With sustainability and stewardship at the forefront of Riverside’s priorities, the village has long been a safe place for native wildlife. But now, Riverside has officially been named a Bee City, and it’s in the process of becoming a Bird City.
Rather, Riverside has been named an affiliate of Bee City USA, a national nonprofit dedicated to the wellbeing of the important insects, and officials are working towards earning a similar designation from Bird City USA, which focuses its efforts on the avian animals.
Village Trustee Jill Mateo has been instrumental in Riverside’s applications for both affiliations. She was recognized by staff and officials for her efforts at the village board’s Feb. 5 meeting, where Village President Doug Pollock asked her to read the village’s resolution designating it as a Bee City USA affiliate.
“Bird City is something that our local birding network has been talking about for years. Especially after we got the Audubon [Society] designation for the Important Bird Area, we thought, ‘What’s next?’” she told the Landmark. “Unfortunately, we haven’t gotten to it until now, but I’m pleased that we are moving forward.”
Mateo, an associate professor of biology at the University of Chicago, said the efforts fit with her affinity for the natural world.
“I’m a scientist. I study natural processes. I’m always interested in what’s happening in nature and how animals interact with the environment. I know how critical sustainability is for them. I know what our practices, writ large across the globe, have done detrimentally to insects and birds. I’m thinking anything we can do would be beneficial,” she said. “It might not affect us today, but if it affects our residents 50 years into the future, then I think we should go for it.”
She said the two designations fit with Riverside’s goals of “protecting and conserving its natural areas,” which have earned the village its titles as a Tree City by the Arbor Day Foundation since 2005, as an arboretum by the international program ArbNet since 2015 and as an Important Bird Area since 2020.
The village is also working on its application to become a DarkSky Community following a formal assessment of nighttime lighting in town.
“That’s a good track record, and now we have these other opportunities to get additional designations. I thought, ‘Well, why not do it?’” she said. “I think it would be good for Riverside, not [in order to] increase our list of accolades but more to signify that these organizations are recognizing our previous efforts, and they’re entrusting us to continue those efforts into the future.”
Indeed, Riverside has in the past taken steps to foster a better environment for pollinators, including bees, by participating in No Mow May. The village also celebrates Global Big Day each year in May, celebrating birds and the efforts to conserve their ecosystems with family-friendly activities.
As Riverside works toward its Bird City USA affiliate application, Mateo said the village already checks several of the boxes.
“We got the application and we looked over it, and there were several criteria — we had to fulfill nine out of multiple criteria — and we were able to come up with item after item after item after item: We’ve already done all of this. This has been in the works, so I think our chances are really good,” she said. “What’s important for both the Bird City and the Bee City [affiliations] is, we’re obligated going forward to continue that stewardship … It’s a promise to the future for Riversiders.”
Update, April 8, 2026, 4:53 p.m.: This story was updated to better reflect the meaning behind Mateo’s words in one quote.
