THE RELATION OF WILD LIFE TO THE PUBLIC 

 IN NATIONAL AND STATE PARKS* 



By Dr. Charles C. Adams, 



Director, Roosevelt Wild Life Forest Experiment Station, 

 Syracuse, Nezv York. 



CONTENTS 



1. Introduction and Assumptions. 



2. Relation of Wild Life to the Public. 



Guide Books and other Publications. 

 Lectures, Excursions and Nature Guides. 

 Museums, Libraries and Zoological Exhibits. 



3. Administrative Aspects of Wild Life. 



Maintenance of Wild Life. 

 Education of Park Officials. 

 Need of Formulating Policies. 

 The Wilderness Policy. 



4. Endowments for Education and Research. 



5. Summary. 



6. References to Literature. 



INTRODUCTION AND ASSUMPTIONS 



The value of wild life in our State and National Parks de- 

 pends directly upon what we are willing to do to make proper use 

 of it. If wild life is neglected or ignored little benefit will be de- 

 rived from it, and if, on the other hand, it is carefully cared for 

 and the public is intelligently encouraged to appreciate it, much 

 benefit wall be derived from it. As in the case of most things it 

 is of the greatest importance to realize that we can get from wild 

 life only what we are willing to put into it. If you know a park 

 where little is derived from wild life you know one at once in which 

 little has been done for it. 



A second fact of basic importance is that the welfare of wild 

 life in the parks will depend fundamentally upon the welfare of the 

 parks as a whole. Their interests are mutual and interdependent, 

 and we must not expect wild life to be cared for and appreciated if 

 the parks as a whole are not. Our main practical point is to strive 

 to see that the wild life of our parks receives all consideration that 



*A revision, with additions, of Adams, '23. 



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