Appropriateness and Appreciation 23 



Roosevelt's Approval of the Original Plans 



That Roosevelt himself heartily approved not only of wild life 

 research in general but of the general program which is now the 

 foundation of this Memorial Station, is, as has been stated, its 

 most distinctive feature. 



A brief plan for research in wild life was presented to Mr. Roose- 

 velt on December 29, 1916. He at once approved the idea, and sug- 

 gested that as a member of the Executive Committee of the Boone 

 and Crockett Club he would gladly present this matter to the Com- 

 mittee at an early meeting, and requested that I write him a fuller 

 statement. This plan was outlined in my letter to him of January 8, 

 1917, as follows : 



" In response to your recent request for a working plan for the 

 scientific investigation of the life history and natural history of 

 the large game and fur-bearing animals, I would suggest the 

 following : 



Statement of the Problem 



" In view of the fact that there are several organizations and 

 endowments devoted solely to the protection and propagation of 

 the large game and fur-bearers, and none devoted solely to the 

 investigation of their life history and natural history, it is evident 

 that this field is greatly neglected. I know of no one whose time 

 is devoted solely to this kind of investigation. 



" The present critical economic condition will certainly influence 

 these anima 1 s. The recent organization of our National Park Serv- 

 ice, and the extensive area of National Forests suitable for large 

 game, and the impending crisis of the beaver problem in New York, 

 are examples which show the urgency of scientific investigation of 

 those problems by technically trained men before the management 

 and administration of these animals in preserves and forests can 

 be executed intelligently. 



" While of course considerable is known about the life histories 

 and habits of our larger animals, yet much more remains to be 

 learned about even the beaver, possibly the best known species. At 

 present our knowledge of these larger animals is very superficial 

 indeed, when compared with what is known of many harmful insect 

 pests, such as the Chinch Bug, Rocky Mountain Locust, and the 

 San Jose Scale. We are passing through an important awakening 

 as to the value of wild animals, and yet we have no generally 

 recognized policy for the management of animal sanctuaries because 

 we know so little about the larger dominating species. 



" Special attention should be called to the fact that emphasis is 

 here placed not on the technical details of species and varieties 

 (a subject which for the North American fauna has reached the 



