Nipper Wildlife Sanctuary is a 120-acre private nonprofit refuge near Loami, Illinois, along Lick Creek, created to restore the tallgrass prairie that once covered much of Sangamon County before agriculture nearly eliminated it. The sanctuary grew from a gift by farmers Frank and Gladys Nipper: Frank’s 1989 bequest of land and money led to its establishment in 1992, and Gladys helped oversee creation of the land trust before her death in 1995. Replanting began in 1999 using plants preserved in nearby prairie remnants, and about 150 species of grasses and wildflowers were reintroduced. The site honors the Nippers while rebuilding native prairie habitat.