RPC's past activities:

Garage Sale: 17 Riverwoods residents participated in our first community garage sale. Residents cleaned out their homes to sell unwanted items. This is a great way to Recycle, Reuse and Repurpose while keeping those items out of landfills. Thank you to everyone to participated. 

Native Plant Sale: The annual native plant sale is one of Riverwoods Preservation Councils biggest events! We take pride in providing residents with the opportunity to purchase native plants and trees. Keep an eye out for the information about the next plant sale in the spring. 

Oaktember Fest:  Everyone seemed to have a great time enjoying the birds, bees, worms, ecology fair, learning activities, food, and music.  The amount of textile and bicycle recycling along with paper shredding exceeded expectations.

In Our Own Backyard:  The RPC's completely revised book is the definitive guide to living with nature in Riverwoods.  The Village has purchased copies to give to all new residents.  Even if you have the old edition, it is worthwhile to get the new one.  It has been extensively updated and is available to current residents for $20.

Chianti Road Wetlands:  The RPC submitted a petition to save this exceptional property, along with scientific studies and support from Lake County government and organizations.  The Village Board has not yet committed to protecting the property.

Campus Plan: The plan addresses the Village Hall property and surrounding properties, and encompasses wetland protection, woodland restoration, educational areas tied to Village programs, pathways, picnic areas, public gathering spaces, and low-impact nature recreation areas.  The Village Board is planning a Town Hall meeting to get public input.

Deerfield Road: The RPC has been an active participant in the process that Lake County is using to decide on alternatives relating to the potential widening of Deerfield Road through the Village.  The RPC is represented on the "Stakeholder Involvement Group" formed by the County.  Also, in conjunction with a group of concerned residents, meetings have been held with our County Board member, a staff member of our Congressional representative, and the Village Engineer.  The RPC's position is that widening Deerfield Road would have profound adverse impacts on adjacent properties, complicate stormwater flow and possibly increasing flooding potential, and create a disruptive high-speed corridor through the center of our tiny village.  The RPC believes that the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Deerfield Road should be evaluated first (and fixed, if appropriate) prior to any expansion of Deerfield Road through the Village, to see if traffic congestion is substantially reduced.  If so, the RPC feels that no expansion of Deerfield Road should be made.  

Tree and Woodland Ordinance: Discussed a proposed ordinance protecting trees and woodlands. 

And More... Besides the above activities, the RPC has conducted several studies of the Riverwoods woodlands, in cooperation with the Village, with the Morton Arboretum, and independently.  The RPC has sponsored Village presentations and demonstrations, and regularly publishes articles in the Village newsletter The Village Voice.  The RPC attends Village Board meetings and distributes brief email summaries to residents who request them.  If you'd like to be placed on our email distribution, let us know:  riverwoodspc@gmail.com 

The central theme in all our activities has been simple: habitat preservation. A healthy habitat is a complex network of interdependent species. Plants and wildlife in Riverwoods have a variety of habitat needs if they are to survive. Like the plants and animals, we rely on our habitat for our physical well-being as well as for our personal enjoyment. 

The question for all of us is: how do we relate to our environment? Is it something for us to exploit, or something for us to nurture and preserve? The RPC believes that only through careful preservation will our fragile habitat survive. If we can convey that message well enough to inspire you, we know we will achieve our goals. 

Habitat preservation involves these factors:  

• Environmentally-sensitive development 

• Eliminating invasive plants

• Planting natives

• Working with the village and the forest preserve district to reduce deer browse.  

• Thinning areas of dense leaf canopy to foster growth of ground plants and shrubs

Please visit the other pages on this website for information about activities and opportunities.  You can click on the links at the top of the page, or here: 

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