05/13/2026
American Indian Center celebrates first bison calf born through rematriation work
Birth at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve marks major milestone in Native-led effort connecting land, bison, culture and community health
CHICAGO—The American Indian Center is honored to announce the birth of the first bison calf through its bison rematriation work, marking a major milestone in a growing effort to restore relationships among Native people, land, bison and future generations.
The calf was born Saturday, May 9, at Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve in Sycamore. Six bison were rematriated to the preserve in December 2025 through a partnership between the American Indian Center and the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. The birth of the calf brings the herd to seven.
Burlington Prairie Forest Preserve, located at 13N240 Engel Road in Sycamore, is open daily from sunrise to sunset, according to the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. Visitors are asked to follow all forest preserve guidelines and give the herd appropriate space. The health and safety of the calf, the herd and visitors remain the priority.
For AIC, the birth represents more than the growth of a herd. It is a sign that the work is alive.
“It is one thing to talk about restoring relationships with land and relatives,” said Jay Young, co-executive director of the American Indian Center. “It is another thing to see new life come from that work. For Chicago’s Native community, especially our young people, this birth gives us a chance to know bison not just as something from history, but as living relatives on the land.”
For many Native nations, bison hold deep cultural, ecological and spiritual significance. They are relatives, providers and teachers, and their presence is connected to stories of survival, removal, resistance and return. The near destruction of bison is inseparable from the history of harm done to Native nations, foodways and land-based lifeways. AIC’s bison rematriation work is rooted in that understanding and centers relationship, care and responsibility.
The birth of the first calf is especially meaningful for Chicago’s Native community, one of the larger urban Native communities in the country. For Native families, youth and community members, the calf offers a living connection to land and culture and makes restoration something that can be witnessed in the present, not only understood through history.
The milestone also reflects the importance of conservation partnerships that center Native leadership and move at the speed of relationship. AIC’s bison rematriation work has grown through its partnership with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County, which has helped create space for this work to unfold with trust, patience and care.
“This is bigger than conservation,” Young said. “And I say that as someone who believes deeply in conservation work. But for us, this is not only about habitat or the return of a species. It is about Native people helping shape what care looks like on this land. This calf is a reminder that when that relationship is real, life comes from it.”
The bison rematriation work is part of AIC’s broader commitment to land-based programming, Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Food Is Medicine, cultural education and community health. Through this work, AIC is building opportunities for Native youth, families and community members to reconnect with land, learn from Native knowledge holders and participate in programming that understands wellness as connected to land, culture, food, identity and relationship.
AIC will begin offering community programming connected to the herd later this summer. Programming will create opportunities for Native community members, youth and families to visit the site, learn from the land and deepen their relationship with the bison.
About the American Indian Center
Founded in 1953, the American Indian Center is one of the oldest urban Native centers in the country. Located in Chicago, AIC serves Native people and families through cultural programming, community education, land-based initiatives, food sovereignty work, youth and family programs, arts and cultural events, and partnerships that strengthen Native community life in the Chicago region.
