Roadsides...

S

sacup

New member
Good read in latest issue of Pheasants Forever on the importance of roadside ditch habitat. I think I read in a previous issue that MN (as well as some other states) might have some sort of conservation program in it's infancy to promote trying to get landowners to delay mowing till after August 1st -anyone have any more info about this or if it's growing/working?

The article says we should contact state reps to continue this practice. Has anyone done this? Who'd be best to contact? I'd think with the decline in CRP this form of conservation might become even more crucial.
 
Road ditches add up to a lot of acres across the country and provide excellent interspersion of perennial habitat in areas dominated by cropland or woodlands. This can support a significant % of the nesting in some areas. It is vital that we avoid using exotic/introduced species when planting roadsides. Further, like you said sacup, delaying manipulation until July 1 in the southern part of the pheasant range and August 1 in the northern limits will allow more than 85 % of the nests to come off.
 
Yes, MN does have some program going on whereby I think the county will provide "Do Not Spray" signs for your road ditches, indicating that the county maintenance crew should not mow or spray for weeds in those ditches I guess. I don't know enough about it nor how they decide if the county or the farmer should be mowing or haying the farmer's ditches. I totally agree that MN needs to leave cover in the ditches until the birds have left the nest, that seems to be one key missing ingredient when I compare MN to SD.
 
Washington has that "Do Not Spray" program. Out here in the Northwest it is vital we just do not have good nesting area's due to the farming practices. The grain fields are just not good for much but grain.---Bob
 
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Here's my take on roadsides.....

I have seen ditches in MN, IA and SD. IA has some of most beautiful road ditches I have seen. Some are to deep and narrow to mow so I suppose that is why they are heavy in cover. Not sure on IA ditch mow policy.

MN ditches resembles to faiway at Augusta (not even the rough). County mandated law will be needed to change the landscale for the masses.

SD farms dirty and they do have a July 1 "recommendation" of delay but I have seen a lot of mowing before that in the dry years.

You also have to consider weed management. A post July 1 cut is not effective on noxious weed control. Too late and weeds could have gone to seed already.

In the end it comes down to values and value. If you own land and you have cows to feed and bills to pay and you own the road ditch and can mow it, then by gosh, guess what is going to happen.

2 courses of action are to sell landowners on benefits of delayed mowing "in their world of values" and/or team up and get state and local laws and legislation going to better manage road ditches for conservation purposes.
 
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