Category: Ecology & Sustainability

Field Notes
Riverside Park Conservancy launches “More Trees, Less Trash”
Experts Margaret Bracken and John Herrold answer questions about the Conservancy’s latest tree initiative.

Field Notes
Fires Threaten Olmsted & Vaux’s Prospect Park
As drought conditions grip New York City, Prospect Park Alliance contends with the recent blazes in Brooklyn’s Backyard.

Field Notes
Battered, Biltmore Rises
As the Asheville, NC, region struggles to recover from the unparalleled devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, America’s largest home offers its neighbors aid.

Field Notes
A waterfall flows again in Harlem
The restoration of a cherished cascade in New York City’s Morningside Park unites city officials, neighbors and Columbia University staff and students.

Field Notes
The Capitol’s Original Olmsted Trees
In this republished blog, the Architect of the Capitol celebrates the history of tree planting and tree preservation at the U.S. Capitol Grounds by highlighting some of the oldest trees on the grounds.

Field Notes
A Farewell to Anderson Park’s Olmsted Oak
In a violent storm, Anderson Park in New Jersey lost its elder statesman— a giant white oak that had been there since before the park opened.

Field Notes
Mythbusting: The “Trees and Crime” Myth
Our friends at Casey Trees explore the connection, or lack thereof, between neighborhood trees and crime rates.

Field Notes
Riverside Park Conservancy Completes Bird-Friendly Retrofit
Window collisions kill an estimated one billion birds across the U.S. each year. Riverside Park in New York City recently took steps to make their 100 year old Volunteer House bird-safe.

Field Notes
Biltmore: The Birthplace of American Forestry
When George Vanderbilt began planning his grand estate in Asheville, North Carolina, more than a century ago, portions of the lush forest that surround Biltmore House now once was overworked farmland and overcut woodland.

Field Notes
Chicago to Drain Park’s Vital Wetland
Against the recommendations of the Midway Plaisance Park Advisory Council, Chicago is set to disfigure another Olmsted-designed park.

Field Notes
A Tale of Two Storms
When a 1979 tornado leveled 80% of Louisville's Cherokee Park, it launched the Olmsted Park Conservancy, but it also unleashed a new danger.

Field Notes
The Evolution of Shelburne Farms
The Olmsted Network recently welcomed Shelburne Farms for a presentation on the history and evolution of the 1,400-acre historic landscape in Vermont.

Field Notes
New Fallkill Trail in Prospect Park Opens
A new trail in Brooklyn's Prospect Park offers visitors a walk through the forest that's been behind fencing for nearly 30 years.

Field Notes
Ribbon Cutting Celebrates River Restoration for Boston’s Emerald Necklace
On November 29, the Boston community celebrated the completion of the Muddy River Flood Risk Management Project.

Conservation & Advocacy
Olmsted parks and places adapt in the face of climate change
As landscapes contend with the realities of climate change, the Olmsted Network and our coalition of partners embrace Olmsted’s nature-based solutions.