what we do

red Bison's goal is not only to restore and recreate a natural prairie environment at our site, but to also promote natural area rehabilitation throughout the local area of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Red Bison gives students an excellent opportunity to get hands on experience working in and observing a prairie. We work in a variety of ways to aid the prairie in its recovery. For example, weed removal, or the removal of invasive and non-native species, is an important part of re-establishing a prairie environment. Another vital aspect of prairie restoration is seed collection and dispersal. We travel to sites in the area and collect seeds of native plants which are later distributed at our site in an attempt to increase biodiversity.

By far, the most important and exhilarating part of our prairie restoration work is controlled burning. Prairies starve for fire to re-establish the natural pre-settlement conditions in which they thrive. Fire helps some seeds to germinate, kills off non-native species, and is otherwise an important part of the life cycle of a prairie. We burn our site annually, and aid other groups in the burning of their sites. We never burn the entire site at one time, but instead cycle different sections. A high-quality area may go up to two years without being burned, while another, very weedy spot may be burned two years in a row to try to eliminate invasive plants.

Some of our most recent projects include educational outreach. One way we intend to do this is by creating a path on the site by which the general public can observe and enjoy the prairie close up. Following the clearing of this path, we hope to be able to lead walks for children and others to show the prairie community in its glory.

Working on the prairie is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. You get hands on experience learning about the natural world. Although we call them workdays, it doesn't seem like work. It's more of an escape from the hectic daily life of a student.