wetlands
Among the most rewarding of all the projects I tackle are those in which a pond, stream or waterfall is meant to be a teaching tool. The lessons don't have to be difficult to grasp or challenging to deliver: They simply add a layer of meaning, depth and value to the work that sharpens my interest and lifts my spirits. The stream system at Reed Street Yards in Milwaukee, Wisc., was a source of just this form of personal satisfaction: The city has been positioning itself as a global leader in all things related to freshwater systems, and my participation here had to do with an incubator/think tank complex aimed at expanding on the efforts of the
By Eric Herman It’s a given: As human beings, we are all utterly dependent on the availability of fresh, clear, potable water for our survival. As a result, the preservation of aquatic resources of all types is an interest in which all people should share. At the same time,
Of all the roles we watershapers and landscape professionals play in enhancing the basic value and character of the areas in which we work, I would argue these days that preserving the health and beauty of natural forms of water and their associated landscapes might well be the most significantly “green.” I live and work on New York’s Long Island, which is one of those fortunate places defined by natural beauty and abundant waterforms. With our pristine wetlands, bays, freshwater ponds and sand-dune-draped ocean vistas, it’s a place that’s long been treasured by residents and visitors alike. It’s also a place where I, as a local landscape architect, see my mission as one of creating spaces that please my clients by enhancing their properties while also fulfilling a responsibility to be a good steward of the environment on their behalf. Projects here typically involve working around environmental setbacks designed to protect natural bodies of water. While such rules are common to many areas across the country, here the enforcement is so stringent that it almost invariably shapes our designs and often calls for unusual serenity in dealing with regulatory agencies and inspectors – and for clear, effective communication with clients. In effect, we must reconcile
I wasn’t surprised when Jim McCloskey suggested that it was high time for us to produce a Green Issue of WaterShapes: I’ve known him for more than 20 years and have long admired his dedication to environmentalism, recycling and keeping the planet healthy for his children and everyone else’s children as well – beliefs I wholeheartedly share. I was, however, caught a bit off guard by
People who live in and around Hilton Head Island, S.C., cherish the memory of Charles Fraser, the visionary developer who set the standard for the way communities look along vast stretches of the Carolina coast. Most prominently, he pioneered progressive land-planning standards 50 years ago in developing Sea Pines, one of the first communities to incorporate environmental preservation as part of the development, take its design cues from nature and support the concept with land covenants and restrictions. Fraser’s vision for Sea Pines has since become the foundation for many planned communities worldwide and embodies a philosophy that has, in the intervening years, spread throughout the country. Indeed, our firm – Wood+Partners of Hilton Head – has always endeavored to adhere to this approach in planning communities that are situated in and around natural environments. Most of the time, that means we work (as Fraser did) with water as a central amenity, whether the setting borders a lake, the ocean, a river or a natural wetland area. As we see it, our mission is to preserve and, where we can, even
