The Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (WI ASLA) recently announced its juried selection of 2026 Professional Design Award winners. YMCA Camp Manito-wish and MSA Professional Services, Inc. (MSA) were together selected to receive a Merit Award in the Medium-scale Design category for a waterfront restoration and drainage improvement project at Camp Manito-wish in Boulder Junction.

WI ASLA Merit Awards recognize site-specific projects of exemplary landscape architectural design as chosen by a juried panel of professionals from the ASLA Upstate New York Chapter. Projects are appraised and rated on a variety of achievements including quality of design, functionalism, relationship to context and environmental responsibility, and relevance to the profession, the public, and the environment.

The Camp Manito-wish waterfront restoration project addressed waterfront erosion along Boulder Lake, insufficient stormwater conveyance, landscape stabilization, and the protection of historic shoreline infrastructure at a beloved 325-acre YMCA youth camp. MSA led design, engineering, and restoration efforts, which included replacing a failing wood crib seawall with a combined steel sheet, wood clad, and stone boulder shoreline to mitigate erosion; expanding concrete sidewalks for ADA compliance and improved accessibility to the lake; restoring deteriorating historic waterfront steps, stone walls and walkways; updating a boat ramp at Trips Boathouse; renovating the camp Nature Lodge/Sail Shack stairs; and constructing a new service ramp to provide an accessible route from camp housing to activities at the lakefront.

“MSA is honored to receive recognition for this important camp legacy project,” remarked John Langhans, PE, vice president of the Land service line at MSA. “Our work at Camp Manito-wish reflects an excellent collaboration with camp and YMCA leadership, with results that create resilient, safe, and sustainable spaces for the youth of Wisconsin to continue to gather, grow, and adventure together — as they have done since 1919.”

The 2026 ASLA Professional Design Award recipients were formally recognized at the University of Madison Department of Planning and Landscape Architecture’s Jensen-Longenecker Awards Banquet on April 17, 2026.