148 PROBLEMS IN WILD LIFE CONSERVATION 



servation ranger acts as contact agent with the wild life 

 division in Washington, supplying it with information on 

 wild-life conditions in the park. 



As far as possible, it is the policy of the Service to call 

 upon experts in the other federal bureaus for aid in solving 

 many of the problems that arise in connection with the ad- 

 ministration of the parks. For instance, the Bureau of 

 Public Roads builds park roads and the Public Health Ser- 

 vice provides a sanitary engineer, while advice upon similar 

 problems is sought from a dozen other bureaus. 9 



In line with this policy experts are often called in from 

 the Biological Survey or the Bureau of Fisheries to aid in 

 solving wild-life problems in the national parks. Fish for 

 restocking streams in the larger parks are furnished from 

 the hatcheries of the Bureau of Fisheries, but for some of 

 the smaller parks fish are obtained from the state conserva- 

 tion departments. The Service, of course, exercises no con- 

 trol over wild game once it leaves the parks but it has at- 

 tempted to obtain state aid in prohibiting the slaughter of 

 animals on the borders of the parks, and in that endeavor 

 has been fairly successful. 



The Forest Service: After a century of uncontrolled ex- 

 ploitation of timber resources, Congress, by act of March 3, 

 1 89 1, 10 authorized the President to withdraw timber areas 

 of the public domain from sale. This was a step in the 

 direction of conservation but it still left the forest reserves 

 unprotected from fire or theft, as it made no provision for 

 their administration. It was not until July i, 1898 that 

 money was appropriated to establish a special division in the 

 General Land Office to administer the forest reserves. 



9 For copy of formal agreement between National Park Service and 

 the Bureau of Public Roads as to construction work, see Hearings on 

 H. R. 6665, House Committee on Expenditures, 72nd Cong., ist Sess., 

 p. 128. 



10 26 Stat. L. 1095. 



