116 



Canadian Forestry Journal. 



is the present vandalism against N attire 

 to be checked? There is but one final 

 solution. As in the case of our timber 

 supply, the wild life of this covmtry can 

 only be permanently handed down in 

 refuges and protected areas established 

 throughout the length and breadth of 

 the land, 



Canada's Game Preserves. 



Fortunately the Government of Can- 

 ada has launched into the forestry 

 question with energy and far-sighted 

 intelligence; and fortunately the growth 

 of sentiment in favor of providing more 

 adequate protection for our game has 

 already resulted in the establishment of 

 several sanctuaries for wild life. In the 

 United States fifty-one federal bird 

 reservations and twelve state and 

 national .game preserves have been 

 created. In Canada we have no reserva- 

 tions providing specially protected 

 breeding-grounds for birds; but seven 

 reserves exist for the protection of large 

 game and incidentally smaller varieties; 

 and three large tracts are now set aside 

 for captive bison. Two areas of forest 

 land will likely be set aside immediately, 

 one in the Rainy River country border- 

 ing on the State of Minnesota, and one 

 in the Moose Mountains of Southern 

 Saskatchewan. No steps have yet been 

 taken to provide a haven of refuge for 

 the large herd of wapiti or elk in 

 Northern Manitoba. In the district of 

 the Riding Mountain Forest Reserve 

 lingers the second largest herd of wapiti 

 in the world; and only the establish- 

 ment of a game refuge in that quarter 

 will prevent the ultimate extinction of 

 this magnificent deer in Canada. 



Every 'territory and every province 

 should have animal and bird refuges, 

 and not till this has been accomplished 

 can it be said that we have sufficiently- 

 guaranteed the perpetuation of ani- 

 mated Nature around us. 



Agitation Needed. 

 The grand object to which such organ- 

 izations as the Canadian Forestry As- 

 sociation, the National Association of 

 Audubon Societies, the National Con- 

 servation Commission and others have 

 pledged themselves is the direct out- 

 come of a desire, as yet all too limited, 

 to insure the productive, commercial 

 and aesthetic necessities of the future. 

 The people must be further awakened 



to the true state of afliairs. A great 

 warning must be uttered broadcast, and 

 our legislatures given every assistance 

 towards accomplishing the permanent 

 preservation of our natural wealth. 

 Above all, it must be forcibly brought 

 to the minds of the people of this coun- 

 try, that if her citizens expect to enjoy 

 the fruits of prosperity in the future, 

 the laws of Nature, the laws of mankind 

 and the laws of the state must be obey- 

 ed. And let us not forget that if the 

 time should ever come when the wild 

 creatures should be exterminated from 

 our land it would exact a price which 

 would be beyond the power of humanity 

 to satisfy. 



Notwithstanding the fact that Canada 

 still possesses an enormous forest area, 

 that the range of her cultivated lands 

 increases annually and that thousands 

 upon thousands of her rich acres have 

 yet to know the plough, it seems all too 

 evident that we have already arrived at 

 the opening of a new period and that 

 upon this generation must rest the 

 responsibility of saying on what terms 

 and in what localities that great natural 

 heritage which has come down to us 

 from the past shall be turned over to the 

 generations to come after us. 



Mr. T. N. Willing, Chief Game 

 Guardian of Saskatchewan, also gave a 

 paper which will be found on page 

 137 of this issue of the Journal. 

 Mr. Willing noted the decrease in the 

 numbers of game animals in the pro- 

 vince and the causes of this, also the 

 reasons for the preservation of game. 

 He advocated a close season for all birds 

 in spring, the prohibition by land- 

 owners of hunting on their enclosed or 

 cultivated lands and the establishment 

 of game reserves, especially on the 

 forest reserves. The Government also, 

 he thought, should conduct experiments 

 in the propagation of game on the 

 forest reserves. The killing of timber 

 wolves, coyotes, weasels and other 

 animals inimical to game should be 

 encouraged and the question of pre- 

 serving the beaver and the antelope 

 should haA'e special attention. 



Some discussion then took 'place on 

 the papers, a number of instances of the 

 fecundity of the beavers and of groves 

 cut down by them being cited. *" ^l 



Mr. H. L. Lovering. of Regina, 

 speaking from the standpoint of the 

 nurserymen, strongly commended the 



