CHAPTER I 

 INTRODUCTION 



OUR greatness as a nation and our well-being as individ- 

 uals are due in large measure to the natural resources of 

 this country. Timber from the forests, iron and coal and 

 oil from the earth's deposits have gone to build and heat 

 our homes and develop our industries; the wild life of the 

 woods and marshes have helped to feed and clothe us, while 

 the rich, fertile top soil, well watered by a thousand lakes 

 and streams, have made America one of the great agricul- 

 tural producing nations of the world. 



In the period of exploration and settlement, man dealt 

 hardily with the country's natural resources. Astounded at 

 the seemingly inexhaustible bounties of nature, his one aim 

 was exploitation in such a manner as to reap the largest 

 possible rewards in the shortest possible time. Less than 

 three centuries have passed since the march of settlement 

 inward from the coast began, yet most of the forest cover- 

 ing of the country has been stripped away and wild life 

 resources have been seriously and in some cases irreparably 

 damaged. 



Whether it was necessary in the period of settlement to 

 stimulate initiative by placing relatively few limits upon the 

 individual's use of the natural resources is an academic 

 question. Conditions change and national policies must 

 change to meet them. Today, the continuation of a policy 

 of rugged individualism can only result in the harm of the 

 many for the questionable benefit of the few. 



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