Conditions have not been favorable during the year 
1911 for the establishment of a herd of buffalo either 
in the Adirondack or the Catskill regions of this State. 
The senatorial election of the spring of 1911, changes in 
the office of the Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner, 
and the financial conditions with which the State has 
been confronted have prevented any action by the State 
Government whereby a suitable tract of land may be 
provided and enclosed on which a herd of bison may be 
established. 
In March, 1911, your Committee on the establish- 
ment of State and local herds called on the Secretary of 
Agriculture, the Hon. James Wilson, for the purpose of 
ascertaining what might be his pleasure about establish- 
ing a herd of bison in South Dakota. Secretary Wilson 
agreed that it is desirable to establish a herd in that 
State; that the Society acting in co-operation with the 
Bureau of Biological Survey of the Department of 
Agriculture, should determine what is the best locality 
in the State of South Dakota for the establishment of a 
permanent herd of buffalo; that the co-operation of 
Senators and Representatives, especially those from South 
Dakota, should be sought, and that a plan should be 
carefully worked out and carried into execution. 
The Committee called on the two senators and the 
two representatives from South Dakota, found them all 
interested and ready to help in the establishment of a 
herd. Senators Gamble and Crawford and Representa- 
tive Martin gave considerable time both in Congress and 
in South Dakota to creating public sentiment in favor of 
a National Game Preserve for a herd of bison and for 
other wild animal life of the Rocky Mountain region 
On March 31, 1911, a report was made by the Com- 
mittee to the Board of Managers, and the Board author- 
ized the making of a survey of the State of South Dakota 
at a cost, including traveling expenses, not exceeding $500, 
for the purpose of determining what locality in the State 
would be best adapted for a National Game Preserve as 
a permanent home for the bison. 
Mr. J. Alden Loring, who made the survey for the 
Wichita Mountain Bison Range, and on whose report 
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