Vo 1• 18, No. 11 
Page 2 
We used two study areas for this aspect of our investigation; the 206-acre 
Truetown Area with a 35-acre clear-cut and the 188-acre Doanville Area containing 
two clear-cuts, one of 19-5 acres and the other of 9*5 acres. On both areas we 
livetrapped and tagged squirrels for 2 years before timber cutting began and 
continued to livetrap for 2 years after cutting. Livetraps were placed 60 meters 
apart throughout both study areas. 
At Truetown, the late-summer gray squirrel population on the entire 206 
acres declined 43.3 percent from 193 squirrels to 109 squirrels (estimated 
numbers) immediately after clear-cutting the 35 acres. The second year after 
cutting, it was estimated that squirrel numbers increased to 140 adult and sub¬ 
adult squirrels. The decline in density at Truetown was mostly due to a drastic 
decline in captures of subadults after 1968. 
Before cutting, subadults comprised 53*3 percent of all captures (N = 197); 
but after cutting, subadults made up only 20.2 percent of the captured population. 
We believe this significant decline (£^0.05) in subadults captured was not 
entirely due to the clear-cut. Survival of young and fecundity of breeding fe¬ 
males was extremely high in 1 968 throughout southeast Ohio as squirrels re¬ 
covered from a catastrophic mast failure that occurred 2 years before. However, 
we do believe that the loss of the most prolific producer of cavities suitable 
for rearing young contributed to the observed decline in subadult captures after 
clear-cutting. The cut destroyed hundreds of old-growth American beech that 
contained an average of 5*7 nest dens per acre. In contrast, the uncut area 
contained only 0.8 den per acre. 
Responses of Prairie Chickens to Habitat Manipulation R. L* Westemeier, 
D. R. Vance 
The new cash-bid approach to management was implemented in 1975 on the 
state-owned prairie chicken sanctuaries, which include 567 acres or 36 percent of 
the total sanctuary acreage. A major advantage to the cash-bid procedure is 
that many of the routine chores of the sanctuary manager are e1iminated--such 
as procurement of elevator receipts, weight tickets, and fertilizer bi1 Is —with 
which to document the state's share of crop yields, income, and expenses. Also, 
because the bids cover a 2-year period, rewriting of leases and repeated con¬ 
tacts with farmers are held to a minimum. 
The disadvantages in managing the state-owned sanctuaries under the cash-bid 
procedure are as follows: 
1. The taxable acreage (acres harvested or grazed) for each farmer must be 
reported annually to the County Supervisor of Assessments and then be checked to 
make sure the farmers are assessed correctly. 
2. The fees, based on the acres harvested and the cash-bid rate, must be 
collected from each farmer prior to 1 December and sent to Springfield with an 
explanatory letter. 
