USES OF NATURAL AREAS 



37 



wild life conservation or for ecological 

 study are to fulfil the aims of those who 

 have established them, that fires be 

 entirely prevented. Aside from the ac- 

 tual loss of game animals which attends 

 a fire of any extent, if even a small fire 

 occur during the breeding season, there 

 is the destruction of nesting birds, 

 their eggs and young, the removal of 

 the grassy or shrubby "cover" upon 

 which they depend for concealment, and 

 the elimination of the carpet of decaying 

 leaves and rotting fallen logs which 

 create conditions favorable for the 

 development of a myriad of insects and 

 lower forms upon which birds and other 

 higher animals depend more or less 

 directly for food. Those who resort to 

 these preserves to satisfy their love of 

 nature or for scientific investigation 

 neither need nor desire the construction 

 of roads, paths, and clearings within the 

 tract, and such areas should be free from 

 the intrusions of all others and carefully 

 safeguarded from the danger of fires. 

 For the pleasure-loving public gener- 

 ally which desires opportunity for field 

 sports and games, picnicking, etc., 

 numerous and well distributed parks 

 should be provided. The National Gov- 

 ernment is doing a service of inestimable 

 value to our citizens and of far greater 

 significance to future generations in the 

 establishment of large national parks so 

 situated as to include and preserve areas 

 of great scenic interest. The states 

 should supplement this effort by the 

 establishment of state parks so disposed 

 as to be accessible to the greatest num- 

 ber of people. Cities have long since 

 come to appreciate the economic and 

 social value of parks and every pro- 

 gressive community has a system of 

 public parks with carefully devised plans 

 for future expansion. Interest in birds, 

 wild flowers, and all wild life is aroused 

 and rapidly increasing and all such 

 parks, whether national, state, county 

 or municipal should offer opportunities 

 for the exercise of that interest. All 

 parks should, therefore, contain a cer- 

 tain proportion of wild land, which may 

 well include hill slopes, ravines, creek 



valleys, and other tracts difficult to 

 cultivate. This part should be left in 

 a strictly natural state, with the native 

 vegetation, shrubbery, fallen leaves, rot- 

 ting logs, etc. , undisturbed. With proper 

 care in landscaping, such areas could be 

 made very attractive, and would fur- 

 nish a refuge and breeding place for 

 birds which are most valuable in the 

 destruction of tree pests. The more 

 open portions of parks should never be 

 burned over and the greatest care should 

 be taken that fires made for the burning 

 of refuse or by picnickers be kept at a 

 safe distance from growing forests. 

 Liberal posting of notices and constant 

 watchfulness on the part of attendants 

 in local parks and by fire wardens in the 

 state and national parks will be neces- 

 sary to reduce the number of fires to 

 the minimum. -. 



Earnest and continued efforts should 

 be made by all persons and associations 

 interested to educate the public gener- 

 ally, and especially campers and hunters, 

 in regard to the destructive results of 

 fires and the necessity of always ex- 

 tinguishing camp fires before leaving 

 them. The Boy Scout organizations can 

 do effective work here. In any region, 

 where there are extensive areas of public 

 lands or lands in a wild state, wise and 

 effective legislation is necessary, in- 

 cluding the enactment of proper regula- 

 tions, the posting of notices and the 

 development of an efficient fire warden 

 service. 



All citizens should be urged to limit 

 the burning over of land and to dis- 

 courage unnecessary burning off of road- 

 sides, waste areas, groves, and wood- 

 lands, because of the injury done to 

 bird life and the damage to the soil 

 due to the destruction of humus and 

 consequent exposure to drying. It is 

 sometimes necessary to burn over grass- 

 land to destroy pests but in very many 

 cases at least the result may be more 

 perfectly attained by ploughing. From 

 the standpoint of the farmer it would 

 be well if every bit of the land not 

 under cultivation were occupied by 

 grassland, shrubbery, or woodland. 



