Reserves for Protection of Game. 



139 



increasing the number of birds, and, 

 when the numbers justify it, birds for 

 restocking might be transferred to 

 districts where this would be an ad- 

 vantage. 



It may not be out of place here to 

 point out the great destruction of game 

 wrought by the coyote. During 1908 

 "bounty was paid in Saskatchewan on 

 141 gray wolves and over 15,000 coyotes. 

 If we assume that a coyote destroys on 

 an average one bird a day for a year, we 

 would see that the killing of those coy- 

 otes had saved the lives of over 5,000,000 

 birds, or enough to have provided each 

 man, woman and child in Saskatchewan 

 at the end of 1908 with 14 birds. 



Gray and timber wolves have proved 

 very destructive to big game in the 

 northern portion of our province and in 

 the country beyond, and also have been 

 troublesome on the ranges in the 

 Cypress Hills district, where all those 

 were killed that bounty was paid on. 



We inust eliminate competition in the 

 killing of game and preserve it for our 

 sportsmen by cutting out the wolf, 

 weasel, etc. We might then find that, 

 after prairie and forest. fires have been 

 kept out for a time, the increase of game 

 w^ould permit the maintenance of liberal 

 game laws that would encourage our 

 young men to indulge more in healthful 

 and invigorating exercise in the open, 

 where they could enjoy the beauties of 

 nature and become more familiar with 

 bird life. Reserves and game refuges 

 should in years to come furnish a con- 

 stant overflow of game that would 

 radiate from these centres through the 

 surrounding country. 



The number and area of forest 

 reserves might well be increased in this 

 province and some lands set aside as 

 public parks and pleasure resorts. It 

 would seem that Saskatchewan had 

 been overlooked in this matter when we 

 lof)k westward and observe the large 

 Dominion Reservation and Museum at 

 Banff stocked with game and exhibits; 

 nearer Edmonton we see a large elk park- 

 enclosed and stocked, while on the 

 plains nearing the border of our province 



we find the large new buffalo park has 

 been located. I do not think it can be 

 said that no suitable lands can be found 

 in Saskatchewan, the former home of 

 the buffalo, the antelope and other large 

 game . 



The problem of how best to prevent 

 the antelope and the beaver from soon 

 becoming extinct is one for considera- 

 tion and may well be thought over by 

 our legislators, both Federal and Pro- 

 vincial. Bearing on this is the fact that, 

 owing to the prolonged close season for 

 beaver now in force, complaints are 

 received from settlers on prairie streams 

 of the damage the beavers are doing to 

 their much prized timber along the 

 banks, one man pathetically stating 

 that where he had a nice grove previous 

 to the coming of the beaver he has now 

 only a hundred and eighty stumps. If 

 an open season for beaver is proclaimed, 

 it is certain that many newly established 

 colonies will be depopulated; so some 

 other scheme for retaining breeding 

 stock must be devised. It may be that 

 trapping privileges might be granted to 

 the person on whose land a colony 

 occurs, conditional on the protection and 

 maintenance of the colony. On forest 

 reserves trapping of the fur bearing 

 animals should be regularly carried on 

 under supervision of the forest ranger. 



There are areas of suitable land about 

 some of our prairie lakes that could be 

 reserved for the antelope and the water 

 fowl. A movement is on foot for the 

 establishing of bird reservations, and 

 much progress has been made along this 

 line by our neighbours to the south. 

 There are many islands in our inland 

 lakes on which the gulls, cormorants, 

 pelicans and other interesting birds nest 

 in vast numbers, and these also should 

 be reser\"ed as permanent refuges and 

 breeding grounds for these birds. 



More attention to care of game on 

 Indian reser\'es should l^e given by the 

 Indian Department and endeavors made 

 to have the Indians realize the advantage 

 of conforming to the requirements of the 

 (jame law as l(> close se;isons. 



British Columbia Forestry Commission. 



The Forestry Commission appointed 

 by the Government of tie Prn\ ince ol 

 British Columbia to enriviire into the 



timber resources of the pro^■ince, forest 

 preservation and ])rotection, afforesta- 

 tion and kindred suljjects held its first 



