USES OF NATURAL AREAS 



43 



to reproduce unmolested and overflows 

 into the surrounding territory where 

 hunting is permitted. The game in 

 the area is not likely to become very 

 much more numerous under such condi- 

 tions than it was originally with its 

 natural enemies, such as wolves, etc., 

 roaming about. Thus perhaps within 

 the sanctuary the conditions of balance 

 of animal life is as nearly like the 

 original one as could be hoped. 



2. Ornithologists are interested in 

 areas which afford protected nesting 

 places for birds. 



3. Wild flower lovers desire to see 

 the flowers preserved and accordingly 

 are interested in natural areas, which 

 may act as seeding centers. 



B. INTERESTS IN MODIFIED AREAS 



("SECOND GROWTH" OF 



ALL KINDS) 



1. Camping and related recreation. 



2. Hunting. 



3. Forestry operations leading to 

 the production of lumber and other 

 forest products. 



4. Bird and game refuges. 



5. Scientific study of succession of 

 organisms with the development of a 

 new biota (e.g., natural reforestation). 



C. ECONOMIC INTERESTS 



There are often watersheds which 

 supply water to cities and water for 

 irrigation purposes which will always 

 be maintained and are available for 

 scientific study, sample plots, bird 

 preserves and perhaps game sanctuaries. 

 Forestry practice retains some of the 

 natural features. It is often possible 

 for several interested groups to combine 

 and make a strong plea for the setting 

 aside of areas bounded by natural 

 topographic features as preserves of 

 natural conditions to serve all the eight 

 or more purposes enumerated. The 

 diversity of interest is an asset which 

 makes the creation of preserves a far 

 less hopeless task than many of those 

 interested think. 



/. Management of preserves 



1. Subdivision. Areas should be sub- 

 divided into (a) public park, always 

 open to the public but kept as nearly 

 natural as possible, (6) tree growing 

 areas which if large enough may serve 

 for hunting and fishing, (c) natural 

 areas which will serve for the study 

 of biology, geography, history and art 

 and as wild life sanctuaries. 



The accompanying plan (fig. 1) shows 

 a 60 acre tract designed primarily for 

 a preserve of natural conditions. The 

 entire tract is surrounded by a drive 

 to prevent fires. The drive margin is 

 set with native shrubs such as grow at 

 the edges of woods, etc., designed to at- 

 tract a maximum number of birds. 

 The front portion adjacent to the public 

 highway containing about 14 acres, is a 

 public forest park with 3 circular drive- 

 ways within which fires may be built. 

 Behind is the preserve and this is an 

 area (with the keeper's house at the 

 center) surrounding it, designed for 

 silviculture, the chief object of which 

 is the demonstration of farm woodlot 

 forestry. This is open to the public 

 with some restrictions. The central 

 area is a preserve open only to those with 

 special interests and designed as a 

 game sanctuary, center of seeding, 

 for wild flowers, a bird sanctuary, etc. 

 Larger tracts may be similarly divided 

 following topographic features (fig. 2) 

 and even small city parts may maintain 

 natural areas. 



2. Rotation and policing. Natural 

 parks are most easily obtained when 

 the recreational interests support the 

 project strongly. Two natural parks 

 in two different states illustrate this 

 point. The movement to secure them 

 in each case was started by artists and 

 nature lovers and only when the recrea- 

 tional possibilities were realized by 

 politicians was the project pushed 

 through the legislature. No plans of 

 management were suggested and the 

 parks were practically turned over to 

 hotel and amusement concessionaires 

 and naturalists now maintain that the 



