OutdoorNebraska

46 TABLE B2. PHEASANT HABITAT MANAGEMENT – MEDICINE CREEK WMA WMA Grassland Early Seral Stage Grassland Mid Seral Stage Grassland Late Seral Stage Food Plots/ Crop Early Succession Rota on Woodland Wetland Misc. Medicine Creek WMA- 8,044 acres Future Desired Condi on 1526 ac. (35%) 1744 ac. (40%) 1010 ac. (25%) 850 ac. 890 ac. 1,865 ac. o.o Current Condi on 160 ac. (4%) 3400 ac. (78%) 800 ac. (18%) 850 ac. 890 ac. 1,865 ac. 0.0 DEFINITIONS Early Seral Stage: the disturbance year and 1 -3 years following disturbance i.e. burning, grazing, spraying, disking, lling. Cover is also provided by second year idle crop ground, forb/legume interseeding. Land is dominated by early successional forbs/legumes.w Mid Seral Stage: 4 - 6 years following disturbance. Not dominated by one vegeta on type. Reduced early successional forbs/legumes in the stands. Late Seral Stage: > 6 years following disturbance. Dominated by grass or later successional plants. Few forbs/legumes in the stand. FUTURE DESIRED CONDITION Increase the amount of grassland func oning primarily as brood rearing cover from 4% to 35% (increase of 1,336 ac.). Brood rearing cover is defined as early seral stage vegeta on, especially forbs/legumes, cropland, idle cropland. Decrease the amount of grassland func oning primarily as nes ng cover from 78% to 40% (decrease of 1,656 ac.). Nes ng cover defined as mid seral stage grass and forb/legumes, as well as alfalfa and winter wheat. Increase the amount of cover primarily func oning as winter cover from 18% to 25% (increase of 290 ac.) over the en re area. Winter cover is provided by late seral stage vegeta on such as warm season grasses, tree claims and wetlands. Maintain winter food sources at current levels (890 ac.). Food sources include small grain food plots and agricultural row crops. ANNUAL WORK PLAN Spraying of cool season exo c grasses will be maintained at 150 acres annually. A prohibi on on prescribed burning on this area has resulted in a set-back in controlling smooth brome grass on the area. With the expected re-occurrence of burning and the maintenance spraying, control of invasive plant species should be realized. Prescribed burning will be implemented on a 5-year rota on to treat 4,360 acres. Ideally it will be coupled with grazing in a patch-burn system. Grazing will be maintained at approximately 880 acres annually (5-year rota on). Ideally it will be coupled with prescribed burning in a patch-burn system. Food plots will be maintained at 850 acres annually. Most of these acres (710 acres) are sharecropped in a "milo-winter wheat-fallow-early succession rota on" and 40 acres are maintained in alfalfa. Another 100 acres will be maintained by

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