List of protected grasslands of North America

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The protected grasslands of North America consist of prairies, with a dominant vegetation type of herbaceous plants like grasses, sedges, and other prairie plants, rather than woody vegetation like trees. Grasslands were generally dominant within the Interior Plains of central North America but was also present elsewhere. The protected areas for this ecosystem include public nature reserves managed by American, Canadian and Mexican wildlife management agencies, Native American tribes and Canadian First Nations, state wildlife management agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private nature reserves. [1]

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Generally speaking, these regions are devoid of trees, except for riparian or gallery forests associated with streams and rivers. The tallgrass prairie, with moderate rainfall and rich soils, were ideally suited to agriculture so it became a productive grain-growing region. The tallgrass prairie ecosystem covered some 170 million acres (690,000 km2) of North America. Besides agriculture, much of the shortgrass prairie became grazing land for domestic livestock. Short grasslands occur in semi-arid climates while tall grasslands are in areas of higher rainfall. Although much of the grasslands are in the Great Plains ecoregion, protected grasslands can be found in other areas of Canada, Mexico and the United States. Desert (arid) grasslands are composed of sparse grassland ecoregions located in the deserts and xeric shrublands biome. Temperature extremes and low amounts of rainfall characterise these kinds of grasslands. Therefore, plants and animals are well adapted to minimize water loss. [2] Shrub-steppe is also a type of low-rainfall natural grassland. While arid, shrub-steppes have sufficient moisture to support a cover of perennial grasses or shrubs, a feature which distinguishes them from deserts. The shrub-steppes of North America occur in the western United States and western Canada, in the rain shadow between the Cascades and Sierra Nevada on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east.

The expanses of grass once sustained migrations of an estimated 30 to 60 million American bison which maintained grazing pressure as a keystone species. Once bison could be found across much of North America. While they ranged from the eastern seaboard states to southeast Washington, eastern Oregon, and northeastern California, the greatest numbers were found within the great bison belt on the shortgrass plains east of the Rocky Mountains that stretched from Alberta to Texas. [3] Grazing is important to soil, vegetation and overall ecological balance. The ecosystem was maintained by a pattern of disturbance caused by natural wildfire and grazing by bison, a pattern which is called pyric herbivory. [4] The indigenous peoples of the Plains occupied the land, hunting bison and pronghorn. The expansion of the United States onto the frontier decimated the population of the indigenous people and the bison. [5] Bison occupy less than 1% of their historical range with fewer than 20,000 bison in conservation herds on public, tribal or private protected lands. Roughly 500,000 animals are raised for commercial purposes. [6]

The plowing of the tallgrass prairie to plant crops destroyed the natural habitat. Less than 4 percent of the prairie is left according to most estimates. [7] Intensive farming, urbanization, and the spread of trees - that were formerly limited by periodic fires - continue to contribute to habitat loss. [8] Studies estimated in 2018 that grasslands in the U.S were being lost at a rate of more than one-million-acre per year (0.40×10^6 ha). [9]

Protected areas

NameLocationOperatorBison
Akin Prairie Kansas Kansas Land Trust
American Prairie Montana American Prairie Foundation Yes
Antelope Island State Park Utah Utah State Parks Yes
Badlands National Park South Dakota National Park Service Yes
Baker Wetlands Kansas Baker University
Banff National Park Alberta Parks Canada Yes
Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge Oregon U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Battelle Darby Creek Metro Park Ohio Columbus and Franklin County Metro Parks Yes
Bear Butte State Park South Dakota South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks Yes
Bear River State Park Wyoming Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites Yes
Big Basin Prairie Preserve Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Big Thicket National Preserve Texas National Park Service
Blackburn State Park Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Black Kettle National Grassland Texas U.S. Forest Service
Blue Mounds State Park Minnesota Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Yes
Bonham State Park Texas Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Broken Kettle Grasslands Preserve Iowa The Nature Conservancy Yes
Buena Vista Wildlife Area Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Arizona U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Buffalo Gap National Grassland South Dakota U.S. Forest Service
Burr Oak Woods Conservation Area Missouri Missouri Department of Conservation
Camp Pendleton California United States Marine Corps Yes
Caprock Canyons State Park Texas Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Yes
Carrizo Plain National Monument California U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Catoosa Wildlife Management Area Tennessee Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Cayler Prairie State Preserve Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve Minnesota University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences
Chickasaw National Recreation Area Oklahoma National Park Service Yes
Chippewa Cree Tribal Buffalo Pasture Montana Chippewa Cree Yes
Cimarron National Grassland Kansas U.S. Forest Service
Clinton State Park Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Clymer Meadow Preserve Texas The Nature Conservancy
Comanche National Grassland Colorado U.S. Forest Service
Conrad Savanna Nature Preserve Indiana Indiana Department of Natural Resources
Cosumnes River Preserve California The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, Ducks Unlimited, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Department of Water Resources, Sacramento County Department of Parks and Recreation, and the state Wildlife Conservation Board
Crane Trust Nebraska Crane TrustYes
Crex Meadows Wildlife Area Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Cross Plains State Park Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Crooked River National Grassland Oregon U.S. Forest Service
Cross Ranch Nature Preserve North Dakota The Nature Conservancy Yes
Crow-Hassan Park Reserve Minnesota Three Rivers Park District
CSKT Bison Range Montana Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Yes
Custer State Park South Dakota South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks Yes
Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park Alberta, Saskatchewan Alberta Environment and Parks and Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport (Saskatchewan)
Daniels Park Colorado Denver Yes
Dorsett Hill Prairie Conservation Area Missouri Missouri Department of Conservation
Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge Iowa, Wisconsin U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Dunbar Cave State Park Tennessee Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve Washington National Park Service
Elk Cove Meadow Oregon U.S. Forest Service
Elk Island National Park Alberta Parks Canada Yes
Fermilab Illinois U.S. Department of Energy Yes
Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge Kansas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge Nebraska U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yes
Fort Pierre National Grassland South Dakota U.S. Forest Service
Fort Peck Indian Reservation Montana Assiniboine and Sioux TribesYes
Fort Ridgely State Park Minnesota Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Fort Robinson State Park Nebraska Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Yes
Fort Scott National Historic Site Kansas National Park Service
Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge Texas Fort Worth, Texas Yes
Gaviota State Park California California Department of Parks and Recreation
Genesee Park Colorado Denver Yes
Gensburg-Markham Prairie Illinois The Nature Conservancy, Northeastern Illinois University, the Natural Land Institute
George Washington Carver National Monument Missouri National Park Service
Gitchie Manitou State Preserve Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Glacial Ridge National Wildlife Refuge Minnesota U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Golden Prairie Missouri Missouri Prairie Foundation
Grand River National Grassland South Dakota U.S. Forest Service
Grand Teton National Park/National Elk Refuge Wyoming National Park Service Yes
Grant-Bradbury Prairie Preserve Kansas Shawnee County Parks and Recreation
Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Parks Canada Yes
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Colorado National Park Service
Great Valley Grasslands State Park California California Department of Parks and Recreation
Hayden Prairie State Preserve Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland Park Alberta Alberta Parks Yes
Hempstead Plains Preserve New York Nassau County
Henry Mountains Utah Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, Bureau of Land Management Yes
Herbert Hoover National Historic Site Iowa National Park Service
Hitchcock Nature Center Iowa Pottawattamie County Conservation Board
Homestead National Historical Park Nebraska National Park Service
Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve Indiana National Park Service
Hot Springs State Park Wyoming Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites Yes
Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Alaska U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yes
Ivan Boyd Prairie Preserve Kansas Douglas County Public Works
Janos Biosphere Reserve Chihuahua Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources Yes
Jenner Headlands Preserve California The Wildlands Conservancy
Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Oklahoma The Nature Conservancy Yes
J. T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve Oklahoma The Nature Conservancy
Kankakee Sands Indiana The Nature Conservancy Yes
Kanopolis State Park Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Kingston Prairie Preserve Oregon Greenbelt Land Trust
Kiowa National Grassland New Mexico U.S. Forest Service
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park Florida Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Knob Noster State Park Missouri Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Konza Prairie Biological Station Kansas The Nature Conservancy, Kansas State University Yes
Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area Kentucky U.S. Forest Service Yes
Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Arizona U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Lynx Prairie Ohio The Nature Conservancy
Lost Trail National Wildlife Refuge Montana U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland Texas U.S. Forest Service
Maderas del Carmen Coahuila Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources Yes
Maxwell Wildlife Refuge Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Yes
McClellan Creek National Grassland Texas U.S. Forest Service
Mead Wildlife Area Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie Illinois U.S. Forest Service Yes
Minneopa State Park Minnesota Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Yes
Missimer Wildflower Preserve California Land Trust of Napa County
Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge Vermont U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge Texas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Nachusa Grasslands Illinois The Nature Conservancy Yes
Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge Iowa U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yes
Oglala National Grassland Nebraska U.S. Forest Service
Ojibway Prairie Complex Ontario Windsor, Ontario, Ontario Parks
Old Man on His Back Prairie and Heritage Conservation Area Saskatchewan Nature Conservancy of Canada Yes
Pawnee National Grassland Colorado U.S. Forest Service
Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park Florida Florida Department of Environmental Protection Yes
Pee Dee National Wildlife Refuge North Carolina U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Perrot State Park Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Phil Hardberger Park Texas San Antonio
Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site Colorado U.S. Army
Point Reyes National Seashore California National Park Service
Prairie State Park Missouri Missouri Department of Natural Resources Yes
Prince Albert National Park Saskatchewan Parks Canada Yes
Quivira National Wildlife Refuge Kansas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Riding Mountain National Park Manitoba Parks Canada Yes
Rita Blanca National Grassland Texas U.S. Forest Service
Rockefeller Prairie Kansas University of Kansas
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Colorado U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yes
Rocky Prairie Washington
Saeger Woods Conservation Area Missouri Missouri Department of Conservation
Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
San Bernardino National Wildlife Refuge Arizona U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Colorado National Park Service
San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex California U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Sandhill Wildlife Area Wisconsin Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Yes
Sandsage Bison Range & Wildlife Area Kansas Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Yes
Searles Prairie Natural AreaArkansas Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission
Searls Park Prairie Illinois Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Slinde Mounds State Preserve Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Soapstone Prairie/Red Mountain Colorado Fort Collins, Colorado and Larimer County Yes
Spirit Mound Historic Prairie South Dakota South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks
Stone State Park Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve Kansas The Nature Conservancy, National Park Service Yes
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Oklahoma The Nature Conservancy Yes
Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Dakota National Park Service Yes
Thunder Basin National Grassland Wyoming U.S. Forest Service
Trexler Nature Preserve Pennsylvania Lehigh County Yes
Turkey River Mounds State Preserve Iowa Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Valentine National Wildlife Refuge Nebraska U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Valles Caldera National Preserve New Mexico National Park Service
Vermejo Park Ranch New Mexico and Colorado Ted Turner Yes
Wanuskewin Heritage Park SaskatchewanWanuskewin Heritage Park AuthorityYes
Waterton Lakes National Park Alberta Parks Canada Yes
White Horse Hill National Game Preserve North Dakota U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yes
Whorehouse Meadow Oregon U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Oklahoma U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Yes
Wild Horse Island Montana Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks
Wildlife Prairie Park Illinois Friends of Wildlife Prairie Park
Willa Cather Memorial Prairie Nebraska Willa Cather Foundation
Willamette Floodplain Oregon U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Wind Cave National Park South Dakota National Park Service Yes
Wolakota Buffalo Range South Dakota Rosebud Economic Development Corporation Yes
Wood Buffalo National Park Alberta and Northwest Territories Parks Canada Yes
Yellowstone National Park Idaho, Montana, Wyoming National Park Service Yes
Zumwalt Prairie Oregon The Nature Conservancy

Cemetery prairies

Cemetery prairies are remnants of native North American prairie.

  • Bigelow Cemetery Preserve, Ohio [10]
  • Brown School Road Cemetery, St. Joseph, Michigan [11]
  • Brownlee Prairie Cemetery Nature Preserve, Illinois [12]
  • Calvary Catholic Cemetery, St. Louis [13]
  • Clay Prairie, Allison, Iowa [11]
  • German Methodist Cemetery Prairie State Nature Preserve, Lake County, Indiana [14]
  • German Settler Cemetery, La Paz, Indiana [11]
  • Goewey Township Cemetery, Osceola County, Iowa [15]
  • Harrison Cemetery Prairie, southwest Michigan [11]
  • Hess Cemetery near Eagle Point, Illinois [16]
  • Horton Township Cemetery Prairie Preserve, Osceola County, Iowa [15] [17]
  • Johnson Cemetery, Hillsdale County, Michigan [11]
  • Loda Cemetery Prairie, Illinois [18]
  • Mount Hope Cemetery, Barry County, Michigan [11]
  • Munson Township Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, north of Cambridge, Henry County, Illinois [19]
  • Pellsville Pioneer Cemetery, Butler Township, Vermilion County, Illinois [18]
  • Pioneer Cemetery, south of Baldwin City, Douglas County, Kansas [20]
  • Prospect Cemetery State Preserve [21]
  • Queen Anne Prairie Cemetery, Woodstock, Illinois [11]
  • Rochester Cemetery, Cedar County, Iowa, [22] [23] established 1830s on 13.5 acres (5.5 ha; 0.055 km2) of hills in sand prairie-savanna grassland near the Cedar River [24]
  • Smith Cemetery Prairie Nature Preserve, [10] Darby Township, Madison County, Ohio [25]
  • Sumnerville Cemetery, Cass County, Michigan [11]
  • Tomlinson Cemetery, Champlaign County, Illinois [26]
  • Weston Cemetery Prairie, Yates Township, McLean County, Illinois

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie</span> Ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome

Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the dominant vegetation type. Temperate grassland regions include the Pampas of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, and the steppe of Ukraine, Russia, and Kazakhstan. Lands typically referred to as "prairie" tend to be in North America. The term encompasses the area referred to as the Interior Lowlands of Canada, the United States, and Mexico, which includes all of the Great Plains as well as the wetter, hillier land to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands</span> Terrestrial biome

Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The predominant vegetation in this biome consists of grass and/or shrubs. The climate is temperate and ranges from semi-arid to semi-humid. The habitat type differs from tropical grasslands in the annual temperature regime as well as the types of species found here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallgrass prairie</span> Ecosystem native to central North America

The tallgrass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America. Historically, natural and anthropogenic fire, as well as grazing by large mammals provided periodic disturbances to these ecosystems, limiting the encroachment of trees, recycling soil nutrients, and facilitating seed dispersal and germination. Prior to widespread use of the steel plow, which enabled large scale conversion to agricultural land use, tallgrass prairies extended throughout the American Midwest and smaller portions of southern central Canada, from the transitional ecotones out of eastern North American forests, west to a climatic threshold based on precipitation and soils, to the southern reaches of the Flint Hills in Oklahoma, to a transition into forest in Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak savanna</span> Lightly forested grassland where oak trees are dominant

An oak savanna is a type of savanna—or lightly forested grassland—where oaks are the dominant trees. The terms "oakery" or "woodlands" are also used commonly, though the former is more prevalent when referencing the Mediterranean area. These savannas were maintained historically through wildfires set by lightning, humans, grazing, low precipitation, and/or poor soil.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flint Hills</span> Geographic and ecological region of Kansas and Oklahoma, United States

The Flint Hills, historically known as Bluestem Pastures or Blue Stem Hills, are a region of hills and prairies that lie mostly in eastern Kansas. It is named for the abundant residual flint eroded from the bedrock that lies near or at the surface. It consists of a band of hills extending from Marshall and Washington Counties in the north to Cowley County, Kansas and Kay and Osage Counties in Oklahoma in the south, to Geary and Shawnee Counties west to east. Oklahomans generally refer to the same geologic formation as the Osage Hills or "the Osage."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie</span> Largest tallgrass prairie restoration area in the United States, located in Illinois

The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (MNTP) is a tallgrass prairie reserve and is preserved as United States National Grassland operated by the United States Forest Service. The first national tallgrass prairie ever designated in the U.S. and the largest conservation site in the Chicago Wilderness region, it is located on the site of the former Joliet Army Ammunition Plant between the towns of Elwood, Manhattan and Wilmington in northeastern Illinois. Since 2015, it has hosted a conservation herd of American bison to study their interaction with prairie restoration and conservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tallgrass Prairie Preserve</span> Largest tract of remaining tallgrass prairie in the world

The Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, in Osage County, Oklahoma near Foraker, Oklahoma, is the largest protected tract of tallgrass prairie in the world. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, the preserve contains 39,650 acres (160 km2) owned by the Conservancy and another 6,000 acres (24 km2) leased in what was the original tallgrass region of the Great Plains that stretched from Texas to Manitoba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great bison belt</span> Grassland from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico around 9000 BC

The great bison belt is a tract of rich grassland that ran from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico from around 9000 BC. The great bison belt was supported by spring and early summer rainfall that allowed short grasses to grow. These grasses retain their moisture at the roots which allowed for grazing ungulates such as bison to find high-quality nutritious food in autumn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie restoration</span> Conservation efforts focused on prairie lands

Prairie restoration is a conservation effort to restore prairie lands that were destroyed due to industrial, agricultural, commercial, or residential development. The primary aim is to return areas and ecosystems to their previous state before their depletion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konza Prairie Biological Station</span>

The Konza Prairie Biological Station is a 8,616-acre (3,487 ha) protected area of native tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. "Konza" is an alternative name for the Kansa or Kaw Indians who inhabited this area until the mid-19th century. The Konza Prairie is owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shortgrass prairie</span> Ecosystem located on the North American Great Plains

The shortgrass prairie is an ecosystem located in the Great Plains of North America. The two most dominant grasses in the shortgrass prairie are blue grama and buffalograss, the two less dominant grasses in the prairie are greasegrass and sideoats grama. The prairie was formerly maintained by grazing pressure of American bison, which is the keystone species. Due to its semiarid climate, the shortgrass prairie receives on average less precipitation than that of the tall and mixed grass prairies to the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve</span> Conservation area in Manitoba, Canada

The Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve is located in southeastern Manitoba near Gardenton and Vita, this is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) south of Steinbach, Manitoba. It is one of the last remaining stands of tallgrass prairie in Manitoba and is part of the Tallgrass Aspen Parkland conservation area in Manitoba and Minnesota. Several groups and organizations help in land preservation in the Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie such as the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Nature Manitoba, Environment Canada, Manitoba Conservation and the Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central tall grasslands</span> Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of the United States

The Central tall grasslands are a prairie ecoregion of the Midwestern United States, part of the North American Great Plains.

<i>Lespedeza leptostachya</i> Species of plant

Lespedeza leptostachya is a rare species of flowering plant in the legume family known by the common names prairie lespedeza and prairie bush-clover. It occurs in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The flowers are creamy-white to purplish and arranged into a narrow terminal spikes.

The ecology of the Great Plains is diverse, largely owing to their great size. Differences in rainfall, elevation, and latitude create a variety of habitats including short grass, mixed grass, and tall-grass prairies, and riparian ecosystems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Great Plains (ecoregion)</span> Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands ecoregion of the United States

The Central Great Plains are a semiarid prairie ecoregion of the central United States, part of North American Great Plains. The region runs from west-central Texas through west-central Oklahoma, central Kansas, and south-central Nebraska.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nachusa Grasslands</span> Restored prairie in Illinois

The Nachusa Grasslands is a 3,800 acres (1,500 ha) restored tallgrass prairie near Franklin Grove in Lee County and Ogle County, Illinois. It is managed by The Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kankakee Sands</span> Restored prairie in Illinois and Indiana

Kankakee Sands is a 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) restored tallgrass prairie in Kankakee County, Illinois and Newton County, Indiana. It is managed by The Nature Conservancy staff and volunteers. The Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands is 8,400 acres (3,400 ha) of prairies and wetlands connecting Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, Beaver Lake Nature Preserve, Conrad Savanna Nature Preserve and Conrad Station Savanna. This creates over 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) of dry, mesic and wet sand prairies, sand blows, sedge meadows, wetlands, and black oak savannas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cemetery prairie</span> Remnant of original grassland ecosystem

Cemetery prairies are remnants of native North American prairie that survive on land set aside by settlers as burial grounds. These places were thus left unplowed and largely undisturbed, such that the cemeteries became de facto nature preserves. Natural prairie grasses are often perennial species that regrow from the roots after ruminant grazing or grassfire; plowing destroys the root system and eventually the ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fermilab bison herd</span> Ecological restoration project in Illinois

The Fermilab bison herd was established in 1969 at the U.S. national laboratory in Batavia, Illinois, about 34 mi (55 km) west of Chicago, under the leadership of physicist, amateur architect and Wyoming native Robert R. Wilson. The herd grazes an 800-acre pasture adjacent to the Fermilab prairie, which sits atop the accelerator's underground Main Ring and Tevatron. The herd usually averages around 25 individuals; as of spring 2022, the head count of the herd was 32 individuals.

References

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