Coal City photographer attended Midewin Bison Expedition to photograph herd

WILMINGTON – Tom Lewis of Coal City spent his Saturday doing what he loves to do – taking photographs.

He took advantage of the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie’s “Midewin Bison Expedition,” a public event during which the bison herd was moved out of its typical pasture that encompasses 1,200 acres of prairie to the event pasture, a much-smaller 40 acres.

“Nature is what I love shooting,” Lewis said.

The bison expedition is where he will remember taking his last film photograph ever. He said he used the last of his film at the event, and will now shoot just digital.

He has photographed nature in many federal parks, but having the opportunity to capture the bison this close to home was exciting.

“Now that I’ve been out here and I know I can bike the path to find them, I think I will,” he said.

The bison herd, four bulls and 23 cows, were reintroduced to the prairie's pastures in October. The bulls came from a USDA/APHIS facility near Fort Collins, Colorado, and the cows came from a ranch near Mitchell, South Dakota.

All the female bison already were pregnant when they arrived, and babies now are part of the herd. Pregnancy for a female bison lasts about nine and a half months.

The expedition was the first official showing of the bison herd since they moved in last fall.

Visitors boarded buses in either Wilmington or Elwood to be transported to the trail head, where a short walk led them to the fence line where the buffalo and their babies were grazing.

Staff and volunteers were on hand and warned visitors before they exited the bus that the buffalo were very sensitive to stress, and asked guests refrain from adding stress to the large animals.

The bison expedition was held in conjunction with the annual Route 66 “Red Carpet Corridor” event in Elwood and Wilmington.

If you missed the bison Saturday, the bison range can be accessed via the Iron Bridge Trailhead on Route 53 at the intersection of South Chicago and Hoff roads. For a longer trek, the range can also be accessed via the Wauponsee Glacial Trail.

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KNOW MORE

Visit www.fs.usda.gov/midewin to learn more about the bison project at Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie