Bison making comeback in Prairie State

November 2, 2024

American Bison

Before the creation of infrastructure and establishment of large populous cities, bison roamed around North America, including in Illinois. The Prairie State served as the perfect spot for these large mammals as they are grazers by nature, with 90% of their diet being made up of grasses, sedges, and other grass-like plants. While bison were drawn to areas with luscious prairie to graze, their patterns only helped to restore disrupted ecosystems. Since bison typically only eat grass-like plants, other plants and animals that lived in the prairie or grassy areas were left alone and able to flourish without being forced out by overgrown grass. With having the large animals in these grassy areas, the soil beneath their hooves was constantly being compacted, which helped to open areas for new plant growth.

American Bison play a critical role in American history and have done so since before the establishment of the United States. For many years, Native tribes in the Great Plains region relied solely on bison for means of food, clothing, shelter, tools, and other necessities. Not only were bison used for survival, but they are also still seen as a sacred spiritual animal in Native American culture. To commemorate their deep appreciation for bison, Native people honored them by holding ceremonies and other cultural traditions like songs, dances, and prayers.

American Bison are different than buffalos. The two are from different species of animals, although the terms are used interchangeably. American Bison have a large hump on their backs, larger heads, beards, and shorter horns that come out of the sides of their heads. Buffalos, on the other hand, have a more cow-like body with no hump, but horns on top of their heads and curling outward. Buffalos are native to Africa and Asia, whereas bison are found in North America and Europe. With bison native to North America and Europe, they can withstand the cold and have thicker coats, whereas buffalo stay in warmer climates and do not need as thick of a coat to stay warm. Both buffalos and bison are part of the Bovidae family, but they are not closely related.

Unfortunately, American Bison faced near extinction in the Great Plains from 1820 to the early 1900s, as they were mass hunted. During the 19th century, America began expanding west, so bison, who lived in the Great Plains region, were hunted much faster than they had been before. By the 1880s, approximately only a few hundred wild bison remained, when before there were anywhere from 30 to 60 million bison running wild. Thanks to concerted conservation efforts, which is an ongoing process, the bison population has reached around 500,000, with less than one percent of bison living in the wild, but rather in forest preserves and other safe havens.

With the deep-rooted history between bison and the United States, a campaign was launched to make the American Bison the National Mammal of the United States in 2012. The “Vote Bison Campaign” featured United States Senators Michael Enzi’s of Wyoming and Tim Johnson’s of South Dakota, joint work with Native Americans, bison producers, sportsmen, educators, conservationists, and other pertinent public and private sector players to honor bison for their shaping of America’s history, culture, economy, and landscapes. With a largely involved constituency and help from United States legislators, legislation was drafted and brought to the legislature to officially name the American Bison as the National Mammal of the United States and join the Bald Eagle as an official symbol of the United States.

In the United States, the first Saturday in November is observed for National Bison Day. This observation was codified into law in May of 2016 by former President Barack Obama when he signed the National Bison Legacy Act, but has been celebrated since 2012. This act established that the American Bison is the National Mammal of the United States and designed the first Saturday in November as National Bison Day to show appreciation for the animal that has served as a historic symbol for the U.S.

Although much of the Great Plains region is no longer covered in prairie, bison are still around and thriving today. Forest preserves and state parks across the country have participated in reintroducing bison to the prairie lands they once roamed around freely, in efforts to restore both the bison population and the prairie grass that covered so much of the United States.

In Kane County Illinois, at the Forest Preserve District’s Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve, construction for a six-foot fence around 32-acres of open prairie has begun to bring bison back to Illinois. Rep. Jeff Keicher, who serves parts of Kane County is ecstatic to hear about the new expansion to the forest preserve.

“I am happy to see Kane County’s efforts in restoring our grasslands and bringing bison back to Illinois,” said Keicher. “For hundreds of years, bison have served as crucial sources of food, ecological maintenance, and economical growth, while also simultaneously being a symbol of strength and resilience for our nation. I couldn’t agree more with the decision to bring bison to Kane County’s Burlington Forest Preserve and am anxiously awaiting its completion. The American Bison shaped so much here in Illinois, and they should be here to enjoy the ecological landscape they worked hard to create.”

The Forest Preserve District of Kane County has noted that construction is expected to wrap up by the end of 2024, or sometime in 2025.

Bison also call north-western Illinois home. Nachusa Grasslands at Medewin is a nearly 4,000-acre prairie preserve is in Franklin Grove, about two hours west of Chicago and houses more than 700 plant species, a herd of bison, and 180 species of birds. In October 2014, 30 bison were reintroduced to the prairie and roam 1,500 acres at the preserve. At Nachusa, there is no human interaction with the bison, as their acreage is fenced off. This means that the bison feed on the rolling grasslands, breed, and birth as if they were in the wild.

In west-central Illinois, Wildlife Prairie Park, a preserve 20 minutes west of Peoria, offers a unique way to interact with bison. While the reserve also implements a minimal human interaction policy to allow bison and other native species to roam as freely as possible, there is an option to lodge on the property. The designed lodging portion of the preserve allows for guests to rent cabins or stay at a campsite for tent and RV camping. By staying at the park, guests get a firsthand experience of living around wildlife.

Other places you can see Bison in Illinois and other midwest states include:

This year, National Bison Day takes place on November 2nd and serves as the 13th annual commemoration.