Olmsted Network

06/25/2026

The Olmsted Network has been busy this summer, weighing in on advocacy issues impacting public lands coast to coast.

Visit our Olmsted Action page to keep up with the latest—from comments on proposed developments in Olmsted parks to legal filings protecting democratic spaces:

https://olmsted.org/olmsted-action/

06/24/2026

Our next free webinar is less than one month away! Join us on July 21 as we explore the history of Portland's Elk Rock Garden with historian Eileen Fitzsimons and Stephanie Brown, Executive Director of Elk Rock Garden - Portland, Oregon.

Register for free: https://olmsted.org/events/elk-rock-garden-past-present-and-future/

Join us for our next free webinar on Tuesday, July 21, exploring Portland's Elk Rock Garden!

Together with historian Eileen Fitzsimons and Stephanie Brown of Elk Rock Garden - Portland, Oregon, we will explore the rich history and evolving future of one of Oregon's most beloved landscapes.

Register: https://ow.ly/FOkH50Zb90G

06/22/2026

President Sue Breitkopf reflects on her recent trip to Montreal—and the lessons it can teach us about preserving public lands everywhere—in a new op-ed for the Montreal Gazette.

"At a time when so many cities are neglecting public lands — carving them up for private use, allowing them to fall into decay, or denying communities a voice in how to use their green spaces — it was truly heartening to see the passion and vigilance of so many individuals and organizations supporting [Mount Royal Park]."

Read more: https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/op-eds/opinion-protecting-olmsted-mount-royal-park/

Le mont Royal - Les Amis de la montagne

06/19/2026

Before becoming America's most influential landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted traveled across Texas and the slaveholding southern states throughout the 1850s. In his writings later collected in "The Cotton Kingdom," he documented the harsh realities of slavery and questioned the socioeconomic system that sustained it.

Today we celebrate , commemorating the end of slavery in Texas on this day in 1865. Looking back at Olmsted's observations helps us to understand the world that existed there before emancipation—and why that history remains important today.

Read more about Olmsted's time in the South in this timeline from the The Library of Congress: https://ow.ly/g7nQ50ZekCC

06/18/2026

In 1843 a 21-year-old Frederick Law Olmsted set out for China as a merchant sailor. While he would not stay in the profession long, his love for travel never left him—and the voyage had a profound influence on the young man's future career path.

Read landscape architect Tom Paine's personal reflections on Olmsted's journey to China on our blog: https://ow.ly/PLic50ZeiZl

06/17/2026

We're back from City Parks Alliance's Greater & Greener 2026 and feeling energized by the ideas and people we encountered in Austin!

We were especially grateful for the opportunity to get off Zoom and connect with partners in person—some for the very first time. Pictured here (left to right) were just a few of the partners in attendance: The City of Buffalo, Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Prospect Park Alliance, Town of Brookline, Le mont Royal - Les Amis de la montagne, and Louisville Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

06/17/2026

Next month, on July 16, Olmsted Network President Sue Breitkopf is thrilled to visit Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, WI! Sue will discuss the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, John Charles Olmsted (who designed Yerkes’ arboretum), and the largest concentration of Olmsted landscapes in Wisconsin, based around Geneva Lake.

Learn more and register for this program online: https://ow.ly/j5UF50ZcO44

06/16/2026

Pick your own path at our 2026 Annual Conference!

This year's conference—taking place September 23-25 in Portland, OR—features guided landscape tours of your choice. Register today and choose between tours of Laurelhurst Park and Mount Tabor Park on September 24, in addition to four options on September 25 (led by the Forest Park Conservancy, Albina Vision Trust, Friends of Peninsula Park Rose Garden - Pen Rose Friends, and Laurie Matthews, FASLA).

Hurry—these tours are first-come, first-served, and space is limited:
https://olmsted.org/2026conference/

06/15/2026

The Olmsted Network has joined a coalition of advocacy, conservation, and historic preservation organizations in a legal challenge concerning the proposed changes of West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. The case centers on ensuring that any transformation of this nationally significant landscape complies with the laws and preservation processes that govern public lands in the nation’s capital.

The coalition includes the National Parks Conservation Association, DC Preservation League, National Mall Coalition, the Olmsted Network, the Committee of 100 on the Federal City, The Cultural Landscape Foundation, and D.C. resident Steve Longenecker. The coalition is represented in the matter by Democracy Forward Foundation.

This effort reflects principles that have guided the Olmsted legacy for generations. Frederick Law Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. understood that public landscapes are essential civic infrastructure—places that support public well-being, strengthen community, and provide a foundation for democratic life.

That vision remains especially relevant in D.C., where landscapes like West Potomac Park form part of a larger network of public spaces that embody national ideals and collective memory. Stewarding these places requires both thoughtful care of the landscape itself and respect for the public processes that have long guided their protection.

We are proud to stand with our fellow plaintiffs in defense of West Potomac Park and the enduring civic values it represents.

Read our full statement on our website: https://ow.ly/Yf3q50Zc45B

06/15/2026

There's 1 month left to nominate green space champions in your community for our annual Olmsted Network Awards!

Learn more about the Caroline Loughlin Volunteer Service Award and the Olmsted Stewardship Award, and make your nominations by July 15: https://ow.ly/Qmo250ZbUcy