Cte Hlutiution ^ocietiesi 



EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT 



Edited by T. GILBERT PEARSON. President 



Address all correspondence, and send all remittances, for dues and contributions, to 



the National Association of Audubon Societies, 1974 Broadway, New Vork City. 



Telephone, Columbus 7327 



T. Gilbert Pearson, President 

 Theodore S. Palmer, First Vice-President A\illiam P. Wharton, Secretary 

 Frederic A. Lucas, Second Vice-President Jonathan Dwight, Treasurer 



Samuel T. Carter, Jr., Attorney 



Any person, club, school or company in sympathy with the objects of this Association may become 

 a member of it, and all are welcome. 



Classes of Membership in the National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild 

 Birds and Animals: 



$5 annually pays for a Sustaining Membership 

 $100 paid at one time constitutes a Life Membership 

 $1,000 constitutes a person a Patron 

 $5,000 constitutes a person a Founder 

 $25,000 constitutes a person a Benefactor 



Form of Bequest: — I do hereby give and bequeath to the National Association of Audubon 

 Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals (Incorporated), of the City of New York. 



REPORT ON THE NATIONAL PARKS SITUATION 



In the last issue of Bird-Lore an ac- 

 count was given regarding the attacks 

 being made in Congress on the Yellow- 

 stone National Park. Bills had been intro- 

 duced for the purpose of legalizing two 

 projects whereby private parties could 

 use the waters of the Park for commercial 

 developments. 



First, H. R. 12,644, introduced by- 

 Congressman Smith of Idaho, sought 

 authority to build a reservoir covering 

 8,000 acres in the southwestern part of the 

 Park. Another bill, introduced by Senator 

 Walsh of Montana, known as S. B. 3,554, 

 sought to secure in Congress authorization 

 to dam the Yellowstone River and make a 

 reservoir of the beautiful Yellowstone 

 Lake. Smith wants water for irrigating 

 lands in Idaho, and Walsh wants to use 

 the waters of the Yellowstone River for 

 irrigation north of the Park in Montana. 



There would appear to be no reason why 

 the waters of the Fall River Basin and the 

 waters of the Yellowstone River could 

 not be dammed up outside of the Park, 

 but this is not what is wanted, for to do 

 this the waters of the reservoir would cover 

 lands, some of which would have to be 

 paid for, whereas if the waters can be 

 dammed up in the Park, no payment would 

 have to be made, as the lands of the Park 



belong to the public. What these men are 

 after is free storage base for the water 

 that they want to use for private com- 

 mercial purposes outside the Park. 



The plans which these men sought to 

 carry out by means of Federal legislation 

 would not only be detrimental to the 

 Yellowstone Park, but the success of either 

 would mean the setting of a precedent 

 which would undoubtedly result in the 

 eventual destruction of a large amount of 

 the scenic beauty and interest of this 

 territory, which nearly fifty years ago was 

 set aside by Congress as an area in which 

 the natural beauties of the region were to 

 be forever preserved. 



When through the publicity of this and 

 other organizations the general public 

 became advised as to just what was taking 

 place, protests in the form of letters, 

 telegrams and petitions by the thousands 

 were sent to senators and congressmen, 

 with the result that it was found impossible 

 to further advance either bill. 



That publicity killed the Fall River 

 Basin project was admitted by Congress- 

 man Smith of Idaho at a memorable hear- 

 ing before the Select Committee on Water 

 Power of the House of Representatives on 

 January 6, 1921, when many of us were 

 present. Mr. Smith denounced the 



(ill) 



