ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how land managers can help conserve grassland birds nesting in the northeastern United States. Land planners and managers can have a major impact on the conservation of grassland birds in agricultural areas. Habitat fragmentation is another potential threat to grassland birds in agricultural areas. Hay-cropping and grazing are probably the 2 most significant disturbances occurring in the artificial grasslands of agricultural areas. Retired farmers, "week-end" or "hobby" farmers, and other private owners of hayfields also have the potential to improve conditions for grassland birds in agricultural areas. Educating landowners concerning the value of grasslands to wildlife could also provide significant benefits. Fields that produce the maximum amount of "interior" space for grassland species will be the most beneficial. For most species of grassland birds, a single large field will support significantly higher numbers of nesting pairs than several smaller fields of equal area overall.
