1 08 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Governments Game Refuges 



* 



BY ALDEN SAMPSON, A. M., HAVERFORD, PA. 

 ( Read before the Academy Oct. 3, 1904) 



The arguments here adduced are the result of personal 

 observations and special studies made in a trip, aggregating 

 some thirteen thousand miles, during the summer of 1903, 

 while engaged in inspecting forest reserves of California and 

 Washington for the purpose of selecting tracts to be set aside 

 as refuges and breeding grounds, and to enable the representa- 

 tive of the Government to report intelligently on this general 

 plan of Game Refuges. 



The existing conditions are not conducive to the most 

 satisfactory results in game preservation, so far as the control 

 of public forest reserves is concerned. It is my o'wn opinion 

 that the Department of Agriculture, through its efficient Bu- 

 reau of Forestry, should have the charge of the forest areas. 

 The Land Office, a bureau of the Interior Department, is now 

 in actual control of the reserves, although the Bureau of For- 

 estry — a scientific, non-political body — is often supposed to 

 be responsible for what it has no power to prevent. It should 

 be clearly understood that, however free this department may 

 be to act in certain directions, it cannot prevent depredations, 

 the kindling of forest fires, or the destruction of game, except 

 in very limited degree. 



The idea of establishing game preserves, as such, is not 

 new. In Europe, e. g. in Russia, Germany and Great Britain, 

 certain wild animals have long been protected by governmental 

 edict, not always from motives higher than the assurance of 

 pastime for royalty or the maintenance of the chase among 

 the gentry. Game laws are not rare in our several states, and 

 to a certain extent, more especially with the smaller species, 

 these are fairly effective hindrances to extinction of wild ani- 

 ntals. In the case of big game, however, several causes have 

 operated to distract attention of law-makers and public spir- 

 ited citizens, who have rested secure in the belief that possible 

 danger from excessive breeding is a convincing argument in 

 favor of the "let alone" policy. Such persons could not have 

 been aware of the ruthless slaughter which has been going on 

 for decades past, and which has resulted in all but extinction 

 of several types of the larger animals, such as the Bison, 

 Grizzly Bear, Elk, Antelope and Mountain Sheep. Fortunately 

 the refuge afforded by the Yellowstone Park has checked this 



*The author of the paper of which an abstract is here given, was 

 recently Game Preserve Expert in the U. S. Biological Survey. 



