Conservation & compassion: Andra Olney-Larson hones a unique calling in conservation and end-of-life care


Andra Olney-Larson is the director at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery. PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Kettering


Andra Olney-Larson is the director at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery. PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Kettering


Andra Olney-Larson is the director at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery. PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Kettering


Andra Olney-Larson is the director at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery. PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Kettering


Andra Olney-Larson is the director at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery. PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Kettering


Andra Olney-Larson is the director at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery. PHOTO CREDIT: Dave Kettering

Casper Creek Natural Cemetery

Casper Creek Natural Cemetery

Location: 870 Pine Knob Road, Galena, Ill. (cemetery, open dawn to dusk); 126 N. Main St., Elizabeth, Ill. (office, by appointment only).

Phone: 815-677-3411

Email: CasperCreekNC@gmail.com

Online: caspercreeknaturalcemetery.com

When Andra Olney-Larson attends meetings with other members of the funeral director associations that represent the tri-state community, she admits, she’s not always what they’re expecting.

With her petite stature, jet black hair and wispy cat eye lashes, she offers a different perspective to what many might have come to anticipate from end-of-life providers.

“I am also a person who lets my emotions show when I’m working with clients or families in their end-of-life wishes,” the 33-year-old said. “That’s not something you necessarily see with funeral directors, and it’s not something they all necessarily agree with. But I also think that’s part of what makes this a different experience than perhaps what people are used to.”

Olney-Larson represents a unique niche in the area, serving as the director of Casper Creek Natural Cemetery in Galena, Ill.

Located within Casper Bluff Land and Water Reserve — offering views of the Mississippi River, walking trails, restored prairies and sprawling oak woodlands — the organization aims to provide “caring, respectful and affordable natural burial services of the highest quality to individuals and families, while at all times preserving and protecting the conservation values of the cemetery grounds in cooperation and partnership with the Jo Daviess Conservation Foundation,” according to its website.

Natural or green burials are an emerging trend as an environmentally friendly approach to interment. They prioritize minimal impact on the environment, using biodegradable materials, avoiding embalming and minimizing the use of concrete and other non-biodegradable materials.

A part of the international Green Burial Council, Casper Creek Natural Cemetery has been the site of 45 burials since its founding and opening to the public in early 2021.

“It’s a new return to an old practice,” Olney-Larson explained. “Green burials return the body to the earth naturally, enriching the soil and promoting a more sustainable death care practice. We see a wide range of people taking an interest in it, from younger individuals who are pre-planning for their own arrangements to families who are caring for a loved one and carrying out their end-of-life wishes. It’s something that resonates with different people for different reasons, but most share a love for conservation efforts and the minimal impact this practice has on the environment. I think we’re living during a time when more people have an awareness of that.”

Olney-Larson brings nine years of experience with her into the role, earning her Bachelors of Business Administration degree in marketing from Western New Mexico University, and combining that knowledge with a committed curiosity about the environment and a passion for conservation.

“It’s incredible,” she said. “It’s very much my dream job. It’s a perfect fit and was a very natural next-step for me in my career.”

Previously, Olney-Larson worked for the South West Environmental Center in New Mexico, and the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and the RiverWorks Discovery’s National River Education Outreach Program in Dubuque, until joining the efforts at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery in 2020.

In 2018, Olney-Larson and her partner, Telegraph Herald political reporter Benjamin Fisher, moved to Dubuque from New Mexico, having discovered an admiration for the Driftless Region after visiting the area in 2014.

“Conservation has always been an interest for me and a part of my life,” Olney-Larson said. “This area is so unique and has so much to offer. It’s just beautiful, and there are tremendous efforts to conserve it.”

She also is a certified death doula, winner of the 2024 Dubuque Women’s Leadership Network award for Achievements in Her Field and student of Thanabotany — the scientific study of death, dying and bereavement — through the School of American Thanatology.

In addition to working closely with clients and families in their end-of-life planning, Olney-Larson’s role at Casper Creek Natural Cemetery also encompasses facilitating year-round tours of the site, as well as passing on her knowledge and appreciation of its natural landscape to visitors — from native plants to foraging and more.

While the cemetery in Galena is open from dawn to dusk, offices in Elizabeth, Ill., are open by appointment only.

“It’s a gift to be able to work with people in this important moment of their lives or in the lives of their loved ones,” she said. “It’s also wonderful to foster more community awareness surrounding the land we live.”

Megan Gloss writes for the Telegraph Herald.

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