1320 



ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



WILD LIFE PROTECTION. 

 By Madison Grant. 



AT the Annual Meeting of members of the 

 New York Zoological Societ}^ held at the 

 Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, 

 on January 12, 1915, the following action was 

 taken upon motion of Dr. William T. Hornaday, 

 seconded by Mr. Theodore Roosevelt: 



'"Whereas, it appears that the killing for 

 sport and for food of game birds and mammals 

 in the National Forest Reserves is destroying 

 the wild life much faster than it is breeding, 

 of many species is impending, now, therefore, 

 be it 



Resolved, That the New York Zoological So- 

 ciety recommends that the Federal Government 

 take immediate steps to convert any or all of the 

 forest reserves of the United States into game 

 refuges, for such period and to such extent as is 

 necessary to assure the preservation of threat- 

 ened species, and the continuance of the game 

 supply of the surrounding districts." 



During the past year Dr. William T. Horna- 

 day, Director of the Zoological Park, spent 

 seven weeks in the west, visiting in the order 

 named the states of Minnesota, Colorado, Wy- 

 oming, Idaho, Utah, Montana, W^ashington, 

 Oregon, California, Arizona and New Mexico, 

 to arouse public sentiment in favor of game 

 sanctuaries in the National Forests. His trip 

 was conducted at the expense of the Permanent 

 Wild Life Fund, and was most successful in 

 enlisting the support of governors and promi 

 nent citizens and the press of eleven western 

 states. As a result of this trip legislation is in 

 process of preparation, which has the support 

 of the United States Forest Service and the 

 Biological Survey, embodying the simple prin- 

 ciple of the establishment of game refuges in 

 the National Forest Reserves. 



The Executive Committee of the New York 

 Zoological Society at a special meeting held, De- 

 cember 17, 1915, took the following action: 



"Be it resolved. That the Executive Com- 

 mittee of the New York Zoological Society 

 now recommends and endorses the enactment 

 of Federal legislation empowering the President 

 of the United States, upon the approval of the 

 Governors of each of the states concerned, to 

 set aside perpetual sanctuaries for animals and 

 birds from areas in the National Forests to 

 be selected by the Secretary of Agriculture from 

 lands unsuitable for agriculture or grazing; and 

 be it further 



"Resolved, that the establishment of a large 

 number of sanctuaries would best provide ref- 

 uges for game to stock the adjoining country 

 and furnish a permanent meat supply; and it is 

 recommended 



"That all unnecessary details of administra- 

 tion be so far as possible omitted from said bill, 

 and be made the subject of future amendments 

 based upon actual experience." 



It was recognized by the Committee that many 

 desirable features of the administration of such 

 sanctuaries could be included properly in such 

 legislation, but it was felt that all energies 

 should be concentrated upon the establishment 

 of sanctuaries, and that all the details of admin- 

 istration and of additional powers, such as pro- 

 viding for the acceptance of gifts of land from 

 private individuals, should be left to future 

 legislation. 



No American, who has at heart the preserva- 

 tion of the remnant of our wild life, who de- 

 sires to increase the supply of meat, or who de- 

 sires to utilize at their highest efficiency lands 

 belonging to the government and not suitable 

 for other purposes, can fail to appreciate the 

 great step forward in genuine civilization that 

 would be accomplished by the proposed legisla- 

 tion. As yet there have been brought forward 

 no objections worthy of the name, and there 

 can be no serious opposition to the utilization 

 by the government in the manner proposed of 

 mountain tops or infertile hills or other waste 

 lands. 



The marvellous success of the Yellowstone 

 National Park is an object lesson of the utmost 

 importance. There would be little or no hunt- 

 ing in the adjoining states were it not for the 

 continuous overflow of the surplus game from 

 the park. Mountain Forest Reserves like the 

 Bitter Root Forest Reserve in Montana, if suf- 

 ficiently protected as is the Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park, would, as soon as the animals re- 

 covered their normal numbers, provide a contin- 

 uous supply of deer, elk, and perhaps sheep to 

 the adjoining states of Idaho and Montana. 

 The destruction there may have gone so far in 

 recent years that a complete restocking is neces- 

 sary, but the game once re-established would 

 provide sport and food for large areas now des- 

 titute of wild animals. 



The New York Zoological Society at its next 

 Annual Meeting on January 11, 1916, will be 

 asked to take further action upon the proposed 

 bill. 



