The Forest Preserve District of Kane County is planning an Urban Ecology Field Station (UEFS) at Arlene Shoemaker Forest Preserve in Aurora, Illinois. The Urban Ecology Field Station is envisioned as a place where people and nature come together, with a mission of connecting residents to nature in their own backyards. Urban ecology refers to the study of how living things — humans, plants and animals — interact with each other and their surroundings in metropolitan areas. Building a UEFS was one of the Forest Preserve District's 2024 Referendum commitments. The Urban Ecology Field Station will be a nature center with space that offers indoor and outdoor educational experiences focused on urban ecology, urban wildlife, native plant communities, sustainable food cultivation, and climate resiliency. Help us design a facility that works for you! Please take our survey:

Urban Ecology Field Station Survey (English Version)	Urban Ecology Field Station Survey (Spanish Version)

With a few steps off a trailer and onto Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Sycamore, American bison, also known as buffalo, have made a triumphant return to Kane County prairie, for the first time in more than 200 years.

The move follows a three-way partnership between the Forest Preserve District of Kane County as land owner, the American Indian Center of Chicago (AIC) as owner of the animals, and Ruhter Bison as the herd manager. It was an agreement the Forest Preserve District had worked to bring to completion for years, and something promised to residents as part of the 2024 Land Acquisition & Preserve Improvement Referendum.

While there are indeed other bison in Kane County — including herds at both Fermilab in Batavia and at Lords Park in Elgin — their environments are different. Fermi's bison are on grass pasture and Lords Park's bison are in a zoo exhibit. The bison at Burlington Prairie are on tallgrass prairie.  Prairies are complex ecosystems with incredible diversity. Burlington Prairie, for example, is made-up of 114 different native grasses and wildflowers. This is the first time in more than 200 years that bison in Kane County have lived on prairie, as historically they once did.

The Forest Preserve District knows there is great interest in seeing the animals, but we're asking the public to be patient a bit longer. Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve is one of the preserves where we lock the gates seasonally, due to weather. We are also expanding the parking at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in April, which will require us to leave the gates closed until May 1st. Because the herd manager needs access to the preserve, there is no authorized parking outside the gates. We look forward to you being able to view the bison, beginning May 1st!

View the Bison Frequently Asked Questions
Bison FAQs

For more information on the bison's return to prairie, see our 12/8/2025 Press Release:
12/8/2025 Press Release.

The wait is over: Visit the bison at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve, beginning May 1!
See our 3/4/2026 Press Release