MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W- 66 -R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey,, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
February, I 976 
Vo 1. 19, No. 2 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat r. e> Warner 
Roadside widths in the Ford County Management Unit (FCMU) were measured in 
I 908 , prior to the initiation of seeding operations on the roadsides. In 1973 
and subsequently during January I 976 , widths of the roadsides on the 68 plots 
that were randomly selected for nest studies were measured. 
Comparative results of the width measurements for I 968 , 1973, and 1976 
are listed in Table 1 . Among the 3 years, there is no significant change in 
roadside acreage per mile (P>0.05). A slight increase ( 8.9 percent) in road¬ 
side width, noted from I 968 to 1973 ^ may have occurred in response to the 
managed roadside program. This explanation is supported by the fact that most 
roadsides that increased in width have been controlled by farm operators in 
strong agreement with the seeded roadside program. The slight decline in 
roadside width ( 2.8 percent) that occurred from I 973 to 1976 would be expected 
on the basis of current intensive farming practices in east-central Illinois. 
In fact, over the past 3 years roadsides throughout east-central Illinois may 
have declined at a rate greater than 2.8 percent. Thus, future studies will 
Include a comparison of changes in roadside widths on seeded and unseeded road¬ 
sides on representative areas in east-central Illinois. 
Table 1 . Average area of 68 
randomly selected 
roadside plots on 
the FCMU. 
Year 
1968 
1973 
1976 
Average width (feet) 
16.9 
18.8^- 
17.9 
Total acres 
39.5 
43.0 
41.8 
Percent change 
— 
<+)8.9 
(-> 2.8 
Acres per mi le 
2 . 1 
2.2 
2.2 
a 
~ Roadside characteristics were surveyed for counties in east-central 
Illinois by John C. Cole in 1972. It was determined that the width of cover 
# along similar types of roads in Ford County (all townships) averaged 20.8 feet. 
NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY 
5 1976 
