APPRAISAL OF EXISTING CONDITIONS
(5 points each) |
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________
|
1. Distance from center of field to the nearest protected
odd area or ungrazed old field: |
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A. Over 500 feet
B. 250 – 499 feet
C. Less than 249 feet |
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|
________
|
2. Percent of field covered by winter or escape cover
(include brushy draws, brushpiles, fallen logs, etc.): |
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A. 0 to less than 1%
B. 1% to 10%
C. Field is less than 10 acres in size |
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|
________
|
3. Percent canopy coverage of shrubs and herbaceous
vegetation 6 to 18 inches tall.
(Refer to 50 X 50 foot enclosure): |
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A. Less than 25% coverage
B. 26 to 75% coverage
C. More than 76% coverage |
| |
|
| ________ |
4. Grazing pressure (Refer to 50 X 50 foot enclosure): |
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A. Heavy
B. Moderate
C. Light |
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|
________
|
5. Percent of ground covered or shaded by both native
and introduced legumes.
(Refer to 50 X 50 foot enclosure): |
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|
A. 5% or less of the ground covered by legumes
B. 6 to50% of the ground covered by legumes
C. 51% or more of the ground covered by legumes |
| |
|
| ________ |
6. Plant composition (Refer to 50 X 50 foot enclosure): |
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A. Fescue (>90% fescue)
B. Mixed cool-season grasses (<10% legumes)
C. Cool-season grass dominant (10 to 25% legume or other grasses)
D. Cool-season Grass / legume (26 to 60% legume)
E. Legume dominant (>75% legume)
F. Warm-season grass dominant (<40% other species) |
| |
|
| ________ |
7. Distance from center of field to edge of nearest
cropfield: |
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A. Over 500 feet to cropfield
B. 250 to 499 feet to chiseled or disked cropfield
C. Less than 249 feet to chiseled or disked cropfield
D. 250 to 500 feet to cropfield with no fall tillage or with crop
of winter wheat.
E. Less than 249 feet to cropfield with no fall tillage or with crop
of winter wheat |
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|
________
|
8. Field size - the % of field within 250 feet of dense
woody cover or ungrazed woodland. |
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A. Less than 25%
B. 26 to 50%
C. 51 to 75%
D. 76 to 100% |
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| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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QUALITY OF HABITAT
(10 point each – 2 questions) |
1. Rate the quality of habitat provided by this field,
not just the 50’ X 50’ square, for quail and
rabbits. Place an X next to the best choice. (10 point question) |
| |
_____ good to excellent
_____ fair to poor |
| The following guidelines should be used to determine
the quality of habitat: |
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Good to Excellent (at least 4 elements needed in the
field for a good rating) |
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|
- Field size 10 acres or less
- Seven or more important food plants (occurring in 50% or more
of the field)
- Protected escape or hard cover within or immediately adjacent
to field
- Suitable nesting cover present (25% bare ground, 25% litter
+ 25-50% vertical structure 6” - 18”)
- Canopy coverage of shrubs and herbaceous plants equal to 26
– 75%
|
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Fair to Poor |
| |
|
- Field size greater than 10 acres
- Fewer than seven important food plants present (occurring in
less than 50% of the field)
- Escape or hard cover not present or is present but not protected
- Suitable nesting cover not present
- Canopy coverage of shrubs and herbaceous vegetation is <
25% or > 75%
|
| 2. If you rated this field fair to poor, identify the
factors limiting its carrying capacity for quail or rabbits by circling
the letter of each factor that applies in the left hand column below.
Then, circle the number of each management practice in the right hand
column that can be applied to improve those factors. (10 point question:
each factor worth whole point) |
| |
|
| Limited Habitat Factors |
Management Practices |
| A. ground cover thick and/or continuous |
1. Establish protected shrub plantings |
| B. vegetation uniformly short |
2. Lightly disk strips on the contour |
| C. too many broadleaf weeds |
3. Plant grain food plots |
| D. distance to protected escape cover |
4. Create protected field borders |
| E. insufficient plant diversity (< 7 plants) |
5. Overseed with wildlife friendly legumes |
|
| |
|
|
| This completes the evaluation portion -- be sure
each question is answered. Now, complete the following questions by
placing an “X” or the proper letter in the blank preceding
each question. |
| |
|
|
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
(2 points each) |
__________
|
1. The maximum density or the upper limit of survival
possible of a species that a
particular range or area is capable of supporting during a definite
period of the year is referred to as: |
| |
|
A. Diversity
B. Habitat
C. Carrying Capacity |
| |
|
__________
|
2. The place where the animal lives; where all its requirements
for life are fulfilled is referred to as its: |
| |
|
A. Diversity
B. Habitat
C. Carrying Capacity |
| |
|
| __________ |
3. Which plant types are the dominant species in a grassland? |
| |
|
A. All plant species
B. Grasses, shrubs and legumes
C. Forbs and grasses
D. woody plants, grasses, forbs, and legumes |
| |
|
| __________ |
4. Herbaceous, broadleaf plants with seeds in a single
row within the seed pod. |
| |
|
A. Grass
B. Legume
C. Forb
D. Sedge
E. Annual |
| |
|
__________
|
5. A low growing, woody plant with several permanent
stems arising from a common base. |
| |
|
A. Shrub
B. Grass
C. Forb
D. Herb |
| |
|
__________
|
6. A plant that is capable of removing nitrogen from
the air and adding it to the soil by way of its root system is called
a: |
| |
|
A. Rush
B. Grass
C. Legume
D. Sedge |
| |
|
| __________ |
7. Usually the most productive grazing practice for
both livestock and wildlife is: |
| |
|
A. Heavy
B. Light
C. Rotation
D. Moderate |
| |
|
| __________ |
8. Cool-season grasses grow best during this time of
year: |
| |
|
A. Summer/fall
B. Spring/fall
C. Spring/summer
D. Summer |
| |
|
| __________ |
9. Wildlife prefer grasses which: |
| |
|
A. Grow in very dense stands close to the ground
B. Grow in less dense stands with upright leaves
C. Have berries |
| |
|
| __________ |
10. Warm-season grasses should not be grazed closer
to the ground than: |
| |
|
A. 8 inches
B. 2 inches
C. 20 inches |
| |
|
__________
|
11. In a pasture rotation system, warm-season grasses
are used to supplement coolseason grasses during the: |
| |
|
A. Winter
B. Spring
C. Summer
D. Fall |
| |
|
__________
|
12. The peak quality of warm-season grasses is just
after the peak of wildlife hatching in: |
| |
|
A. July
B. September
C. May
D. April
E. November |
| |
|
| __________ |
13. Burning a warm-season grass pasture or hayfield
should be: |
| |
|
A. Stopped
B. Done at specific times to benefit wildlife and to increase forage
production.
C. Done in August every year.
D. Done in October every three years. |
| |
|
| __________ |
14. Cutting hay on native prairies during September
will: |
| |
|
A. Weaken the prairie plants.
B. Improve wildlife habitat.
C. Increase hay production next year.
D. Reduce the need for fertilizer.
E. None of the above. |
| |
|
__________
|
15. Burning a native prairie periodically under proper
conditions benefits wildlife by: |
| |
|
A. Making nests harder for predators to find.
B. Improving conditions for animal mobility.
C. Exposing bare areas for dusting.
D. Removing excess plant growth.
E. All the above. |
| |
|
| __________ |
16. Heavy grazing or excessive haying could cause undesirable
plants to: |
| |
|
A. Increase
B. Decrease
C. Completely die out. |
| |
|
__________
|
17. Cool-season grasses do not use soil nutrients as
efficiently as native warm-season grasses and require somewhat high
fertility and soil pH. |
| |
|
A. True.
B. False. |
| |
|
| __________ |
18. Proper management of a grassland may include: |
| |
|
A. Grazing
B. Haying
C. Fertilizing
D. Over-seeding
E. Prescribed fire
F. All of these. |
| |
|
| __________ |
19. This plant is not a legume: |
| |
|
A. Vetch
B. Soybean
C. Black medic
D. Foxtail |
| |
|
| __________ |
20. Missouri has this many acres that are considered
to be grasslands. |
| |
|
A. 5 million
B. 25 thousand
C. 13 million |