Over 73,000 vehicles travel the Front Range corridor between Colorado Springs and Denver on any given day. This area is growing fast. Population is increasing at a clip of 1,000 per-month and construction continues to change the skyline. South of Castle Rock, however, sweeping views of the mountains emerge amidst a pristine foreground of rolling grasslands, mesas and historic ranches. This unique 17-mile stretch of Interstate 25 lies undeveloped following the implementation of the I-25 Conservation Corridor Master Plan, the result of a strong strategic vision coupled with unprecedented cooperation among conservation organizations, government entities and private landowners.

The Conservation Fund, in collaboration with the landscape architect, initiated a strategy to engage residents and government officials in conserving open lands to forever protect scenic vistas, water quality, wildlife, clean air and recreational opportunities along the corridor. Devised to offer solutions to the surrounding uncontrolled sprawl, the plan leveraged unique planning methods and limited development strategies to achieve what had been previously considered impossible: preservation of over 100,000 acres of open space along Colorado's Front Range.

Beginning in 2015, the landscape architecture program of The Ohio State University launched a multi-part initiative to celebrate its centennial. Forming around a common theme of making, the initiative gathered archival material and crafted new objects to tell the story of the program. The result helped bring together a community in transition, and provided an innovative look at the profession's history through the institution that has reliably represented its heart.

The initiative comprised four interwoven projects. First, a series of informational banners were installed throughout the program's home of Knowlton Hall. These banners were translated into a brochure of infographics for alumni, prospective students, and friends of the program. An exhibition collected 100 years of the program's student work. Finally, the program gathered its history in a book, published in 2017 as Testing Grounds: 100 Years of Landscape Architecture at The Ohio State University. The title points to a major theme for each piece: Ohio State's position as a bellwether of the landscape profession and academy, a site where new practices are tested and perfected.

The Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Management Plan served a visionary purpose in the conversion of a 17,000-acre Superfund site into one of our nation's largest urban wildlife refuges. The catalyst – the Refuge Act of 1992 – set forth the challenge to maximize public use at levels compatible with the conservation and enhancement of wildlife habitat.

Addressing pressing land use issues of the early 21st century – conservation, habitat protection and management, pollution control, cleanup and reuse, public use, recreation, environmental education and sustainable development – the CMP conceptualized a pioneering approach to dynamic, novel ecosystems where restoration would harbor living ecologies while simultaneously providing recreational opportunities. Demonstrating the role landscape architecture may play in complex, contaminated lands, the CMP represented a model for how public and private partnerships may assist with the large-scale remediation of decommissioned military sites into public wildlife reserves.

"The Rocky Mountain Arsenal is the crown jewel of open space…and a place of enjoyment for all the people of Colorado." – Former Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar