STATUS OF THE PRONG-HORNED ANTELOPE, 1922-1924 13 



up to within a year they had been strongty opposed to its establish- 

 ment; but that, after studying the matter carefully and learning 

 the facts as to the policies that would be followed by the Govern- 

 ment, they had become convinced that such a refuge would be to the 

 advantage of the residents of that section of Oregon, as well as to 

 the antelope and other wild life there. 



In the discussion with these stockmen it developed that in the 

 period when they were opposing the establishment of the refuge 

 they believed that it would involve the elimination of livestock 

 within the area and the destruction of their interests; but when it 

 was understood that if such a refuge should be established there 

 would be no elimination of the livestock of resident stock growers 

 or other interference with their freedom beyond that of stopping 

 the shooting of game within the area and the limitation of the num- 

 ber of livestock to the capacity of the forage production of the range, 

 they approved the plan. 



After discussion of the suggested antelope refuge in southeastern 

 Oregon the conference adopted a resolution authorizing a committee 

 made up of representatives of the conservation organizations present 

 to meet in the offices of the Biological Survey during the afternoon 

 of December 14 to confer with those interested and draft a bill 

 for the creation of an antelope and sage-hen refuge in southeastern 

 Oregon. Since then a bill has been introduced in the Oregon Leg- 

 islature for the establishment of a State antelope refuge covering the 

 area recommended. 



The exclusion of hunters from the area and the prevention of de- 

 structive overstocking cover the only restrictions contemplated in 

 the proposed Federal refuge. It was planned that the control of the 

 grazing should be under the supervision of the Forest Service, in 

 order to provide for the best utilization of the forage practicable. 



It will "be of interest to know that the first suggestion for estab- 

 lishing an antelope refuge in southeastern Oregon appears to have 

 been made by L. Alva Lewis, an agent of the Biological Survey, in 

 a letter dated January 22, 1913. In October of the same year Harry 

 Tilford, inspector of State game refuges for the State Game Com- 

 mission of Oregon, made a similar recommendation. 



In 1916 E. Lester Jones, Director of the United States Coast and 

 Geodetic Survey, made a trip into eastern Oregon, where he ob- 

 served the antelope in the vicinity of Desert Lake, Jacks Lake, and 

 Guano Lake, the principal herd being in the vicinity of Jacks Lake 

 and containing about 800 animals. In all, he saw more than 1,000 

 antelope, including a number which had been apparently wantonly 

 killed and then left to lie undisturbed where they fell. On his 

 pel iii-u from this trip Colonel Jones advocated the establishment of a 

 Federal antelope refuge in Lake County, Oreg., in order to try to 

 pnv<nt the destruction of these herds, and at the National Parks 

 ( Jon ference held in Washington, January 4, 1917, he delivered an ad- 

 dress on" The ful lire of the antelope," which was printed with a map 

 showing the proposed refuge and distributed as a circular by the 

 National Park Service. His recommendation included the country 

 from Hart. Mountain east to the Lake County line and south to in- 

 clude Guano Lake. Colonel Jones warmly advocated the holding of 



