NEW LAND: ALASKA 231 



or 4,000 feet in elevation, the plants display many types. Many plants at 

 the shore line are common in the States. Higher, the plant robe is that of 

 Arctic lands. Lands uncovered by retreating glaciers show the interesting 

 plant succession employed by nature to reclaim gradually bare land with 

 an ultimate cover of hemlock and spruce. Retreating glaciers expose 

 unpetrified wood and plants of interglacial forests which grew thousands 

 of years ago. Wild flowers grow everywhere in profusion; the green and 

 white background of forests and snow provides an ideal setting for the vivid 

 flashes of color. 



Fish and Game . . . Good trout fishing may be found in the many lakes 

 and creeks, and the large king or Chinook salmon abounds in sea channels. 

 To take them with light tackle is real sport. Recently the use of commercial 

 airplanes, mounted on pontoons, has resulted in fishermen's raids on cer- 

 tain fresh-water lakes and brought likelihood of depletion. This needs to be 

 regulated. Such conservation measures as are now applied by the Federal 

 Bureau of Fisheries to assure perpetuation of salt-water fish should be 

 applied here. 



Alaska is outstanding in the world for its wilderness animals. Game is 

 food to the Alaskan and fur bearers add to his cash income. But the greatest 

 value of wildlife to the Territory and to the people of the United States 

 lies in its attraction for public enjoyment. The principal big-game animals 

 on the national forests are deer, mountain goats, black, grizzly, and Alaska 

 brown bears, moose, and mountain sheep. 



Among local hunters the deer of southeastern Alaska are the game 

 most sought, but the sport attracts few nonresidents, possibly because of 

 the widespread range of deer in the continental United States. The legal 

 take is unimportant in view of a small human population and a great 

 number of animals. Killing by isolated residents, the predatory wolf, and 

 starvation during winters of exceptionally heavy snowfall are the principal 

 decimating factors. Recent checks indicate a decrease in the number of 

 deer. More intensive protection is called for, and is being applied. 



Mountain goats are abundant but seldom hunted. Their habitat 

 among the rugged mainland peaks affords ample protection. The black 



