♪♪ ♪♪ [KOHLSDORF] Carved away from central Iowa farmland, 6000 acres of tallgrass prairie at the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge offer travelers the chance to explore rolling hills of history.

♪♪ [NANCY CORONA] And the mission for Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge is preserving and protecting and reconstructing tallgrass, prairie, oak savanna and sedge meadows, which are our native ecosystems.

[KOHLSDORF] Established in 1990, the refuge is named for former Congressman Neal Smith.

The dedicated lands are reserved in a special distinction, and unlike national parks, places like the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge hold the largest amount of conservation land in the US.

[NANCY CORONA] This refuge is protecting an ecosystem where there's only one tenth of 1% of the original ecosystem left in Iowa.

So it used to be 80% that covered the landscape of Iowa, tallgrass prairie, and now there's one tenth of 1%.

So you're getting to see your heritage and the wildlife that would not exist if we didn't have these grasslands, the tallgrass prairie.

♪♪ [KOHLSDORF] Walking trails, adapted for varying abilities, help visitors learn how the refuge is maintaining and enriching Iowa's prairie landscapes.

♪♪ [KOHLSDORF] The Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge propagates tallgrass prairie with a group of helpers who don't mind what the job pays.

♪♪ [KOHLSDORF] A herd of 72 bison and 25 elk forage over an 800 acre enclosure, giving visitors a front row seat to active working prairie restoration.

[NANCY CORONA] And you can drive through that, but you have to remain in your vehicle because we do treat them as wild animals.

So it's a really vital part of our program is having the bison on the landscape managing.

They're grazing and their habits actually help to provide a very healthy ecosystem, the tallgrass prairie.

It's our connection to our heritage.

This is something that is not just about bringing back wildlife.

It is our connection to people's ancestors are connected to this.

This is not many places you can come and see tallgrass prairie.

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