30 DP Hoe -A.U D508, OaNG (BUT Te ee 
Bartlett Woods, 6 miles northwest of Mendota, is being presented 
to The Nature Conservancy by Mr. Watson Bartlett of Mendota. This tract 
of timber has been in the Bartlett family since it was acquired in 1854 and 
1859, and has been largely undisturbed since then. Some of the larger 
trees are hard maple, red and bur oak, basswood, white, black and blue 
ash, and bitternut hickory. Mr. Bartlett, an amateur botanist, has found 
a number of rare herbaceous plants, as well as the usual forest floor plants 
of an oak-hickory forest. Mr. Bartlett’s gift includes 22 acres of a somewhat 
larger forested tract. The Nature Conservancy hopes to acquire the rest 
The Quincey Foundation, of which Mr. George M. Irwin is Chairman 
of the Board, has offered to the Illinois Chapter 78 acres of interesting 
woodland, 8 miles east of Quincy. The special feature of this area is 
Burton Cave, a hibernacula for bats. A stream with rocky outcrops tra- 
verses the forest, and prairie remnants are present on the upper tableland. 
The area is being studied by scientists of the Illinois Natural History 
Survey and of Western Illinois University, Macomb. Negotiations are in 
progress for two more priceless areas, but is is too early to report on them. 
Another project of the Illinois Chapter of Nature Conservancy is the 
acquisition of land for the breeding of the Prairie Chicken, which is in 
danger of becoming extinct in Illinois. These birds require grassland for 
their nesting and brood-rearing. As more and more farmland has been 
taken over for cultivation of crops, the Prairie Grouse have lost more and 
more of their habitat and are decreasing in numbers at a deplorable rate. 
A Project Committee of Nature Conservancy began early in 1965 to raise 
money for the acquisition of land which can be seeded to red top grass, the 
preferred cover for these birds. To date, 270 acres have been bought. This 
committee is cooperating with the Prairie Chicken Foundation, which has 
acquired 240 acres. Most of these pieces of land are in Jasper County, 
where the greatest concentration of Prairie Chickens is found. 
The Nature Conservancy is a national, member-supported organiza- 
tion whose main purpose is the acquisition and protection of pieces of land 
which have been undisturbed by man. It has over 9,000 members and has 
saved 60,000 acres of land in 32 states. It operates through state chapters 
and project committees. The Illinois Chapter now has about 1,200 members. 
This number is shamefully small in our rich state, with a population of 
about 10,000,000. To be effective in saving some of our choicest wild spots, 
the Illinois Chapter must reach more people who are interested in its 
important work. For further information, write to the Secretary: 
Dr. Margery C. Carlson, 2308 Hartzell Street, Evanston, Illinois 60201 
Your Nesting Records Are Due Now 
Contributors to the “North American Nest-Record Card Program” are 
reminded to complete and return their cards to the Cornell Laboratory 
of Ornithology. Last year over 25,000 cards were returned from all 
over the United States, and it is hoped that the 1966 total will exceed 
that figure. Papers based upon data learned from the cards were 
presented at the meeting of The Wilson Society at Pennsylvania 
State University. It is hoped that use of the card program by field 
workers will increase. Reports should be sent to the North American 
Nest-Record Card Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 33 
Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, N.Y. 14850. These records are in 
addition to the “Illinois Breeding Bird Census” conducted by The 
Illinois State Museum in Springfield. 
