to the point where they had barely: enough for the spring seeding. All the 
Indians were clamoring for aid, and in order to save their last crop of corn 
it was necessary to detail a Boron with four or five ECW Indians to go from 
farm to farm and conduct rodent-control operations. 
The Forest Service is endeavoring to carry on a reforestation program 
throughout much of the cutsover area in the Lake States and the Pacific North- 
west. One of the chief problems to successful reforestation is the control of 
rodents, particularly the snowshoe hare, In the Olympic Forest in Washington, 
the snowshoe hare has destroyed as much as 40 percent and damaged 70 percent 
of the Douglas fir seedlings, In Michigan and Wisconsin, it was necessary to 
carry on extensive rodent~control operations to permit the seedlings to, survive, 
Much of this work would never have been possible but for ECW, 
In the open Meine Pivlameblts have become-a serious pest. -The Biological 
Survey, in 1954, received a petition from-eastern Colorado, bearing the signa-— 
tures of more than 9,000 individuals, requesting-Government aid in killing 
rabbits, which were ravaging the meager stocks of forage left after oreney 
and wind had taken their toll. ; 
The Forest Servive has realized that rodent control must be one of the 
major projects if the Shelterbelt program of planting trees from the Canadian 
border in Texas is to be effective, and in 1935 approximately one-tenth of its 
entire appropriation for this purpose was expended for rodent control under the 
supervision of the Biological Survey. Crews patrol the planted areas constantly 
to prevent the gnawing of the seedlings by jack rabbits and pooket gophers. 
The most concrete proof of the necessity of rodent control is found in 
the amount of money expended by private individuals throughout the West for 
this purpose. The Federal Government, while owning as much as 60 percent of 
the land throughout many of the Western States, contributes only about 25 per- 
cent of the total cost of rodent-control operations. During the fiscal year 
1935, States, counties, and private individuals expended $553,779 for the 
purpose, while the Biological Survey was able to expend only $185,973 from 
regular appropriations, The ECW program afforded the first opportunity of 
somewhere near meeting the Pederal Government's obligations to the citizens 
of the West in the matter of adequately controlling the rodent pests that 
breed and range on public lands and infest and reinfest private holdings. 
The permanent benefits accruing from the ECW rodent-—control program 
have been enormous from the standpoint of erosion control alone,. An associate 
range examiner of the Forest Service has the following to say regarding the 
effect of rodents on erosion in the Boise watershed of Idaho, 
"Rodents, numerous and spreading over nearly 80 percent of the Boise 
Watershed, have undoubtedly been responsible for no small part of the present 
erosion, Wholly dependent upon the herbaceous plants for their food supply, 
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