Kankakee Sands, Illinois & Indiana

Restoring prairie ecosystems and building community connections.

Group of people posing in the woods.

Student driving an Argo amphibious Extreme Terrain Vehicle.

Students sitting at a table with a butterfly exhibit.

At Kankakee Sands—a Nature Conservancy site straddling Indiana and Illinois—Drake students joined a diverse team working to protect and restore tallgrass prairie. Projects included invasive species removal, biodiversity monitoring, and assisting with prescribed fire training.

Beyond the field, students helped coordinate family-friendly community events and environmental programming in collaboration with local libraries, a county fair, and a Vacation Bible School. This dual focus on ecology and outreach helped students see how conservation connects with people’s everyday lives—and how education and ecosystem health go hand in hand.

Maddie Christian

“I was able to see how The Nature Conservancy functions on a broader scale, leaving me with a better understanding of day-to-day interactions as well as how state-wide communications take place.”