H4 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



to the local communities. Farmers are making the discovery that 

 the presence of wild life in pasture and woodland is a real financial 

 asset. Purely on the economic side it has been shown that the meat 

 value of the big game which is killed each year in the country 

 amounts to no less than 15 million dollars and that effective game 

 administration would in the long run increase this many fold. The 

 economic value of the wild life resource is so great that the country 

 can no longer afford to neglect the necessary measures to perpetuate 

 and increase it. 



There is another side to the problem of wild life conservation, 

 however, which is just as important and which fortunately is being 

 increasingly appreciated. I refer to the part played by wild life in 

 attracting people to the country for recreation and for the mental 

 and spiritual stimulus that comes from a contact with nature. The 

 movement for outdoor recreation is not primarily designed for 

 amusement. It is to furnish the benefits that are derived from a 

 complete relaxation and change from the routine duties of life and 

 the inspiration that is derived from an intimate touch with the fields 

 and woodlands and with the rugged scenery of the mountains. 

 These benefits will be expressed in better health, greater efficiency, 

 and a more wholesome point of view for those who are able from 

 time to time to visit the points of interest in the country that are 

 now being made readily available. 



One of the great attractions to draw the people into the country 

 is an abundance of game, birds and fish. Many vacation visitors are 

 interested in wild life chiefly for the opportunities offered for sport. 

 The largest purpose of providing such sport through the conserva- 

 tion and proper utilization of wild life is the benefit of a sojourn in 

 the great out-of-doors. But there is an increasing number of people 

 who derive enjoyment in observing game just as they enjoy the 

 forests, the trees and flowers. More and more the study of wild 

 life is becoming a pastime, for scientific study, for game pho- 

 tography, for the mere pleasure of contact with conditions where 

 wild life finds its home. 



The conservation of wild life is peculiarly a public problem. In 

 the first place the game and fish belong to the public itself, which 

 holds it in trust for the benefit of the people of the country. An 

 individual does not actually own the fish and game which may 

 abound upon his property. Even if the game and fish within the 

 boundaries of his property are the result of expenditures in pro- 

 tection and in breeding, they still belong to the public and he can 

 utilize them onlv under the state laws. He can exercise a certain 



