Fun in your Buffalo Olmsted Parks

Check out the fun opportunities and programs available in your Olmsted Park System below!

For any questions or to request for accommodations, please reach out to Zhi Ting Phua, Director of Engagement and Inclusion, Zhi@bfloparks.org or (716) 838-1249, ext. 31.

June 29, August 31 and September 28, 2024 | 10am – Noon

This tour will outline what invasive species are present in the parks and teach guests how the BOPC is removing them through clean-ups, plantings, and more.  Comfortable shoes are highly recommended. FREE and open to the public, registration required.

The Caz Park tour meets at the front of the Caz Casino; the Delaware Park tour meets at the top of the Grand Staircase; the South Park tour meets at the area across from the South Park Golf Course Clubhouse.

Invasive Species Walks and Talks are made possible by

An exhibition as part of the Buffalo AKG’s Public Art Initiative, in partnership with Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy | Friday, July 12, 2024–Friday, October 17, 2025

Wayfinding is a meditative installation of forty-eight sculptural signs placed throughout the grounds of Delaware Park and the Buffalo AKG campus. Through a combination of evocative and lyrical prose and archival images, Bass’s sculptures encourage moments of private reflection in public space.

From these simple yet profound prompts, the artist seeks to build a bridge between internal thought and external social and civic dialogue. Discovery is a fundamental element of this installation. The work is meant to appear and disappear from view. There is no way to “see” the work all at once. There are only discrete experiences that add up to a larger whole, relying on the landscape and a viewer’s unique journey, the signs they notice, and the natural surroundings they observe. Learn more here.

Volunteer opportunities are available all year round

Invasive species management requires ongoing attention and resources, which could not be possible without the dedicated group of volunteers called ISET (Invasive Species Eradication Taskforce). Other ways to volunteer include group clean-ups, plantings, mulchings, and more. Check out these opportunities here!

June 16 – 29, 2024 | Dawn to Dusk

After a 5-year hiatus, the Chew Crew returns to Cazenovia Park to change the landscape, one bite at a time. The herd will graze the park daily to eat away at invasive plant species, managing the vegetation growth in an environmentally sound manner. Come experience the spectacle from dawn to dusk!

Photographs are permitted, but please keep a safe distance between yourself and the goats who are working hard to remove the invasive plant species. Special Thanks to our community partner Lets Goat Buffalo.

Goat security is made possible by

Tuesday, June 18, 2024 | 5:30pm – 7:30 pm

Learn how to create fun and vibrant works-on-paper with invasive plant species. Artist Tatiana Ryckman will use berries and stripped bark from buckthorn, an invasive species from the Buffalo Olmsted Park System, to demonstrate how one can create ink. While creating your artwork, learn about ongoing invasive species management efforts throughout the park system, and how everyone can make a difference removing them in the parks and in their own green spaces. Darren Cotton of The Tool Library will share the tools available in their inventory to empower all to take the next step in invasive species management. 

$5 Tool Library Members / $10 Non-Members. Limited spots available, which will be filled quickly. 

Special Thanks to community partner

Throughout the month of June

The Terrace at Delaware Park June’s Cocktail for a Cause features the “FLOmingo Dancer” a refreshing summer spritzer made with vodka, watermelon, cucumber, St. Germaine & seltzer. $4 from each libation benefits BOPC throughout the month of June.

Special Thanks to partner

Sunday, July 21, 2024 | 10am – 4pm

Invasive daylilies will be removed from the parks for artist Janna Willoughby-Lohr of Papercraft Miracles to transform it into paper for a workshop at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park Monument Plaza during the East Side Garden Walk. 

Participants will learn about the papermaking process and will be able to form sheets of handmade paper that will be pressed and dried at the Papercraft Miracles studio. Finished papers will be available to participants to pick up at the studio or can be mailed out afterwards. 

FREE and open to the public at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park at Best Street and Fillmore Ave. See Google Map Pin here.

Special Thanks to Univera Healthcare for their support

Special Thanks to community partner

Sunday | August 18, 2024 | 11am – 1pm

Immerse yourself in a relaxing and creative plein-air watercolor class led by artist and educator Michaela Worosz in the beautiful surroundings of Cazenovia Park.

Date: Sunday, August 18, 2024
Place: Crotty Casino at Cazenovia Park
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15/person | All proceeds benefit the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy and their care for Buffalo’s historic parks

Saturday | August 24, 2024 | 10am – Noon

Calling all Tree Explorers ages 6 to 13 years old! Each tree has a story that it can’t wait to share with you! Bring the whole family along as we explore what makes the trees in our parks unique and how they interact with their environment! We’ll spend time with each tree, draw them, learn fun facts, and explore the park. Each child would get to leave with their own little nature journal!

Meet at the Rose Garden in Delaware Park
$10/child, $5/every additional child (only 15 spots available!)
Free to attend for caregivers. Younger children are welcome to tag along even if they may not be able to participate in the journaling activity

Zhi Ting Phua, Director of Engagement and Inclusion | (716) 838-1249, ext. 31 | community@bfloparks.org