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Kankakee Sands
Historic Beaver Lake area, drained in the early 1900s for farmland. Bogus Island in now the bison viewing area.
Map showing the location of Kankakee Sands
Map showing the location of Kankakee Sands
Location within the state of Indiana
Nearest cityMorocco, Indiana
Coordinates41°03′00″N 87°27′36″W / 41.05000°N 87.46000°W / 41.05000; -87.46000
Established2016
Governing bodyThe Nature Conservancy

Kankakee Sands is a 10,000-acre (4,000 ha) restored tallgrass prairie in Kankakee County, Illinois and Newton County, Indiana.[1][2] 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.

History

Bogus Island once stood in the middle of Beaver Lake.

About 14,000 to 16,000 years ago, sands were deposited from glacial melt waters flowing from the retreating Laurentide ice sheet during the Wisconsin glaciation.[3]

This area is part of the Grand Kankakee Marsh system and the site of the largest natural lake in Indiana until it was drained. Beaver Lake was 7 miles (11 km) long and 5 miles (8.0 km) wide. As a shallow lake, only 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, it was filled with vegetation and wildlife. It was drained by the 1880s. The Nature Conservancy purchased 7,200 acres (2,900 ha) of farmland in 1996 with the aim of restoring as a prairie.[2]

Bison (Bison bison) at Kankakee Sands Restoration Area.

Bison roamed through Indiana when the eastern pioneers first arrived in the state. Explorers reported bison in the 1600s and 1700s. An 1824 traveler encountered a single bison near the modern location of the preserve and shot it. Bison were extirpated from Indiana by 1830.[4] Twenty-three American bison were introduced to the Kankakee Sands in October of 2016. The bison are from the Wind Cave National Park. Bison were indigenous to Indiana until exterminated by 1790. The bison provide management of the grasses on the prairie.[5] They prefer grasses and sedges, leaving the flowering plants, which support a range of insects and animals.[6] In addition, the bison, reduce the height of the plants, supporting ground dwelling birds. As of 2021 the bison herd had grown to more than 90 individuals.[7]

Flora and fauna

The preserve supports a wide variety of plant and animal species.

Other Nature Conservancy bison herds

The conservancy maintains a dozen herds through North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Conservancy bison herds:

References

  1. ^ "Visit Kankakee Sands". The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands | Overview". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Phillippe, Loy R.; Molano-Flores, Brenda; Murphy, Michael J.C.; Marcum, Paul B.; Ebinger, John E. (2011). "Status of Endangered and Threatened Sand Area Species of the Illinois Flora". Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin. 39 (4) – via CORE.
  4. ^ Staff writer (August 29, 2017). "Bison at Kankakee Sands". South Shore Indiana, Visitor and Convention Authority. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  5. ^ Bowman, Dale (October 30, 2021). "Bison through the chute to their new home: Young bulls arrive and acclimate at Kankakee Sands". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  6. ^ "Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands | Bison at Kankakee Sands". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  7. ^ "Bison at Kankakee Sands". South Shore Convention & Visitors Authority. 2021. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Welcome to the Grace Teninga Discover Trail, Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands; The Nature Conservancy; undated
  9. ^ Staff writer. "Northwest Indiana Birding Opportunities - Kankakee Sands Nature Conservancy". Indiana Birding Trail. Indiana Audubon Society. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Efroymson Restoration at Kankakee Sands | Animals at the Kankakee Sands | Birds". The Nature Conservancy. Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
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