The Audubon Societies 



65 



its course, this bill has been reported 

 favorably by the House Committee to 

 which it was referred, and it is at this time 

 waiting in the House for final action. 



During the past summer, William C. 

 Gregg, a life member of this Association, 

 fitted out and headed an expedition 'nto 

 the Falls River region. His findings are 

 set forth in an article which appeared in 

 the Saturday Evening Post for November 

 20, 1920. He states that he found this 

 was not a territory of swamps but a beauti- 

 ful upland meadow traversed by streams 

 filled with fish, a territory in which game 

 is abundant, and a region that would afford 

 beautiful camping sites for at least 10,000 

 tourists. A few miles of dirt road from the 

 upper geyser basin would open this new 

 territory to motor parties. He found along 

 the edges of the basin no less than forty 

 waterfalls, cascades, and hot springs, some 

 of which would be destroyed and the most 

 of the others rendered inaccessible should 

 this unsightly reservoir be created. This 

 Smith Bill must be killedl 



THE NEW WALSH BILL 



Already other commercial interests are 

 looking forward to repeating the benefit 

 from the precedent they expect to be set 

 by Congress in passing this measure. 



Senator Walsh, of Montana, has intro- 

 duced in the Senate a bill to dam the 

 Yellowstone River where it flows out of 

 the Yellowstone Lake. The idea is to 

 accumulate water here during the flood 

 season and let it off later for irrigation pur- 

 poses in Montana. Of course, dams could 

 be built on this river outside the Park, but 

 this would mean the flooding of private 

 lands that would have to be paid for. 

 If the dam can be built inside the park 

 no private expense would be attached to 

 the flooded lands, hence from the stand- 

 point of that class of our citizens who are 

 willing to destroy anything of interest or 

 esthetic beauty if money can be made 

 thereby, all these propositions appear 

 eminently worth while, and their consum- 

 mation is, by them, to be devoutly hoped 

 for. 



The National Association of Audubon 



Societies, the National Parks Association, 

 the National Civic Association, and some 

 other public-spirited institutions, as well 

 as many thousands of unorganized in- 

 dividuals, do not see the subject in this 

 monetary light. This Association is fight- 

 ing these park propositions as hard as it 

 can. We have recently made a call among 

 our members and others for funds to use 

 in arousing the public to the imminent 

 danger that threatens our National Parks. 

 About $4,000 have been collected to date, 

 and this money is being used in circulars, 

 publicity, traveling expenses of speakers, 

 and such other items as incidentally arise 

 in connection with the campaign. 



I have referred above to three distinct 

 bills pending in our United States Congress. 

 It will help matters very materially if our 

 members write to their Senators and Con- 

 gressmen and express their hope, first, 

 that the bill of Senator Jones, intended to 

 take out of the Water Power Bill, the words 

 "National Parks and National Monu- 

 ments" will become a law. Second, that 

 the bill by Congressman Smith of Idaho, 

 intending to build a reservoir in the south- 

 western part of the Yellowstone Park, 

 and which bill is now pending in the House 

 of Representatives, shall be repealed; and 

 third, that the Walsh Senate bill, to dam 

 Yellowstone River, shall be defeated. We 

 are told, on what we believe to be com- 

 petent authority, that there are no less 

 than a dozen splendid dam-sites in the 

 Yellowstone Park, and, if commercial 

 interests are allowed to use one of these, a 

 precedent will be set for a vast disfigura- 

 tion and despoliation of America's greatest 

 natural beauty area. 



Anyone interested in the preservation 

 of the wild natural beauties of America's 

 choicest spots included in National Parks, 

 or who cares for the preservation of the 

 wild life within their boundaries, should by 

 all means communicate their views to their 

 Senators and Congressmen. This Associa- 

 tion has no means of fighting such detri- 

 mental matters except by the weapon of 

 public sentiment, and public sentiment 

 freely expressed in Washington always has 

 its effect. 



