V*0T4 1 T ED^TAT E S 

 'D'fPARTMENT 

 OP AGRICULTU 



OFJ%ieE OE^ 

 IK FORM ATION-^ 



TITH UNCLE SAI.i'S NATURALISTS * 

 Speaking Time: 10 Minutes, 



NOT FOH PUBLICATION 



RJH'.FASS F r iday. Axugust 28. 1951 

 RE 1 V D 



^ SEP ? 1931 ^ 1 



AN1T0UNCEI.{ENT ; Nqw let's "^o forth under the open sl<ty and 



l ist- t ;i_t'Int-ttrf ' s 

 ;uralists of the 



teachings" as interpreted to our ^ildsnian by Uncle S? 

 United States Department of Agriculture. They have been giving him a bird's- 

 eye view — • or rather a duck's-eye view, of the drought. And it is aji^'^thing 

 but a pretty view Isn't that right, Mr. !7ildsraan? 



Yes, I've been going over some of the reports which have been made to 

 the United States Biological Survey on the effects of the drought on water- 

 f owl. 



In iiontana one of the Biological Survey scouts found that 75 per cent 

 of the ponds, sloughs, and shallow lakes, which are the natural breeding 

 grounds, \7ere dry. 



And remember a duck out of water is not only a duck out of water, but a 

 duck out of food and water. TThen the waters get low in many cases the plants 

 ducks feed on are IcLlled off. Tliat old expression "like a duck out of water" 

 has its truly tragic significance. 



G-arae wardens in South Dakota have reported they can't find any mallards 

 in areas where plenty of mallards have nested heretofore. South Dakota this 

 year will probably produce only n,bout lialf as many mallards as usiial. 



Similar word comes from the great duck marshes of eastern Oregon and 

 Washington. On many d\ick lakes in the sandhills of Nebraska the hatch of 

 ducks this year was reported as a total loss. 



Even on the great Bear River Marshes at the north end of Great Salt 

 Lake, Utah, the year's duck crop is only half of last year, and last year was 

 a bad year. 



During the breeding season last spring water T?as almost totally absent 

 in practically all our important ^ildfowl nurseries. In fact, Mr. F.C. Lin- 

 coln, of the Brircau of Biological Survey, has sur.mcd -up the situation as the 

 most serious in the entire history of ducks on this continent. . 



Of course, you all know, . that rtiile we have some important nesting 

 grounds for waterfowl in this country, most of the ducks wo depend on for our 

 shooting really cone from Canada. - 



