R-USH 



.2- 



9/27/29 



But protection from hunters is just one phase of garne protection. In 

 time past, we have token the attitude that wild life can shift for itself; — 

 that Nature will look after its own. But who has "been looking out after ^ature? 



You have all heard the stories of the olde* folks ahout how plentiful 

 certr.in "birds and other game used to be. And even ellowing for the tendency of 

 some folks to stretch a good story, the difference in the supply then and now . 

 is reraarkrhle. 



That is, it is remarkable, until you begin to thihlc how we have been crowd- 

 ing out the wild spots with our cities and farms. In fact, we have often drained 

 marshes for fr.rm land, when we had better left them as they Were, 



As a result, we have used up many of the breeding and feeding and rostiiig 

 grounds of our wild ducks and other game birds. For that reason, the State and 

 Federal Governments have passed laws setting aside game refuges. 



As you know, from your own dealing with them, birds and other gome, se'em 

 to find out soon where they are safe. They quickly avail themselves of the pro- 

 tection offered these government reservations. 



The United States Biological Survey now has 83 gar^e and bird reser^/ations 

 under its control. Many of them are along our southern Atlantic and G-uLf Coasts, 

 Mr. Earnshaw tells me. ^n fact, the President has recently added another bird 

 ref-uge off the west coast of -Florida. Some islands in the group known as Cedar 

 Keys have been set aside as a nesting and wintering ground for several speciesc 

 of aquatic birds. It is now unlawful to hunt or trap any wild animal or bird '.■ 

 on the islands of that refuge. 



But more important from the sportman's standpoint is that migratory-bird 

 refuge at Bear Eiver Bay, on Great Salt Lake, in Utah, authorized by Congress. 



The site of that refuge is the greo.test wild-fowl area in the Rocky 

 Mountain region. Every year thousands of ducks and geese and other migratory 

 Isirds stop there but many are lost from alkali poisoning. Construction work 

 is UQderway to supply fresh water to the broad marginal flats of the area for 

 the correction of this adverse condition, ^e Bear River refuge is a great 

 game reservoir for eleven Western States and the development of more favorr,ble 

 conditions for the birds at that point will be of great benefit to the whole 

 region. 



And there you have one of the most important ideas about these gnme refuges 

 especially those for migratory birds, like wild ducks and geese, ^e refuges 

 serve as sources of supply of grjne for hunters over a wide stretch of country. 



Bird routes from aany directions converge at such favorable feeding 

 grotmds. The birds of paser^e that furnish the game for hunters in distant 

 States may depend upon such refuges for the preservation of their species. 



Another of the most important of our new game refuges is the Upper 

 Mississippi River ^ild Life and Eish Refuge, which extends for 300 miles along 

 the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois, and Wabash, Minnesota. 



