CEUs

Pending

Cost

Free

Location

Fernald Preserve

Program Overview

Once home to a Cold War uranium metals production facility (1951-1989), the Fernald Preserve underwent an extensive environmental clean up (among the largest in US history) and in 2008 opened to the public as a nature preserve. The 1,050-acre Fernald Preserve was restored with natural features and native plants and a LEED Platinum-certified Visitor Center. The program includes a tour of the Visitor Center, discussion of its LEED design features, and how the environmental history of the site impacted its design.

Fernald Preserve is now home to one of the largest man-made wetlands in Ohio, open water, upland forests, a lengthy riparian corridor, and 350 acres of grassland, including tallgrass prairie and savanna, attracting more than 255 species of birds. The transformation of the site, from the landscaped grounds of the visitor center to the wild habitats will be shared in this program.

For directions and additional information, visit: https://www.energy.gov/lm/fernald-preserve-visitors-center

Organized by the Ohio Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects

The full-day program has been split into two parts for AIA Continuing Education submission.

Part 1

11am Tour of the Fernald Visitors Center and exhibits

Noon Lunch (provided by DIV32)

12:30pm Virginia Russell, FASLA  "Design of the Fernald Visitors Center and Nature Preserve"

1:15pm Break

AIA CE credit is pending for course number G2025.g covering this part of the program.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the impact of the site’s Superfund history and efforts to restore the 1,050acre preserve to minimize risk to human and wildlife health.

• Appreciate the design efforts undertaken for LEED Platinum certification of the vistor center including ground-source heating and cooling system and a zero-discharge biowetland where water, plants, microorganisms, and the environment interact to treat the building’s wastewater..

• Understand the relationship between the visitor center design, a clean warehouse once used during the environmental cleanup, and the site’s history, current usage, and future management.

• Understand the changing land use over time from Native American occupation to farming to uranium processing, the impact of those changes on the human use of site and the environment.

Part 2

1:30pm Gary Meisner, FASLA "Fernald Visitors Center Landscape Design"

2pm Luke Thies, Fernald Staff Naturalist "Fernald Nature Preserve Master Plan, Site Ecology, and Site Management"

The day concludes with a 3 - 4:30pm Site hike led by Luke Thies.

AIA CE credit is pending for course number G2025.h covering this part of the program.

Learning Objectives

• Understand how the landscape plan and plant palette support the Visitor Center’s design, wildlife, ecology, and human use.

• Understand the design and function of the rain garden.

• Understand the ongoing restoration and monitoring plan, including ongoing groundwater extraction and treatment operations for remediation of uranium.

• Participants will understand the Department of Energy’s role in the management of the site in conjunction with the site’s Master Plan.

Continuing Education Details

Course Number: G2025.g and G2025.h

Instructional Delivery Method: live

AIA CES Program Approval Expiration Date: TBA

Prerequisites: none

Program Level: beginner

Advance Learner Preparation: none

AIA CES Provider Statement

AIA Cincinnati is a registered provider of AIA-approved continuing education under Provider Number 088. All registered AIA CES Providers must comply with the AIA Standards for Continuing Education Programs. Any questions or concerns about this provider or this learning program may be sent to AIA CES (cessupport@aia.org or (800) AIA 3837, Option 3).

This learning program is registered with AIA CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

AIA continuing education credit has been reviewed and approved by AIA CES. Learners must complete the entire learning program to receive continuing education credit. AIA continuing education Learning Units earned upon completion of this course will be reported to AIA CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

During this program, photography, audio, and video recording may occur. By attending this program, you consent to interview(s), photography, audio recording, video recording and its/their release, publication, exhibition, or reproduction to be used for news, web casts, promotional purposes, telecasts, advertising, inclusion on websites, social media, or any other purpose by AIA Cincinnati and its affiliates and representatives. Images, photos and/or videos may be used to promote similar AIA Cincinnati in the future, highlight the program, and exhibit the capabilities of AIA Cincinnati.