The last recorded wild bison in Illinois was killed in 1870. For more than 150 years, the animal that once shaped prairie ecosystems—creating wallows that became water-filled microclimates, grazing patterns that maintained plant diversity, and serving as a cornerstone species—had vanished from the state where less than one percent of true prairie now remains.
On December 5, 2025, six bison arrived at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve through an unprecedented three-way partnership: the Forest Preserve District of Kane County owns the land, the American Indian Center of Chicago owns the animals, and Ruhter Bison manages the herd. The arrangement took years to finalize and was promised to residents as part of a 2024 referendum.
The return carried profound meaning for Indigenous communities. Chicago is home to the third-largest urban Native American population in the United States—approximately 65,000 people representing more than 170 tribes. Many had their federal recognition "terminated" by the government in the 1950s, with grandparents and parents forcibly relocated to cities. Many urban Natives had never seen an American bison in person.
About 50 Native Americans gathered in the tiny parking lot at Burlington Prairie, idling in their cars as they watched for the trailers. They had been waiting not just hours but generations. When the bison finally stepped onto the snow-covered prairie, the community walked through the cold to meet what Robert Wapahi, a Santee Sioux tribal elder, called "our relatives."
"Sometimes we have stories that begin with back in the times when all things spoke," Wapahi said. "It's different when you're welcoming them back home. That's their home, not mine."
Jessica Walks First, president of the American Indian Center's board and a member of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, brought her 10-year-old son to witness the moment. "My people were here when the glacier receded," she explained. "We live in a concrete jungle. Having land to steward gives us a chance to get those things back."
The partnership emerged from necessity and vision. The Forest Preserve District needed a partner for prairie restoration and was running out of time to fulfill its 2024 referendum promise after an initial candidate fell through. Crystal Young from the American Indian Center received the email with the deadline. "We're a little nonprofit organization," Young recalled thinking. "We're not a tribe, we don't have any land. What are we going to do with bison? That's crazy. We live in the city."
But they said yes. Benjamin Haberthur, executive director of the Forest Preserve District, had been influenced by the documentary "The American Buffalo" and learned a crucial lesson: "If you don't have a Native American partner, you're not doing this right."
The ecological benefits extend beyond symbolism. Patrick Chess, the district's natural resource management director, explained that bison feed on prairie plants and create depressions when they wallow. Those depressions collect water and form microclimates supporting other wildlife. The interconnected ecosystem begins healing itself.
The bison spent their first weeks acclimating in a small corral before being released into the larger fenced prairie. In spring, both the preserve and the American Indian Center will launch guided programs teaching about land stewardship and prairie health, including a community science program where volunteers will monitor prairie changes and learn ecosystem care in real time.
As the ceremony concluded, songs continued across the snowy landscape—an echo of something ancient finally returning. "We're just like the buffalo," Wapahi said. "I'm glad they came back home."