Nachusa Grasslands

The Nachusa Grasslands is a 3,500-acre tallgrass prairie conservancy located near Franklin Grove in Lee County, Illinois. It is operated by the Nature Conservancy.^[1]

History and description

Most of Northern Illinois was tallgrass prairie at the time of statehood in 1818. In the ensuing century, the vast majority of this prairie was plowed up for arable farmland. A Nature Conservancy planning process, aimed at building a restored tallgrass prairie ecosystem in Illinois, commenced in 1985; the first major land acquisition, of 400 acres, occurred in 1986. More acreage has been added to create the current open space of 3,500 acres.

The Nachusa Grasslands planning process calls for running up to 100 American bison (the animal commonly known as "buffalo") on approximately 1,500 acres of the preserve. 20 bison were released on the Nachusa Grasslands in October 2014. The bison were added to the approximately 700 species logged at the prairie.^[2] In April 2015, press reports indicated that free-range bison calves had been born, adding to hope that the Nachusa herd could be managed so as to be self-sustaining.^[3]

References