Olmsted Society of Riverside

05/25/2026

Our May 18 volunteer workday was filled with both hard work and heartfelt goodbyes. Volunteers spent the morning weeding the Longcommon and helping beautify our wonderful Riverside community.

The day also marked a bittersweet farewell to our incredible Village Forester, Mike Collins. After 21 years of dedicated service to Riverside, Mike is beginning an exciting new chapter. To celebrate and thank him, we surprised him with some of his favorites — Doritos and lemon cake!

Mike’s partnership, expertise, kindness, and friendship have meant so much to all of us over the years. His impact on Riverside’s landscape and community will be felt for years to come.

Thank you, Mike, for your unwavering dedication and all you have done for Riverside. You will truly be missed, and we wish you nothing but the very best in your next adventure. 💚🌳

05/09/2026

04/30/2026

Save the date and get ready to get wild in Riverside on Global Big Day! Global Big Day is an annual celebration of the birds amongst us, both year-round and those traveling through. This is a fun, family-friendly event packed with hands-on activities for all ages. No registration required—just stop by and enjoy! There will be a guided bird walk with Chicago Ornithological Society Board Member Vinod Babu, where you can observe a diverse array of avian residents and migratory visitors. This will be followed by various other Parks & Rec crafts and activities for all ages. Come and go as your leisure!

For updates and more information on Global Big Day, visit https://ow.ly/WxHm50YLoyA

02/12/2026

Join us for the Village of Riverside's Sesquicentennial Legacy Auction! As we approach the Closing Ceremony, the Riverside 150 Committee is pleased to report that it will have funds available for a Legacy Project.

An imaginative, accessible, nature-based and nature-inspired play space is currently in design for Turtle Park, but equipment and construction costs are likely to exceed the committed grant amount. Pending approval from the Village Board, the Riverside150 Committee would like to dedicate its funds to this project. It will be a forward-looking gift to our youth, celebrating the wonders of nature and creative play, to be enjoyed by the community for years to come.

For more information and to place a bid, pleas visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/sesquicentennial-legacy-auction

02/12/2026

Renew your Olmsted Society membership for 2026!
Your support helps preserve Riverside’s beautiful Olmsted-designed landscape and sustain our community programs — from walking tours and presentations to workdays and ghost tours.

👉 Renew online: www.olmstedsociety.org

Thank you for being part of what makes Riverside special 💚

Stewards of the Land and Olmsted’s Plan: In 1868, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and his partner, Calvert Vaux, were commissioned to plan a unique community just west of Chicago, Illinois. The result was Riverside, a beautiful community along the Des Plaines River, complete with curving...

02/12/2026

Riverside's Sesquicentennial Closing Ceremony will be taking place on Friday, February 20. The ceremony will end the year-long celebration of Riverside's 150the anniversary. The evening will be the perfect ending to a historic year and will take a look back at the many highlights of 2025. Please send a RSVP if interested in coming to [email protected].

01/29/2026

The Village has been busy! In 2025, the Village achieved several major milestones, including the presentation of the first-ever Landscape Restoration Award.

The Olmsted Society presented the Landscape Restoration Award to Village Forester Mike Collins during their annual public meeting on Friday, January 16, 2026. Collins, along with many volunteers, cleared riverbanks along the Des Plaines of overgrowth and invasive plant species.

"It has been very rewarding to work the river banks of the Des Plaines with so many dedicated volunteers," Collins said. "I have made some good friends along the way. It has been a long road with many challenges but we have made significant progress in removing the wall of invasive buckthorn and bringing back native vegetation. It’s a great example of the positive impact a municipality and local civic organization can make in partnership. I share the award with all involved. And I really like to enjoy the view! Thank you to the Olmsted Society for the award and continued collaborations."

01/07/2026

Please join us on January 16 at 7pm for our annual meeting followed by a presentation from David Oppenheimer at Riverside Township Hall.

From Catesby to Audubon: Natural History Art and Olmsted’s Legacy of Nature.

From Catesby to Audubon: American Natural History Art and Olmsted’s Vision of Landscape explores the parallel development of American natural history art and the nation’s evolving view of the natural world. This presentation will examine how 18th- and 19th-century artists and naturalists such as Mark Catesby, Alexander Wilson, and John James Audubon shaped the scientific and aesthetic foundations of American natural history illustration.

In Riverside, that legacy endures in the names of its streets, including Michaux, Bartram, and Audubon, which honor naturalists whose work reflected the same respect for nature that guided Frederick Law Olmsted’s vision. This lecture connects their studies of American flora and fauna to Olmsted’s philosophy of landscape design, revealing how both art and landscape sought harmony between human life and the natural environment. Original historic artworks and artifacts from this period will be displayed during the presentation, offering a rare opportunity to experience firsthand the images and objects that helped define America’s relationship with nature.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from The Olmsted Society of Riverside.

12/20/2025

Riverside now has its own plaque, marking the village as a site of significance to history of the state of Illinois.