This October marks the ninth year that bison have graced and grazed our Kankakee Sands prairies. Even after nine years, it’s still a thrill to see them, isn’t it?!

Our Kankakee Sands bison heard arrived in 2016, the same year as Indiana’s bicentennial. We like to joke that Northwest Indiana had its very own bison-tennial as the 23 bison came off the trailer from South Dakota and charged out onto the fenced 1,100 acres here at Kankakee Sands. Interestingly enough, 2016 was the year that the American bison became the national mammal of the United States of America. There was so much to celebrate in 2016, and nine years later, there is still so much to celebrate!

Bison and calf by Trevor Edmonson © TNC
Photo by Trevor Edmonson © TNC
 

On Saturday, November 2, 2024, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) will be celebrating National Bison Day at Kankakee Sands and we want you to join us! We will be celebrating here locally, while others across the United States are also celebrating the magnificent bison. National Bison Day is an annual commemoration observed all around the United States to lift up the ecological, cultural and historical contribution of the American bison to the United States. The first National Bison Day was observed in 2012, and the celebrations have grown in size and number ever since!

Please bring friends and family to join us in celebrating National Bison Day! From 10 am to 3 pm (Central Time), we will be hosting a FREE, fun, family-friendly day in partnership with our volunteers and partners. There will be so much to do:

  • 8:00 am - Early morning birding walk with the Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society
  • 10:20 am – Ribbon Cutting to celebrate the new pavilions, signage, viewing areas and spotting scopes at Kankakee Sands
  • 11 am – Bison corral tour with TNC Staff and Bison Rangers
  • 1 pm – Presentation by Dani Tippmann of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma 
  • 2 pm – Bison corral tour with TNC Staff and Bison Rangers
  • 3:15 pm –Yoga on the Prairie session with Colleen Edmonson of Friends of the Sands 

 
And there will be so much to do at your own pace between 10 am and 3 pm central:

  • Create a nature-based painting craft
  • Check out the touch table of natural items found on the prairie
  • Visit with the Bison Rangers and learn about our bison program
  • Tour the new visitor facilities, including pavilions and viewing platforms
  • Enjoy a short hike through the prairie
  • Explore the tractors and trucks we use for managing the prairie
  • Visit with our partners at their info tables - Jasper Newton Foundation, Newton County Economic Development Commission, Friends of the Sands, Friends of the Kankakee, Dunes-Calumet Audubon Society, and DNR. 

Please join us for this family-friendly fun day to connect with the natural world and to celebrate the magnificent bison. It’s sure to be a hugely fun day!

You can learn more about National Bison Day at Kankakee Sands by visiting nature.org/events, or by calling our Kankakee Sands Office at 219-285-2184.
 



The Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands is an 8,400-acre prairie and savanna habitat in Northwest Indiana, open every day of the year for public enjoyment. It’s an exciting year for Kankakee Sands, as we are making major improvements to popular areas within the preserve. If you plan to visit, please check our Facebook page to see if any of the areas you want to see will be impacted by the construction. For more information about Kankakee Sands, visit www.nature.org/KankakeeSands or call the office at 219-285-2184.