172 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



DESTRUCTION OF PREDATORY ANIMALS. 



The work of destruction of predatory animals is now in the hands 

 of the Bureau of Biological Survey, the agricultural appropriation 

 act for 1916 having made special provision for its conduct by that 

 bureau. The employment by the Forest Service of special hunters 

 and the detail 01 Forest officers for this work has thus entirely 

 ceased. The Bureau of Biological Survey furnished, however, some 

 Forest officers with traps, ammunition, and poison for the destruc- 

 tion of predatory animals in connection with their other duties. 

 Good results already have been obtained by the Bureau of Biological 

 Survey, and still better results may confidently be expected as rep- 

 resentatives of that bureau become better acquainted with the con- 

 ditions. 



CLEARING RANGE OP RODENTS. 



In the work of destroying prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and other 

 range-destroying rodents the Bureau of Biological Survey treated 

 some 751,000 acres, with excellent results. It is estimated that 

 there still remain 3,000,000 acres infested with prairie dogs, ground 

 squirrels, and gophers within the National Forests, which, if the 

 appropriations are continued, should be completely cleaned up within 

 a few years. 



GAME PRESERVATION. 



One of the very important resources within the National Forests 

 is the wild life. The National Forests constitute the natural home of a 

 very large part of the game and fish of the western mountains; and 

 with the building up of the National Forests in the East, these public 

 properties will play the same important role in game protection as 

 in the West. The National Forests at present carry only an insig- 

 nificant fraction of the game which could be supported upon them. 

 In fact, in many sections the game has been exterminated almost 

 entirely. This deplorable situation is due to the fact that the game 

 is not administered and developed as other resources in the Forests, 

 and this failure is due to the dual jurisdiction over the game which is 

 now attempted. 



At the present time the States assume the jurisdiction over the 

 game and the responsibility of its protection, on the National Forests 

 as well as elsewhere. The Forest Service cooperates with the States 

 in carrying out the State laws for protection. The Forest rangers 

 are, wherever the State so desires, appointed as State game wardens 

 and do everything in their power to see that the game laws are observed 

 on the Forests. This cooperative assistance of the Forest Service 

 has been a very great help in carrying out protective laws; but mere 

 observance of game laws does not meet the situation, any more than 

 protection from fire would meet the problem of the constructive 

 development and use of the timber resources of the Forests. Game 

 administration means much more, for it looks to building up and 

 maintaining a supply of wild life and providing for the utilization of 

 its increase. 



The continuance of wild life is very largely dependent on the man- 

 ner in which the National Forests are administered. This is particu- 

 larly the case where grazing animals such as deer and elk are con- 



