386 Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



Whereas, the planting of non-native trees, shrubs or other plants, 

 the stocking of waters with non-native fish, or the liberating of 

 game animals not native to the region, impairs or destroys the 

 natural conditions and native wilderness of the parks; 



Be it Resolved, that the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science strongly opposes the introduction of non-native 

 plants and animals into the national parks and all other imessential 

 interference with natural conditions, and urges the National Park 

 Service to prohibit all such introductions and interferences." 



The Ecological Society of America, a leading organization of 

 naturalists interested in outdoor natural history, has also passed 

 similar resolutions {Ecology, Vol. 3, pp. 170-171, 1922). 



In spite of the public announcement of these resolutions, only 

 recently it was announced by a representative of the National Geo- 

 graphic Society that he planned to secure plants from Tibet, "suit- 

 able for planting in Glacier National Park" {Science, N. S., Vol. 58, 

 p. 460, 1923). 



As the importance of maintaining wild, natural parks, is not 

 sufficiently appreciated, it is worth while to briefly summarize some 

 of the main reasons for this policy : 



1. With our increasing population wild lands and their native 

 population of plants and animals are decreasing at an alarming rate. 

 Much of Europe has undergone this demolition. The public has 

 heard much of the decrease of insectivorous birds, because of their 

 relation to forest and agricultural crops, and sportsmen have become 

 aroused about fish and game, but there are many other plants and 

 animals, also of great value, in defence of which we hear little. Even 

 educators have become but slightly alert to the danger of teaching 

 about nature only in cultivated fields and artificial parks. 



Wild lands, with their native plants and animals, are as worthy 

 natural monuments as are other valuable features in our parks. 

 These have great scientific and educational value (cf. Grinnell and 

 Storer, '16). Today, all wild lands and wild waters tend to become 

 more remote so that before long they will be inaccessible to the 

 average citizen. Sportsmen and anglers are being shut off from 

 private lands and in turn they have begun plans to reserve wild 

 public lands for hunting and fishing. We readily grant the validity 

 of this, but our educational needs for children and scientific needs of 

 both children and adults are certainly not a less worthy reason for the 

 preservation of wilderness lands and waters. 



2. If parks are to be managed so that they may be passed on to 



