Grassland Evaluation Contest Study GuideFifth Edition: October 2005
Contest Score Cards

WILDLIFE HABITAT - Score Card B
STUDENT I.D. NO. _____ STUDENT NAME ______________ SCORE: _____ Points: 100
 
APPRAISAL OF EXISTING CONDITIONS
(5 points each)
__________ 1. Distance from center of field to the nearest protected odd area or ungrazed old field:
A. Over 500 feet
B. 250 - 499 feet
C. Less than 249 feet
 
__________ 2. Percent of field covered by winter or escape cover (include brushy draws, brushpiles, fallen logs, etc.):
A. 0 to less than 1%
B. 1% to 10%
C. Field is less than 10 acres in size
 
__________ 3. Percent canopy coverage of shrubs and herbaceous vegetation 6 to 18 inches tall. (Refer to 50 X 50 foot enclosure):
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)
A. Heavy
B. Moderate
C. Light
 
__________ 5. Percent of ground covered or shaded by both native and introduced legumes. (Refer to 50 X 50 foot enclosure):
A. 5% or less of the ground covered by legumes
B. 6 to 50% 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):
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:
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
 
__________ 8. Field size - the % of field within 250 feet of dense woody cover or ungrazed woodland.
A. Less than 25%
B. 26 to 50%
C. 51 to 75%
D. 76 to 100%
 
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:

Good to Excellent (at least 4 elements needed in the field for a good rating)

  • 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%
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 and "X" or the proper letter in the blank preceding each question.
 
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
(2 points each)
__________ 1. The soil temperature at which warm-season grasses grow most efficiently is between (degrees F):
A. 40 & 78 degrees
B. 55 & 90 degrees
C. 88 & 100 degrees
 
__________ 2. Remnant native prairies are located primarily in this part of Missouri:
A. Northeast & North
B. East-central & southeast
C. West-central & southwest
 
__________ 3. Several species of wildlife use grasslands for:
A. Foraging
B. Nesting
C. Dusting
D. Roosting
E. All of these
 
__________ 4. The maximum density or the upper limit of survival possible of a species that 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
D. Limit
 
__________ 5. 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
D. Home
 
__________ 6. In this group are the mid to tall grasses that are most liked by grazing animals and repeated grazing may even destroy them.
A. Decreasers
B. Increasers
C. Invaders
D. Biennial
 
__________ 7. The transition zone between habitat types is called:
A. Border
B. Zone
C. Edge
 
__________ 8. Grazing livestock can do extensive damage to woodlands, therefore, all livestock should be excluded from woodlands.
A. Statement is true
B. Statement is false
 
__________ 9. Warm-season grasses should be cut for hay during this period:
A. May to mid June
B. June 1 to 15
C. Late June to early July
D. August only
 
__________ 10. Warm-season grasses do most of their growing during the spring and fall.
A. True
B. False
 
__________ 11. The following is not a type of warm-season grass:
A. Fescue
B. Big Bluestem
C. Indian Grass
D. Switchgrass
 
__________ 12. Remnant native prairies that are considered to be in poor condition should not be fertilized, limed or have seed added.
A. Statement is true
B. Statement is false
 
__________ 13. Which plant type(s) will live for at least two (2) years?
A. Perennial only
B. Perennial & annual
C. Biennial & perennial
D. Biennial and annual
 
__________ 14. A low growing, woody plant with several permanent stems arising from a common base.
A. Shrub
B. Grass
C. Forb
D. Herb
 
__________ 15. An organism or species that is not native to the region in which it is found.
A. Exotic
B. Endemic
C. Invader
D. Endangered
 
__________ 16. In dealing with grass seed, the letters P.L.S. stand for:
A. Pounds live seed
B. Productive live seed
C. Pure live seed
 
__________ 17. This type of grazing would be best for both livestock production and wildlife habitat:
A. Over grazing
B. No grazing
C. Rotation grazing
 
__________ 18. Quail and rabbits prefer grasses that grow in clumps, rather than those that form dense sods.
A. True
B. False
 
__________ 19. Rabbits and quail use field edges where other habitat types are available rather than the centers of large fields.
A. True
B. False
 
__________ 20. Research has shown that rabbits and quail rarely move further than this distance between different habitat components.
A. One mile
B. One-half mile
C. One-eighth mile
D. Two miles
Card B Revised: July 2005


Return to Grassland Evaluation Contest Study Guide