Vo 1. 20, No. 7 
Page 3 
At least on our study areas, only about half the available adult females 
conceived during the winter-spring and summer-fall breeding periods. The 
average rate of breeding was 56.4 percent (123/227)^ with a winter-spring rate 
of 65-5 percent (73/1I 9 ) and a summer-fall rate of 46-3 percent (50/103). This 
difference in breeding rates between breeding periods is not significant (£>0.05)* 
Both study areas are only lightly hunted each fall and the resident 
squirrels are mostly adults. Squirrels on public hunting areas in Illinois, 
which experience much higher annual mortality rates than squirrels on our study 
areas, probably also have higher breeding rates. A comparison of age ratios 
derived from our livetrapping data with age ratios of squirrels shot on various 
public hunting areas suggests that breeding rates or juvenile survival rates, 
or both, are indeed higher on the public areas. 
Editors' Note; Mr. Lonnie P. Hansen, a native of Galesburg, joined this project 
as Assistant Project Leader 1 July 1977* Hansen received the B.S. degree in 
Zoology at Western Illinois University in June 1971 and the M.S. degree in 
Zoology from the same institution in August 1973* He has served as research 
assistant on both the Pheasant Project (summers of 1370 and 1970 and the 
Squirrel Project (summers of 1974 and 1973). He expects to receive his Ph.D 
degree from the University of Illinois within the next few months. 
Responses of Prairie Chickens to Habitat M anipulation R. L* Westemeier, 
' D. R- Vance 
Small grains play an important role in the habitat requirements of many 
species of wildlife in Illinois. In our program of sanctuary management for 
prairie chickens, wheat or oats follow soybeans as a means of reseeding nest 
cover and provide booming grounds, brood cover, and n i ght-roost i ng cover. 
Generally, not over 10 percent of an individual sanctuary is seeded to small. 
grains. Sharecropping agreements with local farmers are designed to accomplish 
all tillage, seeding, and harvesting operations, thus keeping biologists "off 
the tractors." Cash-bid leases are implemented on state-owned sanctuaries. 
On sanctuaries owned or leased by The Nature Conservancy (•NC), one-third 
of fertilizer costs and of crop income is accepted by TNC. Revenues generated 
by limited cropping also help offset management costs and land taxes. 
In 1977, the combined effects of low yields, low market prices, and 
increasing taxes on farmland illustrate the dilemma confronting farmers and 
landlords alike. Low prices for wheat were the biggest problem, according to 
local farmers. However, yields of small grains were low because of drought 
conditions during the growing season. Heavy rains during harvest time presented 
additional problems. Dockages were severe at grain elevators for such defects 
as low test weights, damaged kernals, and sprouted wheat. As a result, TNC 
received $ 1 , 778-50 as one-third of the income from 90 acres of wheat on 
sanetuaries--an average of $19*73 per acre. After deductions for one-third 
of the fertilizer costs (mean of $11.18 per acre) and of land taxes (mean of 
$8.05 pet acre in Jasper County), the landlord's (TNC) net income averaged 
$0.53 P e t acre. 
