Alyssa Nyberg, a graduate of Indiana University’s O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, has played a central role in restoring prairie ecosystems at Kankakee Sands in northwest Indiana. As the preserve coordinator for the Efroymson Prairie, an 8,400-acre site managed by The Nature Conservancy’s Indiana chapter, Nyberg has worked for 25 years to bring back native habitats and species.
In 2016, bison were reintroduced to Kankakee Sands after more than 180 years without wild herds in the state. The initial group of 23 animals has since grown to nearly 90. Their presence helps manage prairie grasses and supports greater biodiversity by creating opportunities for wildflowers and other plants to thrive. Bison also form shallow depressions known as “wallows,” which collect rainwater and attract various wildlife.
“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 once roamed much of Indiana but disappeared due to habitat loss and overhunting; the last wild bison was recorded in Orange County in 1830. With their return at Kankakee Sands—the easternmost Nature Conservancy preserve with bison—conservationists hope to inspire public interest in prairies and environmental stewardship.
“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 credits her time at Indiana University with shaping her career path: “O’Neill gave me the confidence to step beyond what was comfortable and reach for what I wanted,” she 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.”
She describes conservation work as both challenging and rewarding: “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.”
Reflecting on decades of restoration efforts at Kankakee Sands, Nyberg added: “I’ve been part of this prairie and wetland restoration almost since it began more than two decades ago,” she 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 such as Nyberg’s are supported by donors who contribute to programs like Indiana University’s O’Neill School Environmental Science Graduate Scholarship fund.
