238 
FOREST AND STREAM 
May, 1920 
FORESTRY AND GAME CONSERVATION 
THE PRESERVATION OF GAME ANIMALS, BIRDS AND FISH, AND THE ELIMINA- 
TION OF GAME VIOLATIONS IS AN IMPORTANT DUTY OF FOREST OFFICERS 
T HE Forest Service has charge of 
about 155 million acres of forest 
land which constitute the natural 
home of wild life of all kinds. It may 
safely be said that the National Forests 
and National Parks together contain the 
greater part of the big game that is 
left in the United States, outside of 
Alaska. Certainly they represent the 
future hope of game. 
The protection of game has been given 
recognition since the establishment of the 
National Forests, though greatest prog- 
ress has been made during the last six 
years or so. Game is recognized as one 
of the resources of the National Forests, 
and its protection and proper adminis- 
istration is given a place in connection 
with the various other natural resources. 
This point of view was expressed in 
the formal instructions, printed in the 
National Forest Manual, as follows: 
“Game is a product of the forests. 
It adds materially to the enjoyment 
of the National Forests by the public 
as well as to their possible economic 
uses. The preservation of game ani- 
mals, birds, and fish, and the elimi- 
nation of game violations, is an im- 
portant duty of forest officers. This 
is furthermore made incumbent upon 
the Forest Service by the act of 
May 23, 1908, which provided that 
all reasonable assistance in the pro- 
tection of game within the National 
Forests be given the State authori- 
ties. Failure to take an active part 
in game protection will be considered 
neglect of duty.” 
O NE of the cardinal principles of ad- 
■ministration of the National For- 
ests has been that of Coordinated 
use ; that is, the various resources are 
used in such a way that one will not con- 
flict with another, 
and all will be han- 
dled so as to secure 
a maximum of pub- 
lic benefits. Thus, 
forestry, water 
power, grazing, 
mining, recreation 
use, and wild life 
conservation are 
provided for side 
by side. Naturally, 
this means regu- 
lated use of each 
and such restric- 
tions upon each 
that it can be de- 
veloped without 
conflict with the 
use of the various 
other resources. 
Game and other 
wild life in the Na- 
tional Forests can 
By COL. HENRY S. GRAVES 
not be preserved without special protec- 
tion and intelligent care. 
There are too many destructive agen- 
cies working against wild life to permit 
the holding of the idea that somehow or 
other the game will take care of itself. 
This means that provision must be made 
for wild life, particularly game animals 
which require forage, like elk. The de- 
termination of how far grazing and other 
economic developments should be restrict- 
ed in order to provide for elk or other 
game animals can not be determined by 
any effort to weigh economic values ex- 
pressed in terms of money. Such economic 
value should of course be given con- 
sideration, but the final determination of 
the place of game must be based on broad 
judgment which considers every public 
service that is rendered by the existence 
of wild animals on the one hand, and the 
use of the same lands exclusively for do- 
mestic stock or other economic develop- 
ment on the other hand. 
T HE position of the Forest Service is 
that efficient game conservation re- 
quires planning, as well as efficient 
carrying out of game laws. Therefore, 
in administering the National Forests 
the Forest officers are working out defin- 
ite plans for each Forest, which will make 
provision for breeding refuges, summer 
and winter feeding grounds, and proper 
provisions for hunting. Naturally much 
of this planning is at its beginning, but 
effort is being made to foresee the needs 
before the economic development of other 
resources makes difficult proper provision 
for the game. 
Expressed in the formal instructions to 
Forest officers, the policy is: 
“Farseeing plans for game culture 
are essential for all the National 
Forests, particularly in those local- 
ities where there is a tendency to 
absorb into use areas which repre- 
sent those remaining available to 
game. Game needs must be consid- 
ered in making the final allotment of 
stock to such areas. The most ef- 
fective way now known for protect- 
ing and developing game is to set 
aside lands where the animals may 
breed unmolested, so the increase will 
be available for hunting outside such 
areas.” 
This principle of planning is being put 
into effect in the National Forests. Far- 
reaching plans are being made in connec- 
tion with the handling of the timber, 
grazing, and other resources, and the 
game constitutes an important chapter in 
every one of these plans. Already the 
grazing administration in many Forests 
is being modified at certain points to 
■meet the game requirements, as a result 
of this planning. 
I- I'! , 
T HE principle of setting aside game 
refuges for breeding purposes has 
been regarded as an important one. 
The theory of these refuges, however, 
is not to breed up an indefinite amount 
of game. It is rather to maintain an 
equilibrium of the capital stock of game 
which it is deemed possible and desirable 
to maintain on a Government Forest. Our 
theory is to locate game refuges intelli- 
gently, with reference to their usefulness 
in breeding game, having right condi- 
tions for feed and having them of ap- 
proximately the right size. I am op- 
posed to indiscriminate and unintelligent 
location of game refuges merely to be 
?ble to say that there is a certain area 
of so-called game refuges. 
The Forest Service is without adequate 
authority to set aside game refuges as 
we would like. We therefore have been 
using State author- 
ity to superimpose 
State Game Pre- 
serves on the Na- 
tional Forests 
where this seems 
desirable. There 
are now about 74 
State Game Pre- 
serves of this kind. 
This is in addition 
to three National 
Game Preserves. 
In the majority of 
cases they have 
been selected by 
the Forest Service 
and often estab- 
lished by the State 
Legislatures upon 
our recommenda- 
tion. In some in- 
( CONTINUED ON 
PAGE 284) 
