Kane County has a created a home for a herd of bison to roam in a unique free-range area of the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in rural Sycamore.
The animals are there through a partnership between the Forest Preserve District of Kane County as land owner, the American Indian Center of Chicago as the animals’ owner and Ruhter Bison, of Woodstock, which serves as the herd manager.
“This is something we’ve been talking about for at least five years and have dreamed about for longer than that,” said Laurie Metanchuk, the forest preserve district’s communications and marketing director.
Three male and three female bison arrived at the forest preserve on Dec. 5 and were kept for a few days in a smaller corral. On Dec. 8, they were released into the wider, 38-acre prairie, Metanchuk said.
There are other bison living in or adjacent to Kane County. Fermilab has a herd that roam an area that is in both Kane and DuPage counties and Elgin’s Lords Park is home to two bison.
Fermilab’s bison live on a grass pasture whereas Lords Park’s bison live in a zoo enclosure.
Burlington’s, however, have been placed on tallgrass prairie, a complex ecosystem with incredible diversity, Metanchuk said. Burlington Prairie, for example, has 114 different native grasses and wildflowers.
“Research, journals and written histories of the time indicate the last bison were in Kane County 200 years ago,” she said. “So this is the first time in more than 200 years that bison in Kane County have lived on prairie, as historically they once did.”
Metanchuk said the bison were transferred from an Illinois herd with provenance that traces back to the last remaining bison on the Great Plains.
The forest preserve district expects to add four more bison to the herd sometime during 2026, and the animals will be allowed to breed.
“We are currently planning to build a second, adjoining fenced area, larger than the current one. With the additional space, the animals will have approximately 100 acres on which to live and move about at will, and there will be room for the herd to grow,” Metanchuk said.
“The animals are owned by the American Indian Center of Chicago. Ultimately herd size would be their decision, but we do anticipate having room for up to 30 animals.”
Metanchuk said the bison are “free range” in that they are allowed to move about at will within an enclosed area.
“We simply don’t have the acreage to allow roaming to happen,” she said. “The bison at Burlington Prairie will always be within a fenced area.”
Having bison on a Kane County prairie was one of projects promised in the forest preserve district’s Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement referendum, which was approved in 2024. The initial fenced area cost $150,000 and was paid for in part with a $99,000 grant from the Grand Victoria Foundation, Metanchuk said.
The bison were donated at no cost. The cost of feed and veterinary bills are being paid by AIC and Ruhter Bison, which are also paying the forest preserve district a nominal grazing fee of $240 per year. The district must cover the cost of electricity and water for the site but because there are restrooms and picnic shelter already on the site, there is no bison-specific cost for utilities, Metanchuk said.
While the bison have arrived, the district is asking people to be patient about heading out to take a look at them, she said.
“Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve is one of the preserves where we lock the gates seasonally due to weather. This winter that’ll also give the animals time to adjust to their new surroundings,” Metanchuk said.
When the site opens, the public will be able to view them from outside the fenced-in area. There is a long entrance drive into the preserve that leads to a picnic shelter and parking area.
“It’s an easy walk from there to the fenced area. The fence is electric, so please do not touch the fence,” Metanchuk said. “But if the bison are nearby, it’ll be easy to see them. If not, you may need to walk around the fence to find where they’re at.”
The plan is to have public events in the spring, once the gates are open, she said. And because the herd manager needs access to the preserve, there is no authorized parking outside the gates.
For a map of Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve, go to kaneforest.com/upload/MAP_BurlingtonPrairie.jpg.
Mike Danahey is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.