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Prairie Burn

A Tradition of Renewal

One of Knox College’s most valued traditions is the annual spring Prairie Burn, which brings together students from all disciplines in a prairie restoration project that inspired the name for Knox College’s “Prairie Fire” athletic teams.

The Prairie Burns, first conducted in the 1950s by Knox professor Paul Shepard, protect prairie grasses from intrusions of woodland scrub and competition with “exotic” species that have been introduced to Illinois from other regions or countries—to the detriment of organisms that have evolved over millions of years in delicate balance with the environment and each other.

The Prairie Burns at Green Oaks are one of the factors making Green Oaks one of the oldest restored tallgrass prairie in North America.

  • Two Knox students walk the prairie after a prairie burn. They are surrounding by smoke, and a farm scape is in the background.
  • A students in fire gear (yellow shirt and mask) holds a snake that escaped the annual prairie burn at Green Oaks.
  • A small group of students, dressed in yellow shirts and dark pants, watch a prairie fire during the annual Green Oaks prairie burn.
  • Biology professor and director of Green Oaks, Stuart Alison, watches the prairie burn at Green Oaks. He is dressed in prairie gear: yellow shirt, dark pants, mask, and hat.
  • A Knox student prepares for the prairie burn in a field of tall grass.

Experience the Prairie Burn

Even if you aren't a biology student at Knox, you discover what it's like to participate in Knox's annual prairie burn by watching a video from a recent burn.

Renewing the Prairie

Take a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens during the Prairie Burn at Green Oaks.

A person wearing a mask and protective clothing holds a red can near dry grass. The grass in the foreground of the photo is on fire.