Members of the public eager to catch a glimpse of some of the Kane County Forest Preserve District’s newest bovine residents will have an opportunity to stop by and see them soon.
Starting May 1, the public will be able to visit the small herd of bison that was recently introduced to Burlington after the Kane County Forest Preserve District reopens the Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve’s gates following some planned renovations meant to better accommodate additional visitors to the site.
Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve lies on the border of Kane and DeKalb counties, 60 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. A portion of the preserve has never been broken by a plow, according to the Forest Preserve District.
In December, a small herd of six American buffalo were brought to Kane County, and now roam on 38 acres of prairie restored by the county’s Forest Preserve District.
The move is the result of a partnership between the Kane County Forest Preserve District and the American Indian Center of Chicago, which owns the animals in the collaborative conservation effort.
However, in the months since, the gates to many of the county’s forest preserves — including Burlington Prairie — have been closed because of difficulty in keeping entrance drives free of snow in the winter, explained Laurie Metanchuk, the Kane County Forest Preserve District’s community engagement director.
The gates to all the preserves typically reopen each year on April 1, Metanchuk said, but Burlington’s reopening will be delayed by a month this year because of renovations meant to prepare the site for increased visitor traffic related to the bison making their home on the prairie again.
The improvements to the preserve are geared toward increasing visitor capacity and enhancing safety features, according to the Forest Preserve District, and include a new adjoining gravel parking area set to accommodate 41 vehicles and three school buses, and a split-rail fence that will be added along the north and west sides of the current electric fence.
“We know folks are eager to see the bison in their new home,” Kane County Forest Preserve District Executive Director Benjamin Haberthur said in a recent press release from the district. “The parking and fencing improvements in April will allow for additional visitors, and make the experience better and safer for both the public and the animals.”
Since the bison were reintroduced to the county, the Kane Forest Preserve District has held some initial programming for small groups to see and learn about the bison, Metanchuk explained, which prompted the district to notice that visitors were walking up close to the existing fence — and so were the animals.
So, the Forest Preserve District decided to add a second fence for safety reasons — “to have a little bit more separation,” Metanchuk said.
The Forest Preserve District is also asking the public not to bring dogs near the bison enclosure, the recent press release indicated, and to keep them north or west of the enclosure. Violators will be subject to a fine.
The renovations to the site are going to be taking place during April, in advance of the May reopening, Metanchuk said, at which point members of the public can visit the preserve — located at 13N240 Engel Road — as they ordinarily would. The preserve’s gates will be open from sunrise to sunset, and Metanchuk said that the Forest Preserve District will have some naturalists and staff at the preserve, as time permits, to answer questions from the public.
“We know … it’s going to be hugely popular,” Metanchuk said.
The Forest Preserve District is also gearing up for programming at the Burlington preserve starting in June, Metanchuk said, with sessions on things like the relationship between birds and bison, and one on bison calves, sometimes called “red dogs.”
The district also has plans to one day expand the area on which the bison can roam to around 100 acres, according to Metanchuk.
But in the meantime, as May approaches, Metanchuk was enthusiastic about the opportunity this initiative is creating for visitors to see bison back on the prairie in Kane County.
“I was there when the bison were released onto the land, and … I actually teared up,” Metanchuk said. “I feel like people are going to have the same reaction when they drive in and see the animals.”
