Boston Flora

Tag: stormwater

  • Wednesday, March 4 and Thursday, March 5, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm – ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace 2020

    Looking for New Ideas? Solutions? Inspiration? From the practical to the applicable, join the Ecological Landscape Alliance in March for the 26th Annual ELA Conference & Eco-Marketplace at the UMass Campus Center, Amherst, MA. Immerse yourself in a two-day exploration of ecological concepts as our speakers share their experiences and expertise.

    Forests and natural systems are under enormous pressure from the effects of climate change, insect damage, invasive plants, and rapid urbanization. What can you do to protect these systems? Join us to learn more about how to restore lost ecological connections, better manage urban land, and create beautiful, highly functioning landscapes!

    Wednesday features two educational workshop tracks. Track One – explore soils from “micro to macro” with a dive into the intricacies of soil…. hear about the latest research, and learn how to apply new practices for results in the landscape. Track Two explores the detailed workings of meadow ecosystems and what it takes to make a successful meadow project and more.

    Thursday offers a broad range of sessions. Delve into landscape design elements from native shrubs to playscapes and larger ecological landscapes, including rain gardens and modern agricultural models. Enjoy a presentation or join an idea exchange to engage with your peers on timely topics.

    Registration fees range from $20 to $330. Register online and get complete details at https://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/ela-conference-eco-marketplace-2/

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  • Wednesday, July 18, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Green Garden Infrastructure Webinar

    Green infrastructure is the backbone of an environmentally responsible garden. Learn how to incorporate low-cost and low-tech solutions for managing stormwater, harvesting rainwater, and reducing excess heat and pollution. Anna Fialkoff will introduce you to rain gardens, green roofs, permeable paving, and other landscape elements you can build without the help of an engineer or landscape architect. The New England Wild Flower Society webinar will take place Wednesday, July 18 from 7 – 8, and is $10 for NEWFS members, $13 for nonmembers. Register at http://www.newenglandwild.org/learn/our-programs/live-webinar-green-garden-infrastructure

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  • Wednesday, January 20, 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm – “Beyond LID” Green Infrastructure

    Low Impact Development (LID) has become an increasingly widespread sustainable approach to site planning and stormwater management design. In this Ecological Landscape Alliance webinar on Wednesday, January 20 from 2 – 3, Jonathan Ford, PE and Brian Kuchar, PE, RLA, will review the fundamental LID principles, then demonstrate innovative “beyond LID” advancements including neighborhood scale environmental design, “lovable” infrastructure, bioretention and permeable pavement case studies in various contexts, bioretention planting approaches, and solutions to address perceived LID stormwater maintenance and operation challenges.

    Brian Kuchar has over 18 years of experience in the combined fields of site engineering and landscape architecture including: site inventory assessment and planning, park and trail design, erosion control, stormwater management, green infrastructure, ecological and stream bank restoration, land management planning, public outreach, and construction administration. Brian has been employed in both the public and private sectors and has experience with a broad range of projects including multi use paths, park and riverwalk design, land use management, stormwater retrofit, green infrastructure and ecological restoration. He collaborated with the EPA on the development of a handbook for urban green infrastructure and stormwater retrofits as part of the EPA’s Green Infrastructure Municipal Handbook Series. Brian is a registered landscape architect as well as a registered professional engineer and a LEED accredited professional, and previously served as an adjunct professor in the Landscape Architecture Department at the University of Rhode Island.

    Jon Ford, PE, is a Senior Project Manager at the Horsley Witten Group. His planning and design approach is based on the principles of New Urbanism and the belief that compact, walkable neighborhood design creates vibrant, livable places in balance with nature. Mr. Ford is a Knight Fellow in Community Building at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture, co-founder and past President of the New England Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU), and on the faculty of the Form Based Codes Institute. His projects have won numerous awards, including a CNU New England Award of Excellence, Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence Silver Medal, and Boston Society of Landscape Architects Honor Award. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New England Chapter of the Congress for the New Urbanism, Ecological Landscape Alliance, and Blackstone Parks Conservancy. Free for ELA members, $10 for nonmembers – See more at: http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/beyond-lid-green-infrastructure/#sthash.ai2ui447.dpuf 

  • Monday, October 19, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon – Guiding the Rain: Aesthetic Form, Ecological Function

    Rain gardens guide the rain away from storm drains while attracting wildlife and protecting streams, lakes, and ponds. Planted with native flowers, shrubs, and grasses, rain gardens can thrive without fertilizers and pesticides. Tree filter systems are another solution that integrate street trees with stormwater collection. These systems are unique in that they integrate above-ground vegetation with subsurface bio-remediation principals to treat and cleanse stormwater pollutants prior to infiltration to groundwater and aquifers. Join tour guides Ed Himlin from the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition and stormwater engineer  Paul Iorio to learn more about Leominster’s stormwater solutions that combine aesthetic form and ecological function. Learn more, get the map of the meeting place, and register today at http://www.ecolandscaping.org/event/guiding-the-rain-aesthetic-form-ecological-function/ ELA members $22, nonmembers $32.

  • Wednesday, February 18, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm – Green City, Clean Waters: The Philadelphia Story

    Mark Focht is the First Deputy Commissioner for Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, the Immediate Past President for the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), and a fellow of the ASLA. He completed a Bachelor of Science from Pennsylvania State University and received a Master in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts. He is a licensed landscape architect in the state of Pennsylvania.

    Focht will present his keynote address titled Green City, Clean Waters: The Philadelphia Story, in the Fishbowl of the Boston Architectural College, 320 Newbury Street, on Wednesday, February 18 from 5:30 – 7 The lecture will focus on the innovative and strategic green stormwater management practices of the City of Philadelphia. Join the BAC to hear about how Focht helped the city accomplish a revitalization and stewardship plan that has beneficially impacted the way urban communities handle stormwater. From Focht we will also hear about the important partnerships and public outreach that have contributed to the success of his leadership and Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters Plan.

    This lecture is sponsored by the student chapter of the ASLA. For more information email Olivia Fragale at sasla@the-bac.edu.

  • New Environmental Protection Agency National Stormwater Calculator Available for Download

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated its national stormwater calculator, which estimates the amount of rainwater and runoff from any site in the U.S., to reflect best estimates on future climate change. The EPA writes: “the calculator now includes changes in seasonal precipitation levels, the effects of more frequent high-intensity storms, and changes in evaporation rates based on validated Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) climate change scenarios.” The first iteration of the calculator just covered soils conditions, slope, land cover, and historical rainfall records.

    The goal is help developers, planners, and landscape architects understand how to best adapt our water management systems for a changing future. The new EPA administrator, Gina McCarthy, said: “climate change threatens our health, our economy, and our environment. As part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, this tool will help us better prepare for climate impacts by helping build safer, sustainable, and more resilient water infrastructure.”

    The calculator software, which can be downloaded free, enables users to discover how green infrastructure can reduce stormwater runoff. According to the EPA, the calculator first accesses several databases that offer soil, topography, rainfall, and evaporation information for any given site. Users then plug in information about a site’s land cover and finally determine which types of green infrastructure they would like to use. Options include rain harvesting, rain gardens, green roofs, street planters, infiltration basins, or porous pavement.

    The EPA says it’s best to develop a range of results using different assumptions about “percent of impervious surface, soil type, sizing of green infrastructure, as well as historical weather and future climate change scenarios” in order to comprehensive.

    Download the new calculator from the following web page, which includes instructions for downloading: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/wq/models/swc/.

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  • Tuesday, January 14, 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Rain Gardens to the Rescue

    The North Andover Garden Club will meet Tuesday, January 14, from 7 – 9 at St. Michael’s Parish Hall, Main Street, North Andover, and the featured speaker will be Donna Williams. Donna is a Board Member of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. This is an informational meeting about the MA Rain Garden Campaign to help reduce polluted runoff flowing into our water resources. Gardeners,homeowners, and business owners are invited to learn what they can do on their own property to reduce the stormwater impact to Massachusetts waterways, and how to enhance rainfall, reduce runoff, and save money on your water and sewer bills.  The meeting is open to the public.  For more information visit www.northandovergardenclub.com.

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  • Saturday, August 24, 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, and Thursday, August 29, 5:00 pm – 9:00 pm – Stormwater Advocates Training

    Learn how to halt or reduce pollution that harms your town’s water at a unique training by the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition (MWC). This Stormwater Advocates Training (SWAT) offers a mix of stimulating workshops and fieldwork for people who want to help their communities reduce polluted runoff.

    Local streets are pollution pathways that convey hot, dirty, oily storm runoff into streams and ponds. These pollutants accumulate and cause the steady decline of urban and suburban waterways.  Fortunately, there are effective and inexpensive practices to fix stormwater problems. Expert speakers will present valuable guidance and participants will receive MWC assistance in selecting practices to achieve the most pollutant reduction for the least cost.

    SWAT training is offered on August 24 (Part 1: 9am – 1pm) and Aug. 29  (Part 2: 5-9 pm) in Northampton. The registration fee is $40 for the  workshops, materials and refreshments. Pre-registration is requested.  Please phone 978-534-0379, or email bgy@commonwaters.org by August 20.  A detailed description is online at www.commonwaters.org/events/be-a-stormwater-advocate.

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  • Wednesday, March 7 – Thursday, March 8 – 18th Annual ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace

    ELA Conference Save the Date

    For complete information, visit www.ecolandscaping.org.

  • Wednesday, June 8, 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm – Designing Ornamental Gardens for Effective Storm Water Infiltration

    Kevin Beuttell, MLA, LEED AP, has eleven years of experience in developing sustainable design solutions for a variety of public and private project throughout the Midwestern and Northeastern United States.  On Wednesday, June 8, from 1:30 – 4, he will speak on Designing Ornamental Gardens for Effective Storm Water Infiltration. Despite the proven environmental benefits of storm water gardens, many people are reluctant to use them because they rarely result in attractive, long lasting landscapes that are easy to maintain.  A close examination of the materials and processes of storm water gardens, however, suggests a solution for creating a significantly stronger and more resilient system of relationships between vegetation, soil, and environmental performance.  This shift in the design approach creates opportunities to design beautiful ornamental gardens that function as highly effective storm water management systems in a wide variety of site locations and regional climates.  You will tour a variety of rain gardens in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and learn practical tips on creating effective rain gardens that can also stand on their own ornamental merits.  $20 ELA members, $25 non-members.  Register by calling 617-436-5838, or email ela.info@comcast.net.