

U. S, F. S. RECElVti 

 LIBRARY 



FEB 14 1939 



United States Department cf Agriculture 

 Bureau of Biolngical Survey 



Wildlife Research and Management Leaflet SS-126 



Washington, D, C, 



re'bruary 1939 



HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE CJ AiffiRICAN WILDLIFS; II 



1/ 



Trends from Exploitation to Eepitcration 

 By H, F, Sheldon, Chief, Division of Fublic Relations 



Contents 



Page 

 Wildlife needs ignored during 



develoi:;ment period, .■ . . . 1 

 Awakenin^^- to the menace to the 



resoui'ce 2 



Planning for wildlife restora- 

 tion 3 



Page 

 Fact-finding "basis for plans. . 4 

 Development of wildlife-pro- 

 tective legislation 5 



Attitude favorable to restora- 



tifn as government functii^n, 6 



Wildlife Needs Ignored During Development Period 



From the time when the first activities "by white men toward the 

 colonization and settlement of the wild lands of North America were first 

 undertaken, the greatest efforts and the "b.'st intelligence of the increas- 

 ing population have "ooen directed toward colvirg those pro"bleras that con- 

 cern man in his relations to his fellowG« i»-w,.r;'icans have diopla;^-ed vision 

 and a'bility to £:ntic:'pate the needs and stresses of the fut-irre- Dicst con- 

 vincingly in their dovelopment and application of social and political 

 principles. They have created a jTorm of goverrjaent in conicrmity with 

 their convictions of liberty and equality among men that has "been of puf- 

 ficiont strength to maintain the country's position among ofner nations of 

 the world, "but in accomplishing these things another relationship of fun- 

 damental importance wr.s for a long time ignored. For centuries America 

 sent few am^bassadors to Nat-are, within whose realms lie the nation's most 

 profound interests and responsi"bilities. Laws have been made, institu- 

 tions raised, universities established, and long wars fought to preserve 



!_/ Note: This is the second of a series prepared especially for 

 use in schools, to present facts in the development of various phases of 

 wildli:fe conservation and restoration; the first (Loaflet BS-lOv^ in this 

 series): discussed the era of wildlife exploitation. 



