The Nature Conservancy. Protecting nature. Preserving life.™

Kankakee Sands is BIG

• Kankakee Sands is a large prairie-savanna complex in Northwest Indiana and Northeast Illinois that encompasses over 30,000 acres of land protected by conservation partners and includes some of the best remnants that remain.
• The Efroymson Restoration is a 7,800 acre high-diversity native prairie and wetland restoration in Northwest Indiana that connects four biologically significant prairie and savanna remnants: Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, Beaver Lake Nature Preserve, Conrad Savanna, and Conrad Station Savanna.
• The Efroymson Restoration is named for Dan Efroymson and his family, who have been strong supporters of conservation and The Nature Conservancy for many years.
• The Efroymson Restoration is the one of the largest restorations east of the Mississippi and provides habitat for rare species, including plains pocket gopher (Geomys busarius), western slender glass lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus attenautus), northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens), least bittern (Ixobrychus exilis), Henslow’s sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), and regal fritillary butterfly (Speyeria idalia).
• The plantings at the Efroymson Restoration included over 600 species in order to provide a diverse habitat connection between the remnant properties.
• 5,676 acres of agricultural fields have been planted at the Efroymson Restoration through a partnership with the Natural Resource Conservation Service; this represents most of the acres that need to be planted, so the project is now focused less on planting and more on maintenance of the plantings.
• Over 10 billion seeds have been planted as part of the Efroymson Restoration.