The Trust for Public Land, a national environmental non-profit that creates parks and protects land for the public, will honor landscape architect Thomas L. Woltz and the work of his firm Nelson Byrd Woltz (NBW), at its 2019 Gala, Wednesday, November 13. Woltz and NBW’s work will be recognized for creating ecologically-conscious landscapes that tell the unique stories of the surrounding communities. . Hosted by former Trust for Public Land Senior Vice President for Park Development Adrian Benepe, this year’s gala theme is “Park and Urban Design,” a key component of The Trust for Public Land’s work creating welcoming green spaces for all.
“We are proud to honor the innovative work of Thomas Woltz and his firm’s contribution to the important mission of creating parks where everyone can find community and experience the outdoors,” said Diane Regas, President and CEO of The Trust for Public Land. “With beautiful designs that preserve the natural environment, Thomas and his associates at NBW inspire all people to come together, connect, and become stewards of our lands.”
Thomas and his colleagues have forged a body of work that integrates the beauty and function of built forms with an understanding of complex ecological, cultural, and engineered systems. Their innovative designs establish ecological function in public landscapes and agricultural lands, infusing narratives of the land into the places where people live, work, and play, deepening connections to the natural world and inspiring environmental stewardship. Current and recent public projects include Lakeshore Park in Knoxville; three parks in Nashville including Centennial Park; The Public Square and Gardens at Hudson Yards in Manhattan; Memorial Park in Houston; the Aga Khan Garden in Alberta, Canada; and Cornwall Park in Auckland, New Zealand. Woltz was named Design Innovator of the Year by the Wall Street Journal Magazine in 2013 and one of the most creative people in business by Fast Company in 2017.
Among guests expected at the Gala are: Former Chairman of 21st Century FOX James Murdoch; renowned landscape designer and the inaugural administrator of Central Park, Elizabeth Barlow Rogers; landscape architects Laurie Olin, Robin Key, and Warren Byrd; philanthropist Elizabeth Ainslie; New York City Council Member Peter Koo; New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Vincent Sapienza; and executives from Citi, Wells Fargo, and Bloomberg. The gala will also feature a special performance by Canadian recording artist Elise LeGrow.
In honor of this year’s gala theme, the venue will be decorated with lush, living green decor and park benches to resemble an urban park. The gala will also be an environmentally low-impact, with no plastic utensils, flatware or glasses, sustainably sourced meals, environmentally friendly hand soap, and seed packets given as gifts.
Since 1972, The Trust for Public Land has worked to protect public lands, including hiking trails, farms, ranches, forests, rivers, streams, coasts, and watersheds, as well as create hundreds of parks across the United States. They have helped connect more than eight million people with nature by protecting more than 3.6 million acres of land and completing more than 5400 parks and conservation projects.