Detail of Prairie Exhibit
Illinois State Museum

Central Prairie - Preserving the Prairie

The Illinois Grand Prairie is gone forever. What seemed like an endless expanse of grass has become one of the most rare habitats in Illinois. By saving and restoring the few small prairie remnants, we can preserve some of the plants and animals that symbolize this once truly Grand Prairie. Conservationists are also restoring a large expanse of prairie in northern Illinois at the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie.