MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Project W-66-R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY 
SEP 10 1976 
Glen C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
LIBRARY 
Urbana, Illinois 
August, 1976 
Vol. 19, No. 8 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat 
R. E. Warner 
Roadsides in the Ford County Management Unit (FCMU) seeded in 1968 
were considered to be mature as of the summer of 1970. Each farmer 
cooperator agreed to refrain from mowing these roadsides prior to 1 August 
in subsequent years. Since 1970, the phenology of roadside mowing has been 
monitored in the FCMU to determine the extent to which cooperators adhere 
to the delayed mowing agreement. The percentages of the 73 cooperator-miles 
of roadsides in the FCMU unmowed as of 1 August have been determined as 
follows: 63 percent in 1970 , 68 percent in 1971 , 78 percent in 1972, 80 
percent in 1973, 87 percent in 1974, and 63 percent in 1975* 
The increase in early roadside mowing in 1975 was related to the 
unusually early planting season, which resulted in a greater-than-average 
amount of time available to farmers during June and July for mowing activities. 
Another factor that may have influenced the problem of early roadside mowing 
was that cooperators in the FCMU had not been systematically contacted and 
personally encouraged to refrain from early mowing since 1970. Thus, during 
January 1976, each cooperator was contacted and encouraged to continue to 
delay mowing activities until 1 August in future years. 
This subsequent mowing season of 1976 has been ideal for observing any 
changes in roadside mowing patterns that may have resulted from the recent 
personal contact of FCMU cooperators. The planting season for 1976 was again 
untypically early, and the subsequent time available to farmers for mowing 
activities appeared nearly identical to that of 1975* As of 1 August 1976, 
64 percent of the FCMU roadsides were unmowed, similar to the 63 percent 
unmowed in 1975* Thus, there is no evidence that the recent contacts with 
farmer cooperators had a positive effect in delaying roadside mowing. 
With the assistance of biologists from the Illinois Department of 
Conservation, mature seedings on previously graded roadsides scattered 
throughout Ford County were monitored for mowing phenology, as well as the 
three townships that are scheduled for roadside seeding activity this fall 
(Table 1). As indicated in Table 1, the graded roadsides in Ford County 
that have been seeded experienced over twice the extent of early mowing (79 
percent mowed) as did the FCMU roadsides (36 percent mowed). The near-total 
extent of roadside mowing prior to 1 August as determined for the three areas 
of future seeding is considered to be representative of present mowing trends 
in east-central Illinois. 
