96 



MISC. PUBLICATION 9 0, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



able influence on fish life in that they help secure a constant flow of 

 cold water in the streams. 



VALUE OF FISH AND GAME 



The esthetic value of game and fish is great and is rapidly increas- 

 ing. Fish and game make a substantial contribution to the food 

 supply. In Utah, deer alone furnish 500,000 pounds of meat a year. 

 Fur bearers contribute valuable skins. And there is the indirect eco- 

 nomic benefit to communities visited by hunters and fishermen. Op- 

 portunities for study and observation of wild species and their rela- 

 tionships to one another are of importance to the scientist. 



FUR SUPPLY 



The earliest development of the West was largely centered in the 

 fur industry. The supply of fur bearers, however, has been so much 



Figure 50. — Beaver dam. 



Beavers are not only valua 

 water and prevent erosion 



bearers, but store 



reduced that fur has been a minor product of the State for a long 

 period. 



Beaver in reasonable numbers are desirable not only in producing 

 valuable fur but also in equalizing stream flow by the construction of 

 dams. (Fig. 50.) In irrigated sections, however, they cause con- 

 siderable damage by clogging ditches. They may also cause damage 

 by flooding timber areas. 



Muskrats are confined chiefly to marsh areas but are remarkably 

 productive and under management can furnish a valuable product 

 from sections which otherwise are largely waste. 



The marten (fig. 51) is an animal of the mountains and is the 

 chief enemy of the pine squirrel. It not only provides a valuable 

 fur but acts as a check on an excessive number of the squirrels, which 

 live largely on the seeds of coniferous trees. 



In many sections large weasels or ermines are abundant. These 

 not only supply a valuable fur in winter but serve as a check on mice 

 and other harmful rodents. 



