Bison Return to Kane County Prairie After More Than 200 Years

American bison have returned to Kane County prairie for the first time in more than 200 years, stepping off a trailer onto Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve, in Sycamore, on December 5.

The move comes through a partnership between the Forest Preserve District of Kane County (FPD), the American Indian Center of Chicago (AIC) and herd manager Ruhter Bison. The project fulfills a promise made to voters as part of the 2024 Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement Referendum.

Bison once roamed Illinois’ prairies freely, but industrial development and farming nearly eradicated the landscape and its wildlife. Conservation agencies have long worked to restore the ecosystem, with reintroducing bison considered a rare milestone.

“People have wanted to bring buffalo back since we first learned that our actions could cause the extinction of a species,” says FPD Executive Director Benjamin Haberthur. “The scale of what has been needed to make this happen has been prohibitive, until now.”

FPD Natural Resource Management Director Patrick Chess says that bison are important to prairie not only because they were originally here, which is part of a wider restoration goal, but as they also provide ecological benefits. These large animals graze on plants and wallow, which creates small depressions that fill with water and provide habitat for other wildlife. “Anytime we can restore a property and bring back long-lost flora and fauna, it’s a victory,” he notes. 

AIC Co-Executive Director Jay Young describes the return as a “rematriation” and a way to reconnect urban Native communities to land, identity and cultural teachings. The organization will serve as community stewards of the bison, leading educational programming and a community science initiative to monitor prairie health alongside the FPD.

While Forest Preserve District staff call it exciting to return bison to prairie after so many years, they ask residents to be patient a while longer before seeing them, to let the animals acclimate to their new surroundings. The bison were first unloaded into a small corral at Burlington Prairie on December 5 and then transferred to a larger 38-acre prairie on December 9. 

“Quietness and calmness are what is needed to give these animals time to adjust and feel safe and secure at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve,” says Haberthur. “In addition, Burlington Prairie is one of the preserves that we partially close seasonally, due to the blowing and drifting snow in winter time. This will give the bison even more time to adjust. Come spring [once the preserve opens for the season], we’re planning public events to celebrate and welcome the buffalo back to Kane,” he adds.

For more information, visit KaneForest.com.