USES OF NATURAL AREAS 



49 



sion. It is only such a staff that can 

 be expected to present, in the best popu- 

 lar form, the natural history resources 

 of the parks. These popular accounts 

 must be presented from many angles of 

 approach, if a large pubUc is reached 

 to advantage. It is a common error 

 to assume that there is only one popular 

 form of approach; a multiple approach 

 should be carefully cultivated by dif- 

 ferent types of students and authors. 



There are certain problems of ad- 

 ministration that must first be solved 

 as scientific problems, and then executed 

 under technical supervision, such as 

 care of fish, game, birds, mosquito 

 control and the management of the 

 forests. These are examples of the 

 problems, which, with increasing use, 

 the natural resources will require. This 

 is a kind of supervision which the 

 average executive can not be expected 

 to know, and yet these are just the 

 points that a special staff will know 

 about, and their advice and help are 

 thus necessary. 



In concluding these remarks on the 

 need of endoT\anents it is important 

 to emphasize that wild life is a more 

 or less elusive subject for the public 

 and the administrator to understand, 

 and cannot be understood merely by 

 inspection — it must be known inti- 

 mately, and therefore great damage 

 can be done before it is reahzed. 



The real difficulty is that wild life 

 suffers just as the human animal does 

 in our democratic system of environ- 

 ment. As Walter Lippmann has re- 

 cently said: "For the troubles of the 

 press, like the troubles of representative 

 government, be it territorial or func- 

 tional, ... go back to a com- 

 mon source: to the failure of self- 

 governing people to transcend their 

 casual experience and their prejudice, 

 by inventing, creating, and organizing 

 a machinery of knowledge. 



SUMMARY 



In concluding this discussion, I wish 



to summarize my main points as follows: 



1. We will derive benefit from wild 



life in our parks in a direct relation to 

 what we devote to them. We need to 

 recaU that they are living organisms 

 and respond readily to fair treatment. 



2. In general, wild life can only pros- 

 per with the parks as a whole. 



3. Wild life is a very valuable re- 

 source in any wild park and is generally 

 so recognized by the public. 



4. The National Parks should remain 

 a virgin wilderness for educational and 

 scientific purposes. 



5. State parks should retain wilder- 

 ness areas, as well as contain commer- 

 cial forests, depending somewhat on 

 local conditions. 



6. In relating the wild life to the 

 public a varietj' of experimental popu- 

 lar publications is advocated. Techni- 

 cal reports are needed for Park officials. 

 We need a distinctive park literature. 



7. Field excursions conducted by 

 trained guides are advocated, to de- 

 velop trails and a trail literature. 



8. A museum-library, devoted ex- 

 clusively to the particular park, should 

 be equipped for exhibits, lectures, dem- 

 onstrations, lantern slides and moving 

 pictures, to arouse interest primarily 

 in the local park. This should be the 

 headquarters for the guide service. 



9. A local zoological garden of the 

 park animals only should stimulate 

 interest in those in the park. 



10. The maintenance of a virgin 

 wilderness park is very difficult, but 

 not a hopeless problem, if proper public 

 sentiment is developed in its behalf. 



11. The education and training of 

 park officials of all kinds is urgently 

 emphasized. As a means to this end 

 park pohcies should be formulated and 

 published with a full explanation of 

 park ideals. 



12. The far-reaching importance of 

 preserving original habitat conditions 

 for plants and animals from an educa- 

 tional aesthetic and scientific standpoint 

 is strongly emphasized. The value of 

 State Parks in this plan is very impor- 

 tant. 



13. To develop public appreciation 

 and utilization of parks, largo endow- 



