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CONSERVATION CAMPS TRAIN RURAL YOUTH 



I do not want to leave the subject without mentioning the State Con- 

 servation Camps held during the summer in practically every State for the 

 last few years for 4-H Club members doing work in conservation. They have 

 filled a real need in educating our county agents and in training leaders 

 among older club members. Just to show you how these camps work, I am go- 

 ing to read you a letter written by one of our county agents in Florida to 

 our magazine, The Extension Service Review, 



"Florida's first 4-H Club wildlife camp was held during the 

 summer of 1937 at Camp McQuarrie, permanent 4-H Camp site in 

 the Ocala National Eorest. One entire week was devoted to the 

 study of wildlife and its propagation and conservation, by 80 

 boys and county agents. 



"In this State, with a game and fresh-water fish commission 

 having numerous wardens in the counties devoting their entire 

 time to the conservation of wildlife and doing a very fine job, 

 I could not see wherein the Extension Service could be of much 

 help in getting over the idea of wildlife conservation. I was 

 wrong in that I was presuming that the educational work back of 

 the movement for wildlife conservation was being carried forward 

 by the game commission when, as a matter of fact, it is primarily 

 a law-enforcement body. There is a large field for educational 

 work by other agencies. It is here that the extension workers can 

 come into the picture, doing much constructive work." 



In this short account of the place that wildlife conservation is talc- 

 ing in extension education, I have tried to show you the importance of this 

 activity in the land-use planning program which we are emphasising this year, 

 At the same time I have tried to give you a picture, necessarily incomplete, 

 of some of the activities which we are stressing, and which we are "bringing 

 particularly to the attention of local planning committees in order that 

 they may see the importance of such work in relation to their local situa- 

 tions and be able to use the results already obtained as a nucleus for 

 further work and recommendations in this field of wildlife conservation. 



DISTRIBUTION; A copy of this circular has been sent to each extension direc- 

 tor, extension editor, and to each agricultural-college library and experi- 

 ment-station library. 



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