SECTION II 

 POLICIES WITH RESPECT TO WILDLIFE' 



Areas Now in Public Ownership 

 Devoted to Wildlife 



Federal Ownership: Among Federal lands on which 

 wildlife is protected are national parks, national forests, 

 certain national monuments, and national wildlife 

 refuges established specifically for game birds and 

 mammals, fur bearers, and other valuable and interest- 

 ing forms of animal hfe. For all these there should 

 be formulated definite policies wdth respect to wildlife. 



Specialized: There are now under Federal owner- 

 ship and administered by the Bureau of Biological 

 Survey, of the Department of Agriculture, approxi- 

 mately 1,000,000 acres of surveyed lands in the United 

 States, specifically devoted to wildlife protection, 

 besides unsurveyed islands of some extent designated 

 for the purpose in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. 

 Most of these areas are breeding and feeding grounds 

 for birds, including some for sea birds and migratory 

 waterfowl, but a few big game and fur animal refuges 

 also are included. Table II gives the areas by States 

 of the refuges administered by the Biological Survey. 

 In table I is given a list of these refuges and the chief 

 species for the protection of winch each was established, 

 and in tables III and IV are treated the wildlife refuges 

 administered by the Biological Survey on areas pri- 

 marily devoted to other uses, cliiefly on reservoirs 

 for irrigation projects under the Bureau of Reclamation. 



In addition to these areas it is imperative that water- 

 fowl habitat to the extent of approximately 17,000,000 

 acres be obtained for the conservation of migratory 

 game and other birds protected under treaty with 

 Great Britain. These land and water areas for the 

 waterfowl should be in two classes — breeding grounds 

 and feeding and resting grounds. Migratory water- 

 fowl are in a particularly percarious condition and, 

 unless positive action in their behalf is taken without 

 delay, there is little hope of saving some of the native 

 species now in dire straits. These waterfowl areas 

 should be grouped along the major flyways in such 

 way that the birds will find some sanctuary where 

 they can feed and rest in safety, and where they can 

 breed without human interference or molestation by 

 predators. This will involve in some cases setting 

 aside Federal lands, but more frequently lands now 

 privately owned should be purchased and placed imder 

 Federal administration. 



> Contributed by the Bureau of Biological Survey. 

 12 



For upland game birds and game mammals, approxi- 

 mately 21,000,000 acres are needed, especially for 

 such big-game animals as mountain sheep and antelope, 

 for which no protection is provided on the national 

 forests except on a few game refuges. The largest 

 antelope herds are now on pubhc domain and private 

 holdings, a fact that must be taken into consideration 

 in making provision for the future of the herds of this 

 most interesting North American mammal. Moun- 

 tain sheep are in a precarious condition, and certain of 

 the desert ranges, particularly in Nevada and Arizona, 

 should be set aside and developed for the use of these 

 unique animals. For the use of sage hens, prairie 

 chickens, and sharp-tailed grouse, areas on the public 

 domain need also to be designated as wildlife refuges. 



Primarily Devoted to Other Major Uses But Designated 

 for Wildlife Sanctuaries: In the majority of cases 

 national forests and national parks provide adequate 

 summer range for the deer, elk, and other big game 

 animals that are found therein. Wliere there is any 

 deficiency in ability to care for these herds, it is usually 

 from lack of winter forage. This is a pressing problem 

 from the wildlife standpoint, and the lower lying lands 

 along the boundaries of both the forests and the parks 

 should be designated as winter refuges, and forage 

 should be reserved for these big-game animals. For 

 a full discussion of this subject, see contributions by 

 the Forest Service and National Park Service. 



State Ownership: While the total acreage in many of 

 the State game refuges is impressive, httle of the land 

 is owned by the States involved. A few States, notably 

 Pennsylvania, New York, and others in the East, have 

 made some progress toward actually acquiring land for 

 use as game refuges. In most of the country, however, 

 such areas are either in Federal or private ownership 

 but have been designated as wildlife refuges by legis- 

 lative authorization or by regulations under State 

 game commissions. Many, however, are merely paper 

 refuges, with no control of factors detrimental to the 

 valuable wUdlife they purport to foster. This condi- 

 tion wiU probably continue to exist until some method 

 can be worked out of removing State game administra- 

 tion from political control. It is almost a.xiomatic 

 now that whenever a man begins to get some acquaint- 

 ance with the problems of his State and with methods 

 of handUng them, he is tlirown out for pohtical reasons, 

 to be succeeded aU too frequentl}^ by one who is entireh' 

 ignorant of the problems he faces. Until this defect is 



