CONSERVING WILDLIFE — JACKSON 267 



Game Animals" was signed at Mexico City, February 7, 1936, rati- 

 fied by the United States on October 8, 1936, and by Mexico on Febru- 

 ary 12, 1937, and proclaimed on March 15, 1937 (50 Stat. 1311). 



Among other important treaties relating to wildlife is the Whale 

 Treaty. The "Convention for the Regulation of Whaling" was signed 

 by representatives of 26 countries, including the United States, at 

 Geneva on March 16, 1932, and was approved for ratification by the 

 United States Senate on June 10, 1932. The enabling act put the 

 treaty into effect on May 1, 1936. An enabling act may give authority 

 for action, but may neglect appropriations for operations. Such is the 

 case with the Whaling Treaty Act. The important Fur Seal Treaty 

 has heretofore been mentioned. 



On October 12, 1940, in the Pan American Building at Washing- 

 ton, D. C, representatives of 13 American republics signed the "Inter- 

 American Convention on Nature Protection and Wildlife Preserva- 

 tion." Since then others have approved, and now 17 have signed 

 the pact. When this treaty is completed and in operation, it should 

 aid materially in the protection of many forms of wildlife, more es- 

 pecially birds, such as some of the curlews and plovers, that might 

 migrate between the two continents. 



Permanent refuges, sanctuaries, parks, primitive or wilderness 

 areas, or whatever you may call them, carefully selected and main- 

 tained as the optimum habitat for the species, are essential for the 

 preservation of endangered wildlife. By refined definition the terms 

 "refuge," "sanctuary," "park," and "primitive area" have distinct and 

 different meanings. Sometimes a refuge is called a preserve, reserva- 

 tion, or range. Often, however, in actual usage in proper names, any 

 one name may apply to an area established for the preservation of 

 nature, including wildlife, or primarily for saving a species. The old 

 adage "What's in a name?" here applies. All of them serving for 

 wildlife preservation, we find such names as the Wichita Mountains 

 Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma; the Desert Game Range in Nevada; 

 the Thelon Game Sanctuary in Canada; the Yellowstone National 

 Park in Wyoming ; the Kruger National Park in the Union of South 

 Africa; the Pare National Albert in the Belgian Congo; and the 

 Sierra Primitive Area in California. 



Frequently, in order to insure suitable environment, a refuge is 

 established in an area including the remnant of a species, and from 

 that remnant as breeding stock effort is made to increase the popula- 

 tion. Several refuges in the United States have been established in 

 this way, such as the Sheldon National Antelope Refuge and the 

 Charles Sheldon Antelope Range, Nevada, for prong-horned ante- 

 lopes; the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, for 

 trumpeter swans; the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming, and the 



