4 CIRCULAR 3, FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE 



fog-bound, volcano-studded mountain tops protruding from the sea. 

 Sparsely populated, the chief wildlife interests here are the immense 

 colonies of sea birds and the remnants of a once abundant herd of sea 

 otters, now slowly increasing as a result of protection. Blue foxes, 

 transplanted to islands held under lease from the Government by the 

 Aleut communities and by a few old-time settlers, are the only land 

 mammals on many of the islands. Northward, some 200 miles away, 

 are the mist-shrouded Pribilof Islands, where a valuable herd of more 

 than 2,000,000 fur seals receives special care from the Government of 

 the United States, through the agency of the Fish and Wildlife Service. 



Alaska is a rugged, primitive land. Its main assets are its fisheries, 

 wildlife, minerals, and forests. Its human population has changed 

 but little during the past 30 years. Recently, however, the defense 

 program has caused an appreciable increase in the population. It is 

 obvious that great parts of the Territory may best be used for wildhfe 

 production for many years to come. 



THE WILDLIFE 



Natural erosion and mining operations have uncovered widespread 

 evidence of pre-ice-age mammal inhabitants of the Territory. Some 

 of the skeletal material includes remains of the moose, elk, musk ox, 

 caribou, wolf, bear, and squirrels that have living representatives in 

 today's wildlife. Extinct species include the mastodon, mammoth, 

 horse, camel, giant bison, puma, and sabre-toothed tiger. These 

 fossil remains indicate a former climate somewhat milder than that of 

 today and show also that it permitted the growth of redwood, elm, 

 grape, and other plants not now found in the Territor}". As with the 

 faunal life, there are connecting links between the growths of the 

 pre-ice-age and modern times in the willows, birches, and cottonwoods. 



The abundance, variety, and distinctive characteristics of its present 

 fauna give Alaska a high place ajnong the important wildlife regions 

 of the world. No other feature of the Territory is of so much interest 

 to the people of the United States, and it draws north a constantly 

 increasing number of hunters, naturalists, photographei's, painters, 

 tourists, and sightseei's. Both sound economics and conservation 

 sentiment dictate that a definite and prominent place be given to the 

 perpetuation of an abundant sup])ly of wildlife in the drafting of any 

 plans looking toward the future development of the Territory. The 

 great decrease in the wildlife of the Western States, as unplanned and 

 Tinrestricted settlement progressed across the country, and the 

 strenuous efforts now being made to restore some small fraction of this 

 national resource at the insistence of a growing multitude of conser- 

 vationists and outdoor recreationists, clearly indicate that advance 

 planning for Alaskan wildlife is necessary and should be kept in mind 



