Dedication of Tom Vanderpoel Memorial a Moving Tribute

BARRINGTON HILLS, IL - In a moving tribute to a humble, yet larger-than-life figure in the environmental world, the Tom Vanderpoel Memorial Park was dedicated on a perfect fall afternoon. "The project was one of many partnerships," said Bob Lee, photographer and point man for the project. Many in the small, invitation only audience fought to hold back tears as speakers spoke of the enduring legacy Vanderpoel left behind. A brilliant "earth whisperer" Vanderpoel knew how to read the landscape and what steps to take to return it to health. His career was spent doing what he loved most, working to restore the land to health and mentoring everyone who came within his reach who to do the same. His untimely death in 2017 was a shock to all who knew and loved him.

The Tom Vanderpeol Memorial Park is a 12-acre preserve located on Chapel Road in Barrington Hills, Il on private land, be respectful. "This preserve is for all who wander in, wonder and remember."
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Welcome sign greeting vistors to the Tom Vanderpoel Memorial Preserve begins the narrative of the story woven along the trail and found on three more interpretive panels. Signs by: Lynda Wallis, Freelance Illustrations

Wallis Featured in Viterbo University Alumni Magazine

Honored that my alma mater, Viterbo University in LaCrosse, WI chose to feature me in an alumni magazine featuring entrepreneurs. Thank you, Randy J. Erickson, for being such a wonderful interviewer and writer.
Click the link to read the story.
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Yup, this is me on a photography expedition. I am at The Grove, a beloved nature preserve in Glenview, Illinois. I was here taking photos to create a VERY cool new site map. Stay tuned for that!

Wallis creates poster commemorating prairie restoration

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BELOIT, WI—Artist Lynda Wallis recently created a “Works Progress Administration” style design for the poster commemorating 25 years of prairie restoration at America’s National Tallgrass Prairie—the USDA Forest Service’s Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.
The poster was produced for the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Silver Anniversary in 2021. History is reflected through interpretive designs of prairie ecosystems and many of the human dimensions at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie is located near Wilmington in Will County, Illinois.

The representations come together through the style that is reminiscent of Works Progress Administration artwork. WPA artwork is iconic of 1930s America and has a history of portraying and promoting natural areas.
Exciting new updates to the website are being built behind the scenes. Stay tuned. You may see YOUR project highlighted on the opening page of Freelance Illustrations

Meanwhile, grab a cuppa your favorite something, find yourself a comfortable spot and click the link below to read the story about my early days when I worked for a taxidermist.

Lake Ellyn Park in Glen Ellyn is Spectacular

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One sign in a series of new interpretive signs at Lake Ellyn located in the heart of Glen Ellyn, IL. The signs tell amazing stories of the area including a bordello, a mastodon, a disastrous lightning strike, and a series of five mineral springs, each with different restorative properties.