A day long awaited, since that first opportunity for the public to witness bison at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie (Midewin) in Illinois, the herd is doing well and adjusting to their new home. Several of the bison appear to enjoy wallowing in select pasture areas. This shows how the bison can create areas where prairie grass seeds can become established and help with the restoration of the prairie. Some of the bison cows are beginning to expand in their rib cage indicating that there will be new calves arriving in the spring. Recreation visitors to the prairie have increased significantly since the release of the herd in late October, 2015.
The attitude of the public toward the bison has been very positive. “We were pleasantly surprised to see the presence of ‘Bison Fans’ – individuals who returned for multiple, often consecutive, visits this past fall” says Wendy Tresouthick, Environmental Education/Interpretation Specialist at Midewin. Visitors had smiles on their faces and positive words to share.
Hiking is not the only way to travel on the prairie. Bring your bicycle or even your horse. The U.S. Forest Service encourages you to take advantage of the multi-use trail system identified on the Trail Map for Midewin.
“A public event is being planned in May of 2016, after some of the bison calves have been born” said Wade Spang, Prairie Supervisor.
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I am Jeff Clark, founder of Internet Brothers, producer of this blog, and passionate about hiking. I live in Western NC near the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains. Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests are just out my door, so the content will focus on these areas, but let me know what you would like to see on the site. 
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