NATURAL ISiSTuiiV 3uultY 
APR 12 
MONTHLY WILDLIFE RESEARCH LETTER 
Department of 
Glen 
Conservation and Natural History Survey, Cooperating 
C. Sanderson and Helen C. Schultz, Editors 
LiBsrv 
Urbana, Illinois 
March, 1972 
Vol. 15, No. 3 
1. Pheasant Populations and Land Use 
This project was terminated, because of the lack of a project leader, 
as of September 1971, although residual reports have continued to appear 
in the Research Letter . From now on, reports will appear only when pertinent 
data are available. 
2. Manipulation of Pheasant Habitat G. B. Joselyn 
Establishment of the Ford County Management Unit (FCMU) as a pilot 
roadside management program has several distinct and well-defined goals. 
One goal is to evaluate various aspects of the maintenance of seeded 
roadsides where farmers are responsible for such upkeep. 
The primary role of the Department of Conservation in this regard 
has been the placement and maintenance of signs at the 16 entrances to 
the FCMU to inform motorists why roadsides remain unmowed throughout most 
of the summer. It has been determined from comments by farmers that, in 
their view, the present signs need to be enlarged and additional ones 
placed in order to serve their intended purpose. These changes are 
expected to take place during early May. 
Cooperating farmers on the FCMU have been requested to mow portions of 
roadsides, at their discretion, around lane and field entrances to provide 
a clear view of oncoming traffic. The extent to which discretionary mowing 
is being carried out and the potential safety problems associated with the 
lack of such mowing are being studied. We are also attempting to deal 
with the problem arising from farmers moving onto the area who were not 
involved in the original agreement to allow seedings and to delay mowing. 
It is expected that, as the seedings mature, other questions will 
arise that could have a direct bearing on the approach to similar operations 
in other areas. 
3. Ecology and Management of Squirrels C. M. Nixon, 
R. E. Greenberg 
In central Illinois, most leaf nests built during the late-summer or 
fall months disintegrate during the winter. Squirrels are then forced to 
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