JSR Foundation
 

In 1997 the JSR Foundation was formalized as the charitable arm of the Association of Landscape Architects Colorado Chapter with a mission to continue the legacy of Jane Silverstein Ries’ stewardship of the land. Today, the Foundation recognizes and supports sustainable and innovative projects and programs that conserve, improve and enhance the built and natural environments. The Foundation offers scholarships, grants, educational opportunities, events and programs that make the spirit of places endure in the Rocky Mountain region.
Board of directors >>
Photo Credit // John Birkey
Jane Silverstein Ries, FASLA
As the first woman to pursue a career in landscape architecture in Colorado, Jane Silverstein Ries, FASLA, was a pioneer. She graduated from the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture in Groton, Massachusetts in 1932, and by 1934 had already opened her own landscape architecture office in Denver. Jane held the third landscape architecture license in the State of Colorado. Her career in landscape architecture spanned nearly six decades. Jane was ahead of her time with her philosophy of incorporating native plants and materials into her designs and built her projects to reflect, preserve and restore the natural environment. She was a strong voice in issues of land use and fought to conserve prairie, mountain landscapes, wildlife and urban spaces.

In 2005, the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) awarded Jane the ASLA Medal, the highest honor bestowed on landscape architects. To date, she is one of three female recipients of the medal.

JSR Foundation’s mission to embrace the spirit of place ensures that Jane’s legacy of land stewardship and sustainability lives on.
JSR – Denver Public Library Archive Collection >>

View Jane's legacy in a retrospective exhibit of her career, featuring her garden design and landscape architecture work.
Link to Denver Public Library - Online Exhibit >>

 News
• August 2012 // JSR Award // Eagle Valley Land Trust
The Jane Silverstein Ries Foundation is pleased to announce that the Eagle Valley Land Trust has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 JSR Award. The Eagle Valley Land Trust, (EVLT) was founded as a non-profit in 1982 to “preserve the important wildlife habitat, magnificent scenic vistas and historic ranching heritage that are integral to the character and quality of life in Eagle County.” To date, the Eagle Valley Land Trust has completed 27 conservation easements, five of which have been concluded so far in 2012. Its largest project is the stewardship of the conservation easement on the visually sensitive 4,800-acre Golden Bair Ranch at the mouth of Glenwood Canyon. In total, EVLT monitors and stewards almost 6,500 acres of protected land in the conservation easements it holds.

For more information visit evlt.org

• August 2012 // JSR Scholarship Awarded // Mathew Annabel
The Jane Silverstein Ries Foundation is pleased to announce that the Matthew Annabel of the University of Colorado at Denver, Landscape Architecture Program has been selected as the recipient of the 2012 JSR Student Scholarship. Mr. Annabel’s project, Goldline Fault studied the methods in which a transit oriented development could connect divided neighborhoods. The design sought to seek community convergence through use of landform, water and history in public space. More information >>.