Founding Principal Chris Pattillo was recognized at the 2014 ASLA convention in Denver, receiving an award for Outstanding Service. This national award recognizes volunteers who make notable contributions to or on behalf of the Society. Chris received the award for her work promoting and educating the public about the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS). The HALS program was created in 2000. Chris and partner Cathy Garrett founded the Northern California chapter of HALS in 2004, and use that platform to promote the HALS mission to save and document cultural landscapes. Since that time, PGA has completed more HALS work than any other private firm. Chris created the HALS Heroes initiative that encourages members to prepare documentation. In 2010, she conceived the HALS Challenge, which was subsequently adopted by the National Park Service. Since then, the number of new HALS short-form submissions from throughout the country has increased each year.
