the continued utilization of :*ange land for other pruposes leaves now no room 

 at all for the hereditary monarch of the prairies. • ■'' '•■ 



,....;■■ , '^ ; EXPLOIIATIOivT BIIA-GL6sIN& ■:.■./.' ' • . '- 



The -era of - wildl'iie exploitation is no v/ drawing to a -close* , Its last 

 stages ar-e marked "by' the iilcreasing determination manifested "by State and 

 Federal agencies, "by sp-ortsmen and conservationists^ and "by the general public 

 to apply methods and. administrative policies of a positive' nature for prevent-* 

 ing further unnecessary losses of ^^dldlife and for restoring the valuable spe- 

 cies to the maxim^uii- ahtmdance consistent vdth the conditions of a^, modern civi-- 

 lizatiohj. For 'many native American species the change' of attitude has come - 

 too .late to save them from extinction* The vanished species include, the great 

 aijki the Pallas, cormorant ^ the La'brador duck, the passenger pigeon,,, the heath- 

 henj the Eskimo .ciir lev/,- and the Carolina paroquet* Of the mammals ^ , the gi'anf 

 mink has gone' and the grizzly "bear has "been nearly exterminated in the United 

 States proper. Other species — 'the trumpeter . sv/an,- California condor ^ whooping 

 crane, and ivory~"billed woodpecker, to list a few of those threatened'-- may yet 

 "be added to that much lamented category of treasures forever lost, to usi ' 



Even though some' of these "birds and mammals still num'ber thousands- and 

 are common en.ough to suggest the idea of a"bundance', it is posai'ble that these' 

 long years, of • abuse have already inflicted fatal damage though the reduction 

 is less than the numbers annually destroyed by natural en,emies .and other 

 causes-. These inimical agencies include not only the predatory creatures but ■ 

 climatic conditions ,' starvation, drought, and disease. These infl,u,ences can 

 seldom be:..,defeated or nullified effectively by human interference , so. that a '-' 

 species still aLpparently numerous may actually be doomed to extermination and 

 be already beyond the' hope of rescue by aid of human deyices* 



It is estimated that there are about 234,000 elk nov; remaining on the 

 continent, 6,346»000 deer of all kinds, 153,000 bears, 100,000 wild turkeys, 

 and possibly,-. 100^000 ,000 v/ild ducks of all species. Comparison of these es- 

 timates vdth accounts of the wildlife resources present at the time of the 

 coming of the white man affords a dismal realization of the extent of the 

 damage done to what once v;as one of the richest resources of Slorth America, 



» 



WILDLII^ MAMG-Si^'ENT THE REMEDY , , ' 



But the situation is not so discouraging as these comparisons would, 

 seem to indicate on first analysis ♦ The fact that after 300 years of contln- ' 

 uous exploitation, neglect, and abuse there .still remain 'considerable popUla-- 

 tions of nearly ,all; common species demonstrates the amazing tenacity of the : 

 resource and suggests its profound recuperative povrer under more favorable 

 conditions, ¥. L, McAtee, of the Fish and Wildlife Service, gives a vivid 

 description of the ability 'of most .species to multiply when freed from destruc- 

 tive influences* He states, "The most important factor bearing upon wildlife 

 management is the amazing reproductive ^capacity of living, things.. . .to aid, 

 efforts to increase .wildlife there is available a reproductive force, almost ,' 

 explosive in its intensity*'' 



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