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Meadow of coneflowers at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
Meadow of Coneflowers Summer haze turns the sky pink above a meadow of coneflowers at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma. © Harvey Payne
Cause Marketing

Partnering with Sunday

Sunday is supporting TNC to protect the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve.

More than a quarter century ago, The Nature Conservancy embarked on a mission to permanently conserve a significant piece of Oklahoma’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. Today, the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve at nearly 40,000 acres is the largest protected piece of tallgrass prairie left on earth.

This once expansive landscape area was hunting ground for tribes such as the Wichita, Osage, and Kaw. Originally spanning across 14 states from Texas to Minnesota – TNC used a combination of free-ranging bison and a “patch-burn model” approach to prescribed burning to restore the ecosystem. Today, the area offers a series of hiking trails and nature vistas, as well as a nearly 10-mile gravel loop that encircles much of the prairie.

TNC Tallgrass Prairies Featured in 2 Major Films

In October 2023, TNC tallgrass prairies were featured as stunning backdrops for two major films: Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon and Ken Burns' documentary The American Buffalo.

Sunday Visits the Tallgrass Prairie Sunday visits the preserve for the first time in 2021, to see first-hand that our backyards and this precious preserve come from the same dirt, the same living soil that supports vital ecosystems across the country.

Teeming With Diversity

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a haven for wildlife because of its variety of natural habitats. The diversity of grassland and forest is home to more than 300 species of birds and more than 700 plant species. Other wildlife includes white-tailed deer, bobcats, armadillos, beavers, woodchucks, badgers, coyotes and more. 

The main attraction though are the more than 1,800 American bison that make up one of the largest herds in the country. Bison are rounded up each fall and cattle are grazed on 11,000 acres.

 

Bison
Bison Close-up of bison at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma. © Josie Briggs
Greater Prairie Chicken
Greater Prairie Chicken Booming and dancing during a mating ritual in the wide open spaces of the prairie. © Harvey Payne/TNC
Bison Close-up of bison at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Oklahoma. © Josie Briggs
Greater Prairie Chicken Booming and dancing during a mating ritual in the wide open spaces of the prairie. © Harvey Payne/TNC

Partnering to Preserve the Prairie

Since 2020, TNC and Sunday have been working together to preserve this natural habitat and introduce the beauty and benefits of the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve to future generations. Sunday offers consumers customizable lawn care solutions that are better for people, pets and the planet.

Purple Coneflowers
Purple Coneflowers Mid-May through mid-June, wildflowers cover the fields with blankets of color. © Chris Helzer/The Nature Conservancy

Learn More

Three large bison grazing in green grass, with a baby bison in the background.

Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is the largest protected remnant of tallgrass prairie left on Earth, home to the imperiled greater prairie chicken and 2,200 wild bison.

Close-up of a bison herd beginning to stampede.

6 Furry Facts about Bison

Learn how The Nature Conservancy is protecting the iconic American bison and using this incredible animal as a tool to restore the tallgrass prairie.

Badlands at sunset

The Great Plains: Anything But Plain

Some call this 'fly over country.' Well, we politely disagree. Take a closer look at the heartland of America.