Use conservative mowing practices where possible. Manage multiple contiguous fields for conservation. Four adjacent fields are better than four isolated fields. This continuous landscape is necessary for some of the region's rarer grassland birds, such as the grasshopper sparrow and upland sandpiper , which require large grasslands. Photo by Peter D. Vickery Grazing can benefit grassland wildlife by creating a mosaic of grass heights and structure.
Many birds respond favorably to limited grazing, including killdeers and meadowlarks.
However, intensive grazing leads to a loss of plant diversity and cover for wildlife. In the Northeast, the majority of grazed pastures are small and intensively grazed during the summer months, making them unsuitable for most nesting birds. This can be achieved by rotating grazing animals through several fields during the growing season. Keeping some areas ungrazed during the nesting season usually improves nest success. Avoid overgrazing fields.