PROBLEMS IN WILD LIFE CONSERVATION 



By capitalizing the value of the crops, agricultural, tim- 

 ber, or fur, grown on each acre, the valuation crew is able 

 to estimate the value of the land in question, taking into 

 consideration known values of adjoining land and possibte 

 developments. In the meanwhile land ownership maps are 

 prepared from county tax records and checked against the 

 rough field reports. Upon the basis of the information thus 

 obtained offers are made to the owners and options acquired. 

 The whole report, if satisfactory, is then submitted to the 

 Migratory Bird Conservation Commission by the Chief of 

 the Division together with his recommendation for favor- 

 able action. 



Should the Commission act favorably, as it usually does 

 on such recommendation, the final check begins. Local ab- 

 stractors hired on the spot or men sent out from Washing- 

 ton, should that be less expensive, make abstracts of title, 

 which are carefully examined by the Solicitor of the De- 

 partment of Agriculture and then forwarded to the Attorney 

 General's office for final approval. At the same time a boun- 

 dary survey is being made by a survey crew from the Engi- 

 neering Section. This is the most expensive operation of 

 all, so it is put off until the Division is sure it wishes to 

 acquire the property. The data obtained is put into a survey 

 map which now accurately shows ownership and can be 

 checked against previous maps and the options already held. 

 Some of the options may prove incorrect, necessitating 

 change. This is especially likely to be true in the eastern 

 states where the land grant system made for very peculiar 

 shapes in the parcels of land. 



When this has been completed and the Solicitor is satis- 

 fied that valid title can be obtained, the actual purchase takes 

 place. The whole process, although it seems relatively 

 simple, may take a great deal of time. Usually there is a 

 great deal of dickering between the landowner and the 

 Survey regarding the price, but the Surveys willing to bide 



