FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Janet Happ
Manager Fundraising & Outreach
Geneva Lake Conservancy
(262) 275-5700
First Award Given by Conservancy
for Landscape Conservation
LAKE GENEVA, WI -- The Geneva Lake Conservancy announced Roy Diblik, co-owner of Northwind Perennial Farm in Burlington, WI, as the organization’s first recipient of its Olmsted Award which recognizes excellence in landscape conservation. Diblik was presented the award at a private session in Lake Geneva on Saturday. He was recognized for his impact on conservation landscaping in the Geneva Lakes area. The award coincides with the GLC’s 35th anniversary.
John Anderson, one of the original founders of the Geneva Lake Conservancy, along with current GLC chairman Robert Klockars, presented the award to Diblik. “Roy Diblik is recognized at the forefront of landscape conservation. He has been growing traditional and native perennials since 1978, long before it was popular. He also emphasizes the relationship between garden designs, maintenance strategies and costs – another progressive approach,” Anderson said.
Diblik’s recent high-profile works include the Domes in Milwaukee, Louis Sullivan Arch Garden for the Modern Wing at the Art Institute of Chicago and a 6,000 square foot perennial garden for the Oceanarium at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. Klockars noted, “Roy is in demand outside of the Geneva Lakes area, but he has also made a significant impact on the local area with recognizable landscaping at Hawk's View Golf Course, Grand Geneva's Spa, the Lake Geneva Library, Duck Pond and Fontana's main boulevard.”
Diblik is currently writing his second book for Timbers Press on developing perennial plant communities. His first book, Small Perennial Gardens: The Know Maintenance Approach, is in its second printing.
The Olmsted Award is named after the Olmsted family, visionary landscape conservationists. John Olmsted was the founder and first president of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a partner of Olmsted Bros., of Brookline, MA. His uncle and adoptive father, Frederick Law Olmsted, designed the landscapes of New York’s Central Park and the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. Cousin and half-brother Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. joined forces with John in managing the firm.
GLC chairman, Robert Klockars said, “The Olmsted Brothers’ company had an extraordinary long-term impact on landscape conservation, including the Geneva Lake area. Several properties on the north shore of Geneva Lake and the grounds of Yerkes Observatory reflect their landscape designs.”
The Geneva Lake Conservancy began in 1977 as the Committee to Save Geneva Lake by founders John Anderson, Bill Turner and Norm Barry. In 1982 the Committee formed another organization called Geneva Lake Land Conservancy to protect the land around the lake. The two groups merged in 1992 and became the Geneva Lake Conservancy. Since then, the GLC has expanded to protect all lakes in the area, including Geneva, Como and Delavan, woodlands, open spaces, wetlands, and farmland.
The Geneva Lake Conservancy is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization and recognized land trust with 1,120 acres under protection. Its mission is to protect the environmental character of the Geneva Lakes area.
###
]]>