NaiuAl HiSIORr SURVEY 
SEP y 1980 
ILL' 
3 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE‘research LETTER 
Illinois Federal Aid Projects W-66-R, W-S7-R, and W-3C-R 
Department of Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
Glen C. Sanderson and Eva Steger, Editors 
Urbana, Illinois 
August, 1S30 
Vol. 23, No. 8 
Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat - W-66-R R* E. V/arner 
The success of the Department of Conservation's (DOC) seeded roadside 
program depends in part on maximizing long-term cooperation (delayed mowing) by 
participating farmers. Therefore it is important to determine whether farm 
operators who voluntarily participate in the Roadsides for l/I Id 1 i fe program are 
more likely to adhere to the 1 August delayed mowing schedule than individuals 
whose participation has been solicited by the DOC. Solicited cooperators 
generally controlled roadsides that were graded for roadbed and drainage 
improvements prior to contacts by the DOC (MWRL 22(8)tl). 
Delayed mowing on selected seeded roadsides was monitored for the second 
year in I960, and mowing by volunteer and solicited participants was compared. 
Table l depicts the extent of delayed mowing to 15 and 31 July 1979 and 1S30 on 
monitored seeded roadsides. 
These data—although insufficient for definitive conclusions—suggest that 
cooperation in delayed mowing over a period of years may not be different among 
solicited and volunteer participants (Table 1). 
Table 1. Percentage of seeded roadsides controlled by volunteer and solicited 
participants unmowed through 15 and 31 July 1979 and 1980. 
Type 
Cooperator 
Location of 
Percent 
1979 
Unmowed 
1980 
Seedings 
Mi les 
7-15 
7-31 
7-15 
TIT 
Volunteer 
Scattered^- 
1*»6.0 
76 
60 
81 
61 
Solicited 
Scattered— 
82.7 
79 
68 
79 
61 
Solicited 
Block— 
72.5 
76 
61 
79 
56 
^Located 
in 21 townships 
in Ford and 
Champaign 
counties. 
^Located in 12 townships in Ford County. 
—The 20-square-mile Ford County Management Unit. 
