Midewin to Display Vets’ Pictures

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Beautiful nature photos of Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie that were taken by U.S. Military veterans and family members will be on display at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods from November 13 through December 21, 2022. A special Veterans Day reception will take place at Brushwood Center on November 12, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

Many of the Midewin photos were taken on National Public Lands Day, when Will County Audubon Society Vice President Greg DuBois guided veterans on migratory bird photo tours through the Prairie Creek Woods. Throughout the tours, DuBois shared with veterans his in-depth and broad knowledge of birds, photography and Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie. DuBois, a U.S. Navy veteran and an active participant in Brushwood Center’s At Ease Nature Platoon at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, took a number of the photos that will be on display at Brushwood Center in the coming weeks.

“There is so much to experience here at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie,” DuBois said. “For many years, I have come out looking for grassland birds, and I am glad to be able to introduce other veterans and their family members to this very special place.”

The exhibition photos depict life at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie in the height of the picturesque fall colors season. Kristin Gasik, whose father, Thomas Vallow, received two Purple Hearts for his service in the U.S. Military during WWII, photographed a stunning dragonfly at rest in the tallgrasses of Prairie Creek Woods. In a photo by U.S. Navy veteran Yursa Oufarkha, delicate fluff of a milkweed plant in the South Patrol Road Prairie shimmers in the bright sunlight of an early Saturday morning.

“Each one of these photographs accentuates an important aspect of natural habitat that can be experienced at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie,” said Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist Veronica Hinke. “We are grateful to the U.S. Military veterans and family members who chose Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie to visit through this very special nature photography program. It is wonderful to think that this public land, with its strong ties to U.S. Military history, is where U.S. Military veterans of all ages can come out and engage with nature through birding and photography.”

The At Ease Nature Platoon focuses on health and wellness by helping veterans connect with nature.

“Brushwood Center’s At Ease Nature Platoon program empowers well-being through the power of art and nature. We create a therapeutic environment for veterans who are recovering from the effects of combat or service,” said Brushwood Center Executive Director Catherine Game.

For more information about the At Ease Nature Platoon exhibition and the Veteran’s Day program at Brushwood Center, visit: https://www.brushwoodcenter.org/store/c557/At_Ease%3A_Healing_in_Nature.html.

For more information about how you or someone you know can become involved in Brushwood Center’s At Ease Nature Platoon at Midewin, visit: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/midewin/home/?cid=FSEPRD836211.

 

Events

February 2025
March 2025
April 2025
May 2025
June 2025
July 2025
August 2025
September 2025
October 2025
No event found!
Prev Next