Meise-Munns, Lucy Conley, Tia Novak, Faren Worthington.

In late August 2015, two groups of both cohorts contributed the follow- facilities at different scales. Both groups students set off on orientation trips—the ing reflections. In addition to these attended lectures by Edwina von Gal first field trips of their time at Conway. activities, the groups organized unique and Molly Burhans ’15. Guest speakers For most students, the year is filled with events, such as a storytelling evening also interacted with students virtually: firsts such as a first section drawing, inspired by The Moth Radio Hour, a Travis Beck, author of Principles for a first ArcGIS™ map, or a first public redesign of the Mill 180 studio, and a Ecological Landscape Design, Skyped presentation. The 2016 academic year weekly jam session. with the Mill cohort from his office at also marked the first time Conway the Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware. welcomed two cohorts of students. Guest Speakers Mike Conover enjoyed the two Ten students spent most of their time A wide range of professionals from the sessions led by Peter Jensen, a trail at the Conway campus, and twelve design, conservation, and agricultural designer who specializes in creating students worked primarily in the studio fields travelled to present in Conway accessible trails. He recalls, “The hands- at Mill 180 in Easthampton. The groups and Easthampton. During the spring on experience of the trail mapping came together for lectures and events, term, the cohorts gathered together exercise was really effective at putting attended each other’s winter and spring for a daylong workshop with Conway knowledge into practice.” His classmate, presentations, and celebrated their School founder Walt Cudnohufsky Allison Gramolini, also appreciated graduation together under a full tent and a field trip to Boston with Wendi learning from Peter’s experience at the Conway campus. Students from Goldsmith ’90 to explore stormwater running an independent trail design

14 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design / CLASS OF 2016 /

1. Al Averill, Massachusetts State Soil Scientist, digs deep into the study of soil structure. PHOTO: HELMI HUNIN 2. Allison Gramolini and Max Ehrman-Shapiro take a break from the studio to enjoy the spring weather and work on some harmonizing. PHOTO: SUSAN SCHEN 3. Site-engineering professor Rachel Loeffler leads a hands-on study of ADA hardscaping criteria. PHOTO: KATE CHOLAKIS 4. Students don hard hats at the Hitchcock Center’s almost-complete living building. PHOTO: MIRANDA FELDMAN

1 3 4 firm. She explains, “It was great to see “We had so many wonderful fieldwork of ecological design. My presentation an example of someone who has created experiences this past year—digging skills improved dramatically.” a successful business in a small, niche holes in the rain on the Montague Plain, Lucy Conley concurs, “Presentations design-build field.” exploring a winter floodplain forest were very difficult for me at first and it Eric Toensmeier presented ideas in Hadley, animal tracking at Arcadia was gratifying to get better as the year from his recently published book, The Wildlife Sanctuary—but a real standout went on. Listening to presentations was Carbon Farming Solution, suggesting was our last trip with Glenn Motzkin to also valuable. Everyone came up with how regenerative agricultural practic- Hawley Bog. This beautiful and unique such amazing ways to get information es can address both food security and living classroom was a perfect example across.” Eric DePalo and Breyonne contribute to climate change mitigation. of what we had been learning about all Golding tackled a green-street design Max Madalinski reflects, “Thinking year: fragile communities can be found for a challenging intersection in Spring- about farming to capture and sequester in harsh environments, but it is often field, Massachusetts for their winter carbon intentionally is a fascinating and human activity that puts these areas project, Greening the X (see p. 21). They powerful concept for me, and it gave me at risk,” reflects Miranda Feldmann. reminded us, while throwing out puns a lot of food for thought when working Max Madalinski agrees, “I remember and answering their own rhetorical on my third Conway project, a farm the feeling of walking along the rickety questions in unison during their engag- located within the area of projected 6.6- boardwalk with marsh marigold, ing winter presentation, that humor can foot sea-level rise.” myrica, and leatherleaf lining either be one of those ways. side, the vegetation getting thinner as Each of the 22 members of the class of Field Trips the landscape slowly transitioned into 2016 gave one final presentation during From digging in the dirt to donning peat bog and became dominated by the the commencement ceremony, as they hard hats or snowshoes, every field trip pitcher plants, sundew, and teeny tiny presented a diploma and congratulatory starts in unfamiliar territory. The va- laurel. We all took a good rest in the sun hug to one of their classmates. After riety of places visited this year ranged after Glenn finished with his last and each graduate had received a round of from the new living building for the (typically) awesome field class. What a applause, Eric DePalo and Doug Serrill Hitchcock Center for the Environment great trip!” surprised the group with one more at Hampshire College to the oldest presentation, a list of questions inspired cottonwood tree identified along the Presentations by their Conway experience: “Is it pos- Connecticut River. Near the end of the The curriculum demands that students sible to recreate the ecosystems of the year, the students toured the construc- refine their communication skills, past? Is it possible for a parking lot to be tion at Pulaski Park in Northampton and weekly presentations can be ecological? How is Walt Cudnohufsky with Peter and Lauren Stimson of challenging. Mike Conover reflects, so cool? What is ecological design, any- Stephen Stimson Associates. They met “Communicating information effectively way?” With this kind of dedication to multiple contractors and learned about through text, graphics, and oral asking the right questions, and the skills construction management while study- presentation is essential for people to to find and communicate the answers, ing hardscape details. understand the importance and benefits the class of 2016 is sure to go far.

//2 017// con’text 15 Portfolio Students’ Projects: 2015–2016

Revitalizing Our Communities

With the opening of its urban campus in a former mill building, the Conway School plays an active roll in a growing movement to revitalize former industrial areas. Several students’ projects focused on similar efforts to bring new uses to historic areas. From envisioning the role of landscape in the Wampanoag tribe’s cultural revitalization on Martha’s Vineyard to enhancing the green infrastructure at the Mill 180 building in Easthampton, students applied ecological design solutions to encourage economically, culturally, and ecologically vibrant communities.

REINHABITING INDUSTRIAL INFRASTRUCTURE REVIVING THE MILL RIVER EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS MILL RIVER TOWNS, MASSACHUSETTS

Mill 180, the home of the new Conway School campus, is a converted 19th The Mill River Greenway Initiative, a volun- century mill with mixed residential, educational, and commercial uses. The teer organization dedicated to restoring the building houses several locally owned businesses, and owner Mike Michon Mill River’s ecosystems, preserving its cultural was recently awarded a 2.7 million dollar MassWorks grant to improve heritage, and designing a recreational and on-site parking and connect to the neighboring Manhan Rail Trail. For proj- educational greenway around the river, hired a ect teammates Mike Conover and Max Ehrman-Shapiro, the revitalization student team to develop a systematic proof Mill 180’s historical architecture included updating antiquated infrastruc- cess of identifying potential greenway sites ture as well as encouraging sustainable patterns of use. Envisioning a green along the river. Prepared by Margot Halpin roof as an opportunity to harness solar energy, rainwater, and the cli- and Armi Macaballug, the resulting document mate-mitigating effects of vegetation while also providing attractive social establishes a variety of assesment criteria and space, their final design contributes to the continued economic and cultural decision-making methodologies for identifying revitalization of the old mill building. connections to the Mill River’s industrial past and ecological heritage. New Life for an Old Roof A design alternative for a green roof at Mill 180 improves energy efficiency of the building while also providing attractive and educational social business spaces.

Green roofs cool REVISIONING AQUINNAH CIRCLE building and AQUINNAH, MASSACHUSETTS increase lifespan Solar panels offset 2–3x. energy costs with Members of the Wampanoag Tribe are leading ~170,000 kWh Green walls a cultural revival. In January 2016, they and the cool parking Green roofs Town of Aquinnah established the Aquinnah spaces cool panels and increase efficiency Cultural and Historic District, or “Aquinnah Circle,” which hosts more than 100,000 tourists each year. To accomodate this large influx of visitors, the town and tribe worked with Ryan Corrigan and Mariko McNamara to provide a Permeable pavement allows water Rainwater is stored in a cistern and vision for the economic development of the infiltration, reducing runoff. used for toilets and irrigation. tribe’s struggling storefronts while maintaining the rich cultural, historic, and scenic elements of the tribal homeland. In a visioning document Real projects for real clients form the core of Conway’s intensive ten-month containing several design alternatives, Ryan and curriculum. In the fall, each student is assigned an individual project for a residential or small municipal site. Teams in the winter tackle larger land planning projects at a Mariko explored possible alterations in building regional or town-wide scale. The spring team projects focus on an intermediate and placement, gathering space, and circulation more detailed community scale. As often happens, common themes emerge which a number of projects explore. Find more student projects online at: csld.edu/real-projects. patterns within Aquinnah Circle.

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RECAPTURING LINCOLN’S SENSE OF PLACE LINCOLN, MASSACHUSETTS

With nearly twice the amount of open space of neighboring Lincoln Station, a mixed-use mall at the center of South Lincoln. towns within the metropolitan Boston area, Lincoln prides itself Incorporating Complete Streets techniques, place-making the- on its conservation ethic. However, South Lincoln, Lincoln’s urban ory, and green infrastructure, their planning recommendations commercial center, stands in stark contrast with the town’s rural include emphasizing a connection with the town’s rural aesthetic, character. Desiring a greener, livelier, more walkable downtown, reprogramming the mall’s businesses to cater to the town’s social the Lincoln Planning Department hired Conway School team needs, and strengthening connections to local cultural and recre- Margot Halpin and Corrin Meise-Munns for a site redesign of ational attractions.

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RECONNECTING TO THE RIVER MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT

The Connecticut River, which once established Middletown’s prosperity, is now largely hidden from sight. Following a 2014 placemaking report by the Project for Public Spaces, the Garden Club of Middletown consulted with Ryan Corrigan, Breyonne Golding, and Tia Novak to revive Harbor Park, a critically underused public space located between Route 9 and the Connecticut River. The student team developed a design that both rejuvenates the city’s cultural connection to the river and revitalizes the shoreline’s lost floodplain ecology, providing a resilient solution to balance the citizens’ desire for waterfront Two Views of the Restored Cove In the final plan for Harbor Park, a perforated bridge provides educational recreation and the increasing need for floodwater mitigation. and recreational access to the restored cove and floodplan ecosystem.

Route 9 Embankment

Fishing Area Restored Cove and Bridge Open Lawn and Shade Trees

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Ensuring Accessibility

Accessibility—whether physical, cultural, or economic—is a social justice issue. Everyone can benefit from access to open space, which offers opportunities for recreation, passive and active education, and increased well-being for community members. This year, Conway students focused on improving users’ access to a variety of outdoor experiences. Their projects included supporting the ability of a nonprofit farm to provide therapeutic services, enhancing community access to open space within urban centers, and encouraging responsible and respectful uses of fragile ecosystems.

Walk in the Park Country Pockets Photosythesis

AGING IN COMMUNITY CHESTERFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

Following a feasibility study by the Conway School in 2013, the with continued access to the town’s culture and community. The Senior Housing Committee (SHC) of Chesterfield is moving student team presented three design alternatives responding to forward with the planning of a senior housing facility. Students the seniors’ desires for accessible trails through the site’s sur- Grant Kokernak and Oliver Osnoss, worked with the SHC’s goal rounding woods; common space for socializing; and community of creating a housing facility that allows seniors to age in place gardens reflecting the town’s agricultural heritage.

AN URBAN RETREAT Riding Arena Plaza HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT

Market Located in the 694-acre, Olmsted-designed Keney Park, Circle Ebony Horsewomen, Inc. (EHI) operates Connecticut’s only urban equine center. Hartford native Breyonne Golding worked with EHI to design a safe, functional space to house equestrian activities and other community programming for inner-city youth. The project’s final design explored solutions for safety hazards such as flooding and poor security lighting. It also introduced Food Forest Gardens a variety of new uses. A proposed outdoor riding arena offers space not only for jump courses and horse shows, but also for non-equestrian community events. A new garden area covers a depaved gathering area with a plant palette inspired by the native habitats within Keney Park. An adjacent food forest incorporates thera- A Garden in the Park peutic gardening into the many services EHI can provide A food forest and pollinator garden offer the chance for urban dwellers to get their hands dirty while learning about the value of the urban habitat Keney Park provides. for the local community.

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Environmental Justice Populations, Urban Density, and Access to Open Space The concentration of impervious surfaces, shown in this GIS map (right) of the subbasins of the Housatonic River, indicate the inner-city populations, which are largely disconnected from the conservation areas in Pittsfield.

HEALING THROUGH STEWARDSHIP MONTEREY, MASSACHUSETTS

At Gould Farm, human health is intricately linked with environmental stewardship. One of the nation’s oldest residential therapeutic communities, the farm provides guests in need of psychological rehabilitation access to the meaningful work of sustainable forestry and agriculture. To help Gould Farm establish a vision for protecting the farm’s scenic and healing beauty over time, Faren Worthington and Grant Kokernak developed recommendations for reclaiming an unsightly and potentially dangerous gravel pit on site and established criteria and suitable locations for siting a Legend forever-wild conservation restriction on the farm’s property. River or Stream The final document is a land-use plan to keep this healing Lake or Pond landscape safe and accessible to its users in perpetuity. Conservation Areas of Interest Subbasins Canopy Cover Impervious Surface CUES TO CARE EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS GREEN SENSE Within the Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary’s regionally PITTSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS rare floodplain ecosystems and native grasslands, the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s staff are encounter- The City of Pittsfield is in the midst of an economic and cultural ing the destructive remnants of visitors’ trash dumping, revitalization, and it has recognized the need for a conserva- partying, off-leash dogs, and off-road vehicle use.Oliver tion area management plan to safeguard its sense of place as a Osnoss and Max Ehrmin-Shapiro developed recommenda- “city in the country.” Commissioned by Pittsfield’s Conservation tions toward establishing a culture of stewardship among Commission, students Miranda Feldmann and Corrin Meise-Munns Arcadia’s visitors and neighbors and developing cues to developed recommendations for the holistic management of care, a “coordinated program of changes designed to help specific properties and the city’s conservation areas as a whole. draw visitors into a healthier relationship with the land.” The team weighed the advantages of restricting access to vulner- These include establishing wayfinding signs that promi- able ecosystems against the emotional, physical, and economic nently display the society’s rules, providing interpretive benefits that access to conservation areas can provide to urbanites. signs that signify an area’s ecological sensitivity, and estab- To ensure that residents within the city’s dense urban core have lishing areas of controlled access. greater access to open space, the team recommended identifying potential partnerships with local nonprofits and environmental edu- Evolution of the Grasslands to the Forest The figure below illustrates how Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary’s cation groups who can provide regular programming and transpor- regionally rare native grasslands would be displaced by tation to conservation areas within the city. forest if not maintained.

Grassland Shrubland Pole-Sapling Young Forest Mature Forest

Years 1 5 20 40 80

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Adapting to Climate Change

Communities and ecosystems face a broad range of impacts related to climate change: sea-level rise, increased storm frequency and intensity, and rising temperatures. This year, students introduced a variety of tools to diverse communities to help adapt to this changing reality. Designing urban landscapes that capture and treat stormwater before it is discharged into rivers and streams; helping educational farms adapt their techniques to a changing climate; and creating resilient landscapes that can withstand flooding and storm surges are a few ways these students’ projects contribute to a more sustainable future.

FARMING INTO THE FUTURE EDGARTOWN, MASSACHUSETTS

What do you get when you mix cows, pigs, 190 Bath House acres of farmland, a lamb named Argyle, and 2,500 students a year? You get The Farm Institute, an organic farm and educational center on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. The farm’s location means that effects of climate change—especially sea level rise and saltwater intrusion into groundwater—are a serious concern. Max Madalinski and Helmi Hunin Nutrient Cycling created a master plan that addressed the client’s Water from a well is heated by a solar heating system. desire to expand their educational facilities without Outgoing greywater provides water and nutrients to nearby tree roots before sinking slowly back into the soil. increasing their environmental impact. At right, their plan for a student bathhouse with a greywater recycling system demonstrates an opportunity to Aquifer conserve fresh water and recharge the aquifer.

PLANNING FOR RESILIENCY HUDSON VALLEY GATEWAY SOUTHBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS ASHOKAN, NEW YORK

The Town of Southborough offers a The proposed Ashokan Rail Trail will be an 11.5-mile, multi-use trail within the water- convenient location for commuters shed of the Ashokan Reservoir, part of the drinking-water system for New York City. to Boston, so it’s no surprise that Doug Serrill and Miranda Feldmann worked with the New York City Department development pressure is high. But of Environmental Protection to design a parking lot and trail head that uses native can the town keep growing and vegetation and permeable pavement to capture and treat 100% of stormwater before still maintain its natural and cultural reaching the reservoir. The design takes into account predicted higher precipitation resources? Allison Gramolini and Helmi due to climate change and offers recreational visitors a beautiful ADA-accessible Hunin’s update of the town’s open connection to the trail. space and recreation plan addresses this concern by recommending the preservation of additional open spaces to create contiguous wildlife habitat and expand opportunities for trails and outdoor recreation. The plan also aims to improve Southborough’s resiliency by increasing the town’s capacity to absorb stormwater.

The trailhead design includes bioretention areas to filter stormwater.

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A GREEN OASIS ON BOSTON HARBOR BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Bunker Hill Community College, in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood, hosts 14,000 students per semester from over 100 countries. The 33-acre campus is one of the largest open spaces in Charlestown, and has the potential to reduce erosion and runoff into Boston Harbor. However, its proximity to the harbor and low elevation also put it at high flood-risk during ever more frequent hurricanes.Armi Macabullug, Lucy Conley, and Kelly Corbin created campus designs with bioretention areas to capture A Lack of Outdoor Places A SketchUp model shows the abundance of open space and the dramatic impact and treat stormwater, plus shady, welcoming spaces additional vegetation could have on student life and the neighborhood. for formal and informal use.

A MORE FLEXIBLE FARM Bringing Green into the Urban Matrix A design for an urban streetscape that incorporates bioretention RUPERT, VERMONT can improve residents’ experience of the landscape and reduce stormwater runoff.

Eric DePalo and Mariko McNamara worked with the Merck Forest and Farmland Center, a 3,100-acre farm and education center in southwestern Vermont, to adapt its mission of innovative and sustainable farming and education to a changing climate. Historically, Merck’s production of maple syrup has been a big part of its agricultural output—a practice that is becoming less viable as sugar maples’ range recedes to the north. The Conway team explored tools such as repurposing the farm’s sap house as a year-round educational space, using earthworks to create cold-climate rice paddies, and building greenhouses to make the farm’s operations more flexible and adaptable as climate becomes less predictable. SUMNER AVE.

SMALL TOWN, GREEN STREETS WHATELY, MASSACHUSETTS

Residents of the Historic District of Whately love their community’s beautiful street trees, historic character, and open vistas. However, the sugar maples lining the main thoroughfare are in COMPLETE STREETS IN THE CITY OF FIRSTS declining health as temperatures rise, and increased runoff from SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS the district’s cracked sidewalks threatens the health of critical aquatic habitats. A master plan by Warren Lee and Susan Schen The impervious urban landscape of Springfield is designed recommends site-specific tree care, stormwater catch basins, and to shuttle stormwater into a system of underground pipes to traffic-calming measures to help to make the town more vibrant a treatment plant before being released into the Connecticut and walkable while maintaining its historic character. River. But in big storms, the stormwater pipes overflow into sewage pipes and discharge contaminated runoff and raw sewage directly into the river. With more frequent and intense storms brought by climate change, combined sewage overflows become an increasing threat to water bodies. Working with the Springfield Planning Department, Breyonne Golding and Eric DePalo designed a streetscape plan for “The X,” one of Springfield’s busiest and most asphalt-dominated neighborhoods. Their plan implements green infrastructure and pervious surfaces to infiltrate and treat stormwater before it enters the sewer system. It also creates community gathering spaces, introduces gardening opportunities for residents, and reduces the sidewalk’s temperature during hot summer months. By adopting Complete Streets, Springfield Slowing the Flow could become a leader in urban greening—adding one more Check dams slow the flow of water on steep slopes to allow for infiltration into the surface and prevent erosion. accolade to its list as the City of Firsts.

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TRUSTEES UPDATE

The board of trustees welcomes four new members: Marianne Jorgensen coordinates Academics for Land Preservation in New England (ALPINE), an emerging network that seeks to explore and expand the role that New England academic institutions play in conserving the natural heritage of the region. Prior to her work with ALPINE, Marianne worked for 16 years in the field of international education, specifically with an eye toward social justice and environmental sustainability. John O’Keefe is emeritus museum coordinator for Harvard University’s Harvard Forest in Petersham, Massachusetts, and co-author of New The class of 2017 takes in a lecture by Darrel Morrison in the classroom at Mill 180. England Forests through Time: Insights from the Harvard Forest Dioramas and NEW FRAMEWORKS FOR content, community newsletters, and Ecological History of Massachusetts COLLABORATION this magazine. Forests. John has worked for over a A new ten-member Facilities decade with Conway and served as Recent changes to the organization Committee, chaired by Dave Weber, a critic at numerous student project of the school have strengthened the brings participants from the faculty, presentations. He states he has “consis- collaborative relationship between the staff, alums, and board together to look tently been impressed with [Conway’s] faculty, staff, and board.Bruce Stedman at both the short- and long-term use students and the program,” and he ’78, Dave Nordstrom ’04, (replac- of the two campuses and settle on a brings to the strategic planning process ing John Baldwin), and Ken Byrne long-term home for the school; they a deep knowledge of the school. are co-directors for the 2016–2017 also contribute to a successful strategic Theresa Sprague ’08 is president academic year. As executive, finance, planning process, outlined below. of the Ecological Landscape Alliance, and academic directors, respectively, a nonprofit, member-based organiza- they along with faculty Kim Erslev, STRATEGIC PLANNING tion that advocates for environmentally admissions manager Kate Cholakis ’11, responsible stewardship of land and senior administrator Priscilla Novitt As Conway began its 46th year and natural resources. She is also the owner ’07, and campus manager Dave Weber entered into its next round of stra- and lead designer of BlueFlax Design ’15 oversee the school’s day-to-day tegic planning, the faculty, staff, and LLC and has served at Conway as a critic operations. Periodic staff meetings board initiated a series of meetings for students’ project presentations. and all-employee meetings extend this to develop a strategic plan for the Charles Tracy is the national lead collaborative approach to include all school through 2022. The full process of the US National Park Service’s art employees. includes the opportunity for alums to partnerships, and superintendent of The collaborative model includes participate through discussions and a the 215-mile New England National two ad-hoc committees. The survey, and a final report in the spring Scenic Trail. He brings to Conway’s Communications Working Group, of 2017. As part of the strategic plan- board 30 years of experience creating, with Priscilla Novitt, Kate Cholakis, ning process and the requirements for supporting, and strengthening envi- con’text manager Rachel Lindsay ’15, accreditation, the faculty is develop- ronmental organizations and alliances. and board member Mitch Anthony, ing a system for external evaluation of In his view, Conway’s curriculum is shapes the Conway story in all commu- the curriculum. Watch your inbox for “strongly aligned with the skills that I nications. They began in August 2016 updates and announcements on both see as critical to success in working with by focusing on the new website, blog these planning efforts! communities.”

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The board also thanks outgoing trust- after serving as Conway’s accounting ees: former clerks Susan Rosenberg manager and administrative director ’95 and Michael Cavanagh ’02, and for 11 years. Hot off the Press members Richard C. Andriole, Carol The school is pleased to have Franklin, Bob Pura, and Dolores Root Priscilla Novitt ’07 return as senior Congratulations to faculty member for their years of dedicated service on administrator and accreditation Jono Neiger ’03 on the publication the board. officer. Her invaluable knowledge of of his new book, The Permaculture the inner-workings of the school and Promise, that explains how permaculture can be the key to STAFF UPDATE unfailing willingness to help others is unlocking a livable future on our appreciated daily. planet. Jono asserts that humans In August 2016, left Adrian Dahlin can thrive while simultaneously his position as director of admissions STUDENT PROJECT UPDATES making the planet healthier and marketing to pursue a master’s rather than destroying it. In this degree at New York University. While During phase two of a US Forestry book are 22 examples of ways in at Conway, Adrian spearheaded several Service grant through the Pioneer Valley which permaculture has helped creative endeavors: commissioning a Planning Commission, two student to achieve this goal, brought professional video about the school for teams are developing green stormwater to life through profiles of the the school’s website, organizing public streetscape designs for people and communities who are workshops on entrepreneurship, and m the cities of Holyoke already taking the permaculture encouraging students and staff to use Send project and Chicopee. The path, including an urban dweller suggestions who tore up her driveway to social media technologies and com- to Kristin Thomas designs will help create a vegetable garden and a munications. Kate Cholakis ’11, who at thomas@ inform and guide csld.edu California housing development joined the faculty last year, has taken future street and pipe that dedicates a third of its land to on the position of admissions manager construction projects. Each team will parks, orchards and gardens. and continues as a part-time faculty focus on approximately three blocks Jono is a founding principal member to teach a core class in within each city and will determine of Regenerative Design Group in ecological design. locations where green infrastructure ele- Greenfield, Massachusetts, and A heartfelt thank-you to John ments could be implemented. The cities has taught permaculture courses Baldwin for lending his business intend to contract out the final designs to throughout the eastern US expertise to Conway during the last a private firm. The designs from the 2016 since 1996. 18 months as interim finance direc- green streets project in Springfield are tor. He passes the baton back to Dave currently in the engineering phase, and Nordstrom ’04, who left in August the city plans to implement them within 2015 to work for the Proteus Fund the next two years (see p. 21).

The Permaculture Promise was published in November 2016 by Storey Publishing.

Have you published a book, article or study recently? Are you actively teaching classes at a school or university, or giving public workshops? Send a note to alum liaison Nancy Braxton at [email protected] so we can help you spread the word.

Members of faculty and staff gathered in December for a strategic planning meeting. Standing, left to right, Rachel Loeffler, Kate Cholakis, Bruce Stedman, John Baldwin, Dave Weber, Dave Nordstrom, Jono Neiger, Glenn Motzkin, CJ Lammers, Ken Byrne, Elaine Williamson, Nancy Braxton, Mollie Babize; kneeling, Priscilla Novitt, Kristin Thomas, Kim Erslev. PHOTO: RACHEL LINDSAY ’15

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A team of students is drafting a city- OUR UNDERWRITERS wide urban agricultural plan for the City of Brockton, Massachusetts. The stu- Thank you to the following alums and dents will focus on assessing the existing affiliated companies for their support in RICHTER & CEGAN is recognized for the highest quality site planning and design, agriculture within the city, as well as underwriting this issue of con’text. and completing significant projects for the potential for additional traditional downtowns, schools, parks, riverwalks, agriculture and alternative methods such transportation, housing, and cultural sectors. as geoponics, aeroponics, hydroponics We focus on meeting budgets for creative, and aquaculture. Other current projects unique spaces. www.richtercegan.com include open space and recreation plan BLUEFLAX DESIGN LLC merges updates for the Massachusetts towns science with the fine art of landscape of Pembroke and Templeton as well design to create beautiful, ecologically as a master plan for Gould Farm in sound, sustainable gardens and landscapes Monterey, Massachusetts. that restore ecological function and integrity to the built environment and STANTEC provides professional consulting INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS support the needs of both people and services for a wide range of environmental wildlife. www.blueflaxdesign.com sciences, engineering, architecture, and landscape architecture projects. With over The Conway School is pleased to 400 offices in communities worldwide, we announce further collaborations with always design with community in mind. four institutions. www.stantec.com The Ecological Landscape Alliance COLLINS ENTERPRISES, LLC is a (ELA) is a network of landscape third-generation, private real estate design professionals who advocate for company nationally recognized for owning responsible stewardship of land and and developing properties in strategic natural resources in landscaping and locations such as urban waterfronts, horticultural practices. The partner- emerging downtowns, and brownfield sites. WALTER CUDNOHUFSKY ship with ELA includes memberships ASSOCIATES, INC. is a full service for students, opportunities for Conway community planning and landscape students and alums to present at ELA’s architecture firm 27 years young. We work annual conference, and a joint commit- regionally on civic, land, and housing ment to featuring the work of Conway planning as well as institutional and alums at ELA-sponsored events and residential master planning using a rigorous in their newsletter. For more informa- design process. www.wcala.com tion about how to participate, contact Rachel Lindsay at [email protected]. Yestermorrow Design/Build School teaches the arts of design and CLEAVER DESIGN ASSOCIATES is a building as an integrated process. It full-service landscape architecture WILKINSON ECOLOGICAL DESIGN provides instruction in fundamental company happy to support Conway. We is New England’s premier ecological specialize in residential and winery design, skills through 100 hands-on classes and restoration firm, specializing in challenging providing individual attention to every courses each year. Through the partner- and sensitive projects, and dedicated detail from conceptual design, design ship, Yestermorrow graduates who have to superior design and management of development, and approval submittals to taken a two-week or longer course are complex ecological and bioengineering installation. www.cleaverdesign.com invited to apply for a $2,000 scholar- projects, protecting habitat, and enhancing land value. www.wilkinsonecological.com ship at Conway. In exchange, Conway alums receive a 25 percent discount on We also thank the following a range of two-day to two-week-long alum-affiliated companies for their Yestermorrow courses and a 10 percent GREENFIELD SAVINGS BANK puts support for con’text: Future Lands discount on longer courses. improving quality of life in our communities Design, Genius Loci Design, Lasoff Conway has also renewed formal at the heart of everything we do—from Editorial, Regenerative Design Group, partnerships with the University protecting customers’ savings and Speaking of Landscapes, and Stedman of Georgia and the University of providing the financial resources they need, & Associates. To underwrite or support Massachusetts at Amherst. The agree- to supporting local non-profits who share future issues of con’text, contact ments allow Conway graduates to enter our commitment to improve people’s lives. Publications Manager Rachel Lindsay into MLA programs as second-year www.greenfieldsavings.com at [email protected]. students. For more information about these partnerships or to suggest other potential affiliations, please contact Kate Cholakis at [email protected].

24 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design / CONWAY CURRENTS /

conway’s forty-FIFTH class: 2017 Left to right, Devan Arnold, Amanda Mackay, Emily Cohen, Øystein Kristiansen, Caitie Dwyer-Huppert, Tim Tensen, Ben Covino, Emma Vautour, Jason Hurd, Addie Halligan, Andrew Kilduff, Coleen Curley, Sam Battaglia, and Ben Rippe

NEWS FROM ALUMS CONWAY’S FORTY-FIFTH form a capable, creative, and dedicated CLASS: 2017 group of students. When this group Conway published its first digital alum of talented individuals graduates, the newsletter in January, with individual What do Great Barrington, Idaho, Nova school’s community of alums will grow to updates organized by class, a short list Scotia, and Norway have in common? over 700 individuals working in a broad of alum blogs, and thank-yous to all Those are just a few of the places that range of planning and design careers who have volunteered as presentation members of the class of 2017, pictured across the country and beyond. critics, lecturers, and information session above, have called home. Together they presenters. If you did not receive the newsletter, the school might not have your correct contact information. Be a Conway class m agent! If you graduated Update your in one of the following information at csld.edu/alums/ years: ’74, ’76, ’83, ’84, alum-services ’85, ’86, ’88, ’89, ’92, ’04, please contact alum liaison Nancy Braxton at braxton@csld. edu to become a class agent. Class agents play an active and important role within the larger Conway community. They communicate with classmates and relay information to and from the school. They organize regional social and professional development gatherings among Conway graduates in their areas, and they serve as ambassadors to Conway by attracting new students, projects, and financial sup- Terrestrial ecologist Tom Wessels leads the class of 2017 in an exploration of southern Vermont porters. Being a class agent is a fun and history, as told by chestnuts, hemlocks, and other natives of the black gum swamp. engaging way to support Conway! PHOTO: COLEEN CURLEY ’17

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/ ANNUAL REPORT / Annual Report Fiscal year 2016

Think Strategically with Conway

Each year, con’text introduces the We value your suggestions for how Serving our Community incoming class and highlights their best to address climate issues in our diverse backgrounds and talents. And teaching. As you reflect on this issue of Your contributions help sup- each year, the magazine describes the con’text, send us your thoughts: how do port projects like the Mount Tom Conway experiences that bring students you approach storm water management, Ecological Assessment. The Mount together with each other and with other species range changes, transportation Tom range, visible from our campus graduates. This year, we ask each of you issues, intense weather events, and more? at Mill 180 and for miles around, is to offer your diverse talents and com- To increase the breadth and depth an iconic landmark, a well-known mon love of the Conway School to help of diversity at Conway, we also need destination for recreation, and shape its future. your help—with contacts for prospective home to rare and endangered spe- Faculty, staff, trustees, and alums are students, ideas for projects we have not cies. This report, prepared by Kelly working together in a strategic process. traditionally tapped, and donations to Corbin ’16 and Tia Novak ’16 for Our focus is fourfold: recruiting a diverse build our scholarship fund so we can Kestrel Land Trust, Winding River student body, providing needed schol- offer critical skills to deserving students Land Conservancy, and The Mt. Tom arships, incorporating climate change regardless of background. Advocacy Group, includes design into the curriculum, and determining the Your ideas, time, and continuing and conservation planning recom- future for our two campuses. financial support are crucial to Conway’s mendations to benefit the greater “Real projects for real clients” remains ability to implement our strategic community—from neighboring land- the heart of Conway’s approach as directions. We look forward to hearing owners to resident salamanders. students learn from from you. practitioners in all ! aspects of design. We Contribute continue to develop online at csld.edu/give formal working relationships with WILLIAM SAYRE municipalities as well as like-minded Chair, Development Committee educational and non-profit organizations. We have redoubled our emphasis on climate change effects and how they influence the way we plan and design. Traditionally, in each annual report, we ask for your financial support; indeed, I do ask that of you again, and offer an addressed envelope in this issue for your convenience. But equally important are your ideas and engagement with Conway’s future. As you read this, we will be in the final stages of crafting our strategic plan for the next five to ten years. Together, we have decided to continue teaching at our leased Easthampton campus while we determine the future for both of the school’s campuses. Your input on this key decision is greatly appreciated. The Mount Tom range is home to some of the most diverse and productive vernal pools in Massachusetts.

26 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design / ANNUAL REPORT /

WE ARE PLEASED TO RECOGNIZE DONORS who support the Conway School by way of in-kind support and gifts to the Annual Fund, Student Grants Fund, David Bird International Service Fellowship and the Sustainable Communities Initiative. Your support is critical to our continued success, and your generosity ensures that we can continue to prepare graduates to make important contributions to ecological landscape planning and design, across many scales and around the world. The 2016 Annual Fund includes gifts made to the Conway School from July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. We make every effort to ensure its accuracy and ask you to bring any errors or omissions to our attention by contacting Priscilla Novitt at [email protected] or (413) 369-4044.

DONORS TO THE 2015–2016 ANNUAL FUND

Susanna Adams ’78, in honor of Paul & Joan Cawood Hellmund Robert H. & Janice L. Schmidt ’15 Michael Singer Bruce Stedman ’78 David Holden ’76 Charles M. Schnell ’01 Virginia Sullivan ’86 Jennifer Allcock ’89 Max Horn Gordon H. Shaw ’89 Sustainable Design Group Katherine Anderson ’94 Sterling Hubbard ’75 Angela Sisson ’04 Timothy S. Taylor ’83 Richard C. Andriole Faith Ingulsrud ’82 Robert Small ’93 The Randleigh Foundation Trust Anonymous (5) Christian Johnson ’14 Kimberly Smith ’13 Claudia Thornton Mitch Anthony Erik Johnson ’09 Richard Snyder, Esq. P’90 Michael Thornton ’86 George Anzuoni P’88, in memory of Stephen Thor Johnson Bruce Spencer Russell Wallack ’15 Helen C. Anzuoni ’88 Angela Kearney ’03 Laura Stack ’89 Walter Cudnohufsky Associates Mollie Babize ’84 & Mary Quigley Elizabeth Kelly ’14 John A. Steele ’84 Seth Wilkinson ’99 Gary Bachman ’84 Kim Klein Lesya Struz ’01 Wilkinson Ecological Design John Baldwin Cynthia Knauf ’89 Mrs. Richard D. Sullivan P’86 Lynn Barclay Nancy Knox ’85 Virginia Sullivan ’86 GIFTS-IN-KIND Kirstin Baringer ’04 Claudia Kopkowski ’88 Robert Swain Rachel Bird Anderson Charles Sumner Bird Charitable Gioia Kuss ’99 Cindy Tavernise ’99 Myrna Breitbart Foundation Robert Lemire Richard W. Thomas ’73 Kate Cholakis ’11 Rachel Bird Anderson Charles Leopold Floyd Thompson ’74 Walter Cudnohufsky Leigh Bloom ’81 John C. Lepore ’11 Judith F. Thompson ’99 Eric DePalo ’16, in memory of Ken Botnick ’79 Barbara Mackey ’88 Michael Thornton ’86 Vic Morano James Bouwkamp Carrie Makover ’86 Kate Tompkins ’11 Patricia Finley ’90 Nancy Braxton Marguerite Cole Foundation Timothy & Linda Umbach Margaret Flint Barbara Keene Briggs ’02 Ann Georgia McCaffray ’78 Pamela Underhill ’89 Paul Cawood Hellmund Larissa Brown ’94 Heather McCargo ’84 Peter & Susan Van Buren ’82 Nicholas T. Lasoff ’05 Richard K. Brown & Anita Sierra McCartney ’13 Liz Vizza ’82 Peter Monro ’86 Loose-Brown Kathleen McCormick ’08 Edwina Von Gal James MacAllister Ralph A. Caputo Philip McKnight Donald L. Walker Jr. ’79 & Willa Caughey ’14 Robert J. & Gladys T. Miner P’07 Ruth Parnall The Legacy Circle Michael Cavanagh ’02 Aitan Mizrahi ’15 George Watkins ’77 The Legacy Circle recognizes Madeleine Charney ’03 J. Peter Monro ’86 David Weber ’15 alums and friends who have made Kathy Cole Melody & William Montgomery ’91 Eric Weber ’77 & Bobbin Young P’15 bequests or life income gifts to the David B. Coleman ’78 Andrea Morgante ’76 Frederick & Peg Read Weiss ’79 Conway School. Their commitment, Art Collings ’95 Darrel G. Morrison Cary White ’15 generosity, and leadership ensure Paul & Kathleen Connolly ’10 James C. Mourkas P’94 Robin Wilkerson the future of the school for years to Carla Manene Cooke ’92 Melissa Mourkas ’94 come. We thank them publicly and Clémence Corriveau ’02 Kristin Nelson ’05 DONORS TO encourage other members of our David Cox ’76 John O’Keefe RESTRICTED FUNDS community to follow their lead. Candace Currie ’97 Mary Parker ’85 Susanna Adams ’78 Anonymous Janet Curtis ’00 Robbin Peach ’78 Beth Batchelder ’15 Jennifer Allcock ’89 Ruth B. Cutler ’85 Chris Pearson Claire Bateman James Bouwkamp D. Alex Damman ’95 Martha Petersen ’94 Bermil Foundation Richard K. Brown Esther Danielson ’94 Roger Plourde ’97 Blue Yak Foundation Susan Crimmins ’97 Anya Darrow ’99 Janet Powers ’90 James Bouwkamp William Gundermann Robert Dashevsky ’79 Mary Chicoine Praus ’10 Molly Burhans ’15 Carl Heide ’00 Harry Dodson Sue Reed ’87 Charles Sumner Bird Charitable Paul & Joan Cawood Hellmund Karen Dunn ’11 Sarah Drew Reeves ’89 Foundation Carrie Makover ’86 Donna Eldridge ’86 & Bob Cleaver Sally & William Richter ’77 Jordan Clark ’15 Virginia Sullivan ’86 Paul G. Esswein ’99 David & Catherine Rioux ’98 Collins Enterprises, LLC Don Eunson ’93 Jason & Laura J. Rissolo ’11 Anya Darrow ’99 P=PARENT Lila Fendrick ’79 Dolores Root P’10 Ben Fairbank ’15 J. Nicholas Filler Susan Rosenberg ’95 Jeff Frisch Jr. ’15 Cynthia Fine ’09 Keith Ross & Louise Doud Annice Kenan ’97 and Jesse Smith Carol Franklin Clarissa Rowe ’74 Aitan Mizrahi ’15 Elizabeth French Fribush ’81 Joel Russell Kate O’Brien ’15 Clyde & Peggy Froehlich Tom & Barbara Delaney Sargent ’79 Dorothea Piranian Hatha Gable Bartlett ’99 Sheafe Satterthwaite Richter & Cegan, Inc. Lynn Harper ’94 John Saveson ’92 Susan Rosenberg ’95 Nancy Hazard William B. Sayre Keith Ross & Louise Doud Carl Heide ’00 Aaron Schlechter ’01 Robert H. & Janice L. Schmidt ’15

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STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JUNE 30, 2016 (from audited financial statements accepted by the Board of Trustees with comparative totals for 2015) FY 2016 FY 2016 FY 2016 FY 2015 Summary of Operations Unrestricted Temp. Restricted TOTAL* TOTAL

REVENUES, GAINS, AND OTHER SUPPORTS The 2015–2016 fiscal year was a Tuition and fees 721,236 721,236 536,550 pivotal year in the exploration Financial aid (148,170) (148,170) (32,500) of (and our investment in) the Cash and ontributionsin-kind c 90,600 124,416 215,016 370,221 Sustainable Communities Initiative. For several years prior to FY16, the Project fees 142,575 142,575 96,692 Conway School was successful in Investment income, net 7,130 7,130 8,408 raising funds to pursue establishing Workshop fees and a new campus. We sought to address miscellaneous income 5,568 5,568 3,050 the question of whether another Net assets released location would better serve the from restrictions 303,774 (303,774) school’s long-term program goals Total Revenues, Gains, and students’ interests. With the and Other Support 1,122,713 (179,358) 943,355 982,421 hard work and financial support of EXPENSES many trustees, faculty, staff, and Program services: donors, we opened a second campus School activities653,833 653,833 474,358 in Easthampton, Massachusetts in Supporting activities: the fall of 2015. Administration 404,727 404,727 241,560 aising Fundr 91,160 91,160 143,735 Although we had the largest enrollment in the school’s history and Total Expenses 1,149,720 1,149,720 859,653 drew one of the most diverse group Net Assets at Beginning of Year of students we have had in one class, (restated) 1,076,963 225,766 1,308,671 1,185,903 the operation of two campuses Net Assets at End of Year 1,049,956 46,408 1,102,306 1,308,671 presented several fiscal challenges. Change in Net Assets (27,007) (179,358) (206,365) 122,768 Most important, the total enrollment was not enough to fund two separate STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS OF JUNE 30, 2016 campuses. As a result, the program (from audited financial statements accepted by the Board of Trustees with comparative totals for 2015) required additional investment, FY 2016 FY 2016 FY 2016 FY 2015 as did the physical preparation Unrestricted Temp. Restricted TOTAL TOTAL of the Easthampton facility. The ASSETS total invested from the Sustainable Cash and cash equivalents110,558 52,350 162,908 346,623 Communities Initiative Fund was Accounts receivable 74,445 74,445 32,546 $224,937. Working with the faculty and Contributions receivable 9,250 9,250 3,015 staff, the trustees voted to operate Notes receivable 19,394 a single academic program at the Prepaid expenses 35,405 35,405 26,993 Easthampton facility for the 2016– Property and equipment 654,920 654,920 654,639 2017 academic year. The school Investments 340,829 340,829 386,784 continues to focus on raising funds Tuition loans 18,000 18,000 18,000 for scholarships and financial aid, improvements to the program, and Total Assets 1,243,407 52,350 1,295,757 1,487,994 increasing our reserves. Thank you LIABILITIES to all who continue to keep the Current liabilities 85,427 85,427 62,495 Conway School sustainable with your Mortgage note payable, generous contributions. long term 108,024 108,024 116,828 Total Liabilities 193,451 - 193,451 179,323 NET ASSETS Designated by the Board of Trustees 153,854 153,854 153,234 Undesignated 896,102 896,102 923,729 Total unrestricted 1,049,956 - 1,049,956 1,076,963

Temporary restricted 52,350 52,350 231,708 *Significant increases in some numbers for FY 2016 are the result of Conway having Total Net Assets 1,049,956 52,350 1,102,306 1,308,671 two campuses and 22 students enrolled; Total Liabilities + Net Assets1,243,407 52,350 1,295,757 1,487,994 in FY 2015 there was one campus with 17 students enrolled.

28 The Conway School Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning + Design The world needs the Conway School more than ever.

Wilmington Village Center during Tropical Storm Irene. PHOTO: ERIC CRAVEN

Wilmington, Vermont has experienced six major floods in the last century.

Conway students developed a master plan that presented adaptation strategies for the anticipated increase in frequency and intensity of storms due to climate change, and they proposed a design for a new downtown outside the floodplain. Page from Village Master Plan for Wilmington Vermont, by Renee LaGue ’13 and Kimberly Smith ’13.

Preparing ecological designers to address these evolving challenges—and more—has never been more important.

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THE CONWAY SCHOOL | CONWAY + EASTHAMPTON, MASSACHUSETTS 10-MONTH MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ECOLOGICAL DESIGN

25 The Conwaywww.csld.edu School Graduate Program| Kate inCholakis, Sustainable Admissions Landscape Planning Manager + Design | [email protected] | (413) 369-4044 Graduate Program in Sustainable NONPROFIT ORG. the Landscape Planning + Design U.S. POSTAGE PAID ConwaySchool HADLEY 180 Pleasant Street, Suite 211 Easthampton, MA 01027

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“I took this photo during our class trip to the Quabbin Reservoir in Belchertown, Massachusetts, which is Boston’s fresh water supply. There, we discussed how temperature changes, drought, and increased amounts of potentially contaminated stormwater runoff are elements of climate change that threaten this vital public water source, and its 450,000 acres of protected open land that provide habitat for wildlife such as bear, moose, bobcats, loons, and bald eagles.” —Margot Halpin ’16