440 Department of Conservation of Louisiana 



after year if given proper protection and environment, 

 migratory birds would return to the protected area. 



This little experiment in conservation by me was the 

 first demonstration of the wild life sanctuary idea for 

 migratory birds in the world, and was the object lesson on 

 which the wild life refuge plan has been built. 



During Mr. Ward's visit with me, we together visited 

 a 54,000-acre block of land on the south side of Vermilion 

 Bay, which I had under lease from the Orange Land Com- 

 pany for the purpose of protecting the ducks and geese dur- 

 ing their winter sojourn in Louisiana. On this property I 

 had maintained a warden service during the winter, and it 

 had become a famous winter resort for great numbers of 

 wild fowl. Mr. Ward was very anxious to buy this prop- 

 erty, and before the year was out he and I bought it jointly. 

 As soon as we had title to this property, I used my best 

 efforts to close it to all shooting, with the exception of a 

 couple of thousand acres, which I proposed we should keep 

 for our personal shooting grounds. Mr. Ward would not 

 agree to this, but I finally got him to agree to set aside 

 13,000 acres of the best of the property for a wild life sanc- 

 tuary. The locating of the 13,000 acres he left entirely to 

 me, and I selected that portion having in its area the great- 

 est amount of duck-feed growing ponds, and the great 

 goose-graveling beach at Hell Hole. 



As soon as the location of the 13,000 acres had been 

 determined and a survey made, I at once took up with the 

 Board of Commissioners for the Protection of Birds, Game, 

 and Fish, (the Department of Conservation not then hav- 

 ing been created), the question of acceptance of the pro- 

 posed wild life refuge, and on the 25th of July, 1911, the 

 Board of Commissioners for the Protection of Birds. Gamo, 

 and Fish, adopted a lengthv resolution appointing "Frank 

 M. Miller, President of said board to accept the contem- 

 plated deed of gift." 



On November 4, 1911, a little more than a year after 

 we purchased the Vermilion Bay propertv. Mr. Ward and 

 I donated to the State of Louisiana the 13.000 acres now 

 known as the Louisiana State Wild Life Sanctuary— the 

 proportion of the eift being three-fourths by Ward and 

 one-fourth by Mcllhenny. This was the first wild life 

 refuge in the world, privately donated, for the public good. 



