Bison herd growing as O’Neill School alumna restores Indiana’s prairies: IU News

Bringing Bison Back

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A bison at Kankakee Sands, where the herd has grown from 23 to nearly 90 since their reintroduction in 2016. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

Alyssa Nyberg earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in environmental science from the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington. As a restoration ecologist for the Nature Conservancy’s Kankakee Sands project, she reintroduced bison to Indiana. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

Native wildflowers thrive at Kankakee Sands, attracting pollinators and supporting a healthier ecosystem. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

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While Indiana University Bloomington is bringing back the bison as its mascot, a graduate of the IU Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs has been bringing bison back to the state’s prairies and improving Indiana’s ecology for nearly a decade.

Alyssa Nyberg is the preserve coordinator of the Efroymson Prairie at Kankakee Sands in Northwest Indiana, an 8,400-acre nature preserve owned and managed by the Indiana chapter of The Nature Conservancy. Nyberg, who earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees in environmental science from the O’Neill School, has spent the past 25 years restoring the preserve.

The bison were introduced to manage the prairie, and their arrival has led to a greater diversity of both plants and animals. For instance, as the bison graze, they lower the height of the grass, which provides an opportunity for a larger variety of wildflowers and grasses to grow, which attract a wider range of insects and birds. The bison also create “bison wallows,” which are shallow depressions created when they roll around on dry ground. The shallow basins hold rainwater that attracts animals and amphibians to the area.

“As an undergraduate and graduate student at IU, I studied ecology,” Nyberg said. “The relationship of life forms to one another still excites me today — whether that be the relationship between different plants, or between plants and the animals, animals with other animals, or the relationship of people to the natural world. They are all so important.”

Bison calves are a sign of a thriving herd and the success of prairie restoration efforts. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

Once upon a time, millions of bison could be found on the prairies throughout the United States, an integral part of the American landscape and Indiana’s history. One was even included on the state’s first seal. Due to loss of habitat and overhunting, their numbers dwindled. The last known wild bison in the state of Indiana was shot in Orange County in 1830.

For more than 180 years, bison were rarely seen in the state. But in 2016, a herd of 23 was introduced to Kankakee Sands, making it the easternmost Nature Conservancy preserve where bison can be found. Thanks to the hard work of Nyberg and her colleagues, the original herd has grown to 90, grazing on 1,100 acres of prairie.

“Bison remind us that we have a history, and that it is a history worth remembering and sharing with the next generation,” Nyberg said. “We hope the bison at Kankakee Sands will inspire us all to learn more about and appreciate prairies and conservation, as well as our local and national history.”

Nyberg’s love of nature began when she was growing up in rural Ohio, but she was unsure of her academic direction when she arrived at IU. Through the exploratory program, she learned about the O’Neill School and was “amazed” at the number of career options in environmental science. Nyberg went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees in that discipline.

“O’Neill gave me the confidence to step beyond what was comfortable and reach for what I wanted,” Nyberg said. “The work is complicated and integrated, from land management to habitat improvements. We’re managing prairies with grazing bison and cattle while welcoming people to share in the beauty of Kankakee Sands.”

But the work is rewarding.

Alyssa Nyberg, O’Neill School alumna and preserve coordinator at Kankakee Sands, has spent 25 years restoring the prairie. Photo by James Brosher, Indiana University

“A career in conservation is much like the tagline of the U.S. Peace Corps: It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love,” Nyberg said. “It can be physically, intellectually and, at times, emotionally challenging. But if you have the ability to be employed in work that you love and were trained for, it can be an extremely fulfilling career and life.”

Watching the bison herd grow and start to display behaviors common to bison in the wild is another sign that Nyberg’s work is moving in the right direction.

“I’ve been part of this prairie and wetland restoration almost since it began more than two decades ago,” Nyberg said. “I remember first walking onto one of the farm fields at Kankakee Sands and thinking, ‘Our job is to one day make this a fully functioning prairie,’ and that’s what it has become.”

Alumni successes like this are made possible in part by generous donors. You can empower environmental science graduate students at Indiana University by donating to the O’Neill School Environmental Science Graduate Scholarship fund.