The Nachusa Grasslands, owned and operated by The Nature Conservancy, is a remnant and restored prairie. The grasslands 4,000 acres are home to 245 species of birds, over 700 native plants, 280 bee species, multitudes of insects and a herd of 100 bison.
The Grassland began in 1986 when The Nature Conservancy bought nearly 400 acres of farm fields in north central Illinois. Over the years The Nature Conservancy, with the help of its partners, has protected high-quality remnant prairies, restored and recreated other prairies from the previous farmlands. The Nachusa Grasslands restoration has grown to encompass over 4000 acres of prairies, savannas, wetlands and streams.
In October of 2014, thirty bison from the Wind Cave bison herd in South Dakota were reintroduced to Nachusa. The herd has now grown to over 100. They promote biodiversity through grazing, wallowing, horn rubbing and hoof action. All of these behaviors enable native plants to flourish and provide breeding habitats for amphibians and insects.
Enjoy our photographs from The Nachusa Grasslands.
