48 



NATURALIST'S GUIDE TO THE AMERICAS 



forest management is conducted, and 

 this is very desirable under certain 

 circumstances, which properly limits 

 the commercial forests and the pre- 

 serves, and provides for a corresponding 

 management. At present great caution 

 will be needed not to confuse the 

 management of these two types of for- 

 ests. A proper balance should be 

 secured and then the income from the 

 commercial forest might well be made 

 a source of revenue for the maintenance 

 of the whole park. In time the pre- 

 serves themselves may find it necessary 

 to charge a small fee for their use, and 

 a forest park with funds from the tim- 

 ber and from a fee or license for the 

 use of the preserve, might secure enough 

 revenue to do much more constructive 

 work than one depending solely upon 

 taxation and gifts. This possibility 

 is so important that it deserves more 

 attention than it has received in the 

 past. The new Allegany State Park 

 in New York was planned upon such a 

 program. 



The time has come when we must 

 begin an educational campaign for 

 large endowments for the educational 

 and scientific work in our National and 

 State Parks. Of course, much can be 

 done by cooperation with various in- 

 dividuals, the colleges, universities, 

 and scientific societies, particularly 

 with some of the State universities, 

 especially if urgent requests are made 

 to them for cooperation. They are 

 likely to respond best when sought. 

 But it is likely to take some time for 

 these institutions to become acquainted 

 with this phase of work, as most of them, 

 even today, have but a faint reaUzation 

 of outdoor biological problems, and their 

 application to parks. Fortunately there 

 are a few marked exceptions. 



The parks need these funds primarily 

 for three purposes: 



1. They need a technical scientific 

 staff to solve their own scientific prob- 

 lems as much as they need lawyers and 

 engineers. The need exists — but it is 

 only slightly realized — and in the main 

 only those who are taking a broad view 



of the situation are aware of the con- 

 ditions. 



2. They need an educational staff to 

 build up their local museum-library, 

 as nature guides, and to supplement 

 and aid in the training of rangers — 

 who should also be trained men. This 

 staff should be the mainstay for popu- 

 lar lectures, lantern and moving picture 

 lecturers who will arouse intelligent 

 appreciation of the resources of the 

 parks. 



In general, the scientific and educa- 

 tional staffs must be distinct because 

 the two kinds of work can not be done 

 at the same time and the staff can not 

 be expected to divide its attention suc- 

 cessfully. An executive does not expect 

 his lawyers or engineers to drop their 

 work at any moment and give a popu- 

 lar talk or to conduct other extraneous 

 work, and the same applies to the scien- 

 tific staff. 



The educational and scientific staff 

 should be large enough to include cer- 

 tain men who could devote their whole 

 time to the practical and technical 

 problems that demand immediate at- 

 tention, closely related to the adminis- 

 trative, rather than to the educational 

 aspects of park work. The only reason 

 for advocating this as a distinct group 

 is that in practice it is rarely that suffi- 

 cient funds can be obtained to secure 

 men who are versatile enough to cover 

 so large a field; it is therefore safer to 

 plan for a larger staff. 



It is generally difficult in adminis- 

 trative circles to appreciate that first- 

 class research men can only rarely be 

 secured, who are willing to have their 

 work continually interrupted by all 

 sorts of administrative breaks. These 

 men must, to get the results, be pro- 

 tected from such interruptions. 



3. The wild life of the parks requires 

 constant, all-year-round attention. A 

 great number of our parks will be- 

 come more and more patronized the 

 year 'round when the people are edu- 

 cated to it. With this increasing pat- 

 ronage there will constantly develop 

 new problems for solution and supervi- 



