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where from 20 to 30 per cent of the total agricultural land is grass type 
cover that is not disturbed until July 1 or later. Presumably, similar grass 
acreages and farming practices would create fair to good Prairie Chicken 
range anywhere they might be applied on the Illinois prairie. . . Although 
solid blocks or closely-grouped tracts are probably most satisfactory from 
the standpoint of administration,... good Prairie Chicken manavement does 
not require that refuge areas be contiguous, provided proper distribution 
of smaller refuge areas can be obtained. For example, certain sand prairie 
townships in northern Illinois might be converted into good chicken range 
by leasing and converting to (grassland) refuges, for a term of years, 25 
per cent of the total farm land in the form of 20-acre, 40-acre or larger 
tracts of the poorer farm soil throughout each township.” 
Experience gained during the past 25 years leads us to believe that the 
above advice was sound, although some amendments are needed. It would 
undoubtedy be more economical and more permanent to buy, rather than 
lease, refuge lands. Moreover, gray soil prairie and sand prairie areas where 
chickens are still present, or where they would be likely to spread soon from 
existing colonies, should be sought, and these are not necessarily the areas 
of lowest fertility. Effort should be made to locate management areas where 
farming practices are likely to furnish part of the required nesting cover. 
Wisconsin has adopted a plan of setting aside an average of one 40-acre 
refuge per square mile to supplement dwindling nest-brood cover in the 
well-known Buena Vista marsh of about 46,000 acres in Portage County. 
Public-spirited citizens and organizations there already have purchased 
some of these tracts, and the Wisconsin Conservation Commission has stated 
that it is ready to lease and manage lands which are privately purchased 
for Prairie Chickens (A Guide to Prairie Chicken Management, by Hamer- 
strom, Mattson, and Hamerstrom, 1957). 
Solving the many problems of locating, financing, purchasing, and man- 
aging suitable refuge lands will require much hard work by the Prairie 
Chicken Foundation and associated agencies. It seems probable that most 
of the 3 or 4 management areas now contemplated by the Foundation should 
finally embrace 20 or 25 square miles each, including the active farms in- 
terspersed among the refuges. Nevertheless, the refuges at first could be 
confined to farming areas as small as 4 square miles. Other tracts could be 
added as results were appraised and as funds became available. Such a 
scatter pattern of nesting cover appears to produce higher chicken popula- 
tions than continuous prairie. 
Illinois Natural History Survey, Urbana 
ft i fi 
Ed. Note: Members of the Society, if they so desire, may contribute to 
the Prairie Chicken Foundation to help buy or lease tracts of !and suitable 
for establishing Prairie Chicken Reserves in Illinois. Checks for this purpose 
may be made out to the Illinois Audubon Society and should include the 
following notation: "For Prairie Chicken Fund." Please send contributions 
to Mr. John Helmer, Treasurer, Illinois Audubon Society, 2805 Park Place, 
Evanston, Illinois. Donations to the Society are tax-deductible. 
