This February, I visited Lake Forest, IL, a bedroom community of Chicago. There, I met up with Ryan London, the President and CEO of the Lake Forest Open Lands Association, a local land trust and educational resource, focused on protecting and expanding access to outdoor spaces for their community. Their environment encompasses the transition between the Illinois prairie and the coastal region of Lake Michigan.
TimberHomes supplied Lake Forest Open Lands with a variety of products in 2021, including a Four-Sided Kiosk, Boulder Benches, Interpretive Sign Frames, and Locust Benches. Ryan was very generous with his time, taking me to a few of their properties, including the Jean and John Greene Nature Preserve. The Greene Preserve is home to a few ravines, which flow directly into Lake Michigan. Being damper and cooler than most locations, this coastal buffer contains a number of rare plants and animals, typically not found in the rest of Illinois. Though we didn’t see one, the Greene Preserve is known to be one of the best places in Illinois to see the rare Redheaded Woodpecker.
With evident pride, Ryan highlighted the enormous bank and brook stabilization projects their team undertook to keep erosion under control, protect sensitive habitat, and allow public access. Not far from the center of Chicago, it was clear that this work is an important asset to its visitors. And it was sincerely a great experience to see TimberHomes products being used in such a beautiful location.
Coincidentally, the Greene Preserve was recently highlighted in the Chicago Tribune.
– Timo Bradley
