Vo!. 18, No. II 
Page 3 
3* The lessees are reluctant to read the lease agreements. They must be 
reminded several times of their obligations. Some are mainly interested in the 
soybean acreage involved in the lease and care little about the grassland 
management involved. Grass seedings may be carelessly done. None of the new 
seedings made in the spring of 1975 were mowed for weed control as was specified 
in the leases. 
Tl ? e harvest of redtop grass seed is still our major management operation. 
In ig/5, six factors coincided to limit the acreage harvested for grass seed* 
!) a low market price for redtop seed, (2) a poor yield because of drought in 
June, (3) high winds and heavy rain at the onset of the harvest so that much of 
the seed shattered, (4) high humidity during harvest, (5) previously set cash 
bids that were too high in some cases, and (6) the obligation to pay taxes on 
the acreage harvested. Thus, a large acreage of redtop was left unmowed and 
subject to lodging, a condition generally unsuitable for nesting prairie chickens. 
Lack of mowing also promotes the development and spread of undesirable rank 
stands of weeds and the invasion of woody plants. On sanctuaries owned by The 
Nature Conservancy we were free to give tenants a larger share (in some cases all) 
of the crop, to obtain better management for prairie chickens. 
5* Treatment with limestone and other expenses requires approval of field 
requisitions, and competitive bids are required for expenditures over $200. This 
procedure is cumbersome, time consuming, and inefficient. By the time approval 
is gained and successful bidders determined, it is often too late to make the 
expenditure. Purchases also require invoice vouchers (seven copies) and receivinq 
reports (three copies). 3 
Thus, in the management of the sanctuaries, the disadvantages of state 
ownership and cash-bid management far outweigh the advantages. We have recommended 
that The Nature Conservancy propose that the state lease its sanctuaries to The 
Nature Conservancy. The problems attending the management of sanctuaries owned or 
eased by The Nature Conservancy are fewer and appear simpler to solve than those 
presented by state ownership and cash-bid management. 
