| Fast Facts |
location
70 miles south of Chicago
ecoregion
Central Tallgrass Prairie
project size
25,000 acres
preserves
Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands, Conrad Station Savanna, Rix Wildlife Sanctuary
public lands
Willow Slough Fish and Wildlife Area, Bill Barnes, Conrad Savanna and Beaver Lake state nature preserves, Iroquois County State Wildlife Area
partners
Indiana Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Natural Resource Conservation Service, North American Waterfowl Management Plan, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, universities and colleges in Indiana and Illinois, Indiana Heritage Trust, Lilly Endowment, Waterfowl USA
conservancy initiatives
Global Climate Change
natural events
migration of arctic shorebirds, spring | |
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Although the splendor of the prairies that once covered parts of Indiana and Illinois is relegated to history books, the promise of a new chapter has emerged. |
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Kankakee savanna in bloom.
© Carol Freeman |
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In the 1800s, horizon-to-horizon expanses of prairie carpeted northwestern Indiana and the sandy soil surrounding Beaver Lake, once the largest freshwater lake in Indiana. Thimble weed, wool grass, coneflower and saddle-high seas of waving big bluestem concealed a world that included grasshopper sparrows and leopard frogs. Tundra swans, meadow-larks and Canada geese rested in marshes of switchgrass on their migrations. This thick maze of grass and wildflowers was also famous for hiding horse thieves and counterfeiters.
Today the landscape known as Kankakee Sands would be unrecognizable to the outlaws who hid out among the tall grasses. By 1900, Beaver Lake was drained to plant corn, beans and wheat; surrounding marsh, native grasses, wildflowers and other prairie plants were also plowed under to be replaced by agricultural fields. Only scattered remnants of prairie remain—specifically, a thousand acres of the 2 million acres of prairie that once rolled across this part of Indiana. But these small, isolated leftovers lack the sheer mass of open prairie needed to sustain birds, reptiles, amphibians and the ecosystem itself. |
Walking sticks in prairie grasses.
© Joel Sartore |
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To reverse the decline and heal this signature landscape, The Nature Conservancy is participating in the only sand prairie restoration effort east of the Mississippi River. Conservation work began in 1997 with the purchase of 7,200 acres of land that had been farmed for 100 years. Although full restoration will take years to achieve, it will be worth the wait to recapture a small portion of what was witnessed in 1835. | |
The greatest challenge in the restoration effort is collecting, drying and separating enough seed—often finer than talcum powder—to plant up to 500 acres per year with native vegetation. We are using historical accounts to identify native species and have established a nursery capable of producing the necessary amount of seed. Satellite imaging and research have helped determine where and when to reintroduce these native plants. And equipment usually used to spread fertilizer has been employed to meet the grand scale of the project.
Learn more about The Nature Conservancy's work in Indiana. |
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| Conservation Profile |
targets
native grassland prairie and savanna, plains pocket gopher, bobolink, regal fritillary butterfly, prairie fame flower, grassland birds like upland sandpipers, grasshopper sparrow, Henslow’s sparrow, northern harrier
stresses
agricultural conversion, hydrologic alteration, habitat loss
strategies
restore ecosystems, secure conservation easements, engage community
results
9,000 acres protected surrounding the 7,200-acre restoration project; native seed nursery established; 1,600 acres restored | | | | |
