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The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge 
By Mrs. MARGARET M. NICE 
THE WICHITA MOUNTAINS National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma is a 
wonderful place. With its ancient mountains of granite boulders rising 
steeply from the prairie, with its cedars and oaks and tall native grasses, 
it is the haunt of exquisite wild flowers and of rare birds — the rock wren 
and rock sparrow and incomparable canyon wren. It is also the home of a 
thousand buffalo, two hundred elk, and some 1300 white tailed deer, as 
well as many wild turkeys. Moreover, it preserves the largest herd of long- 
horn steers in the country — 350 of these spectacular creatures — some 
white, some black, some red, some spotted in different patterns. 
The Wichitas constitute our very finest National Wildlife Refuge. It is 
also by far the finest natural area in Oklahoma and for hundreds of miles 
in all directions. During 1954 nearly 800,000 people visited the Refuge. And 
now the Army is demanding 10,700 acres — more than a sixth of the area 
— for an artillery range. This is the very best part of the refuge, con- 
taining the finest mountains, the most beautiful of the lakes, the most 
spectacular of the canyons. The ultimate intention is to swallow the 
whole refuge. 
The Army does not need this land. Let them move their big guns to Fort 
Bliss in Texas where they have just acquired 647,000 additional acres. Or to 
the huge bases in Nevada. The function of the Army is to protect us and 
our most valued possessions — not to destroy deliberately the unique 
beauty of our country and its wild life. It was reported erroneously in the 
September, 1955 Audubon Bulletin that the Army Public Works Bill had 
given part of the Wichitas to the Army. Fortunately, this was not the 
case, and we still have some hope of saving this unique area. 
The Secretary of the Interior, Douglas McKay, has refused to hand 
over the Wichitas to the Army. But just this month bills have been in- 
troduced in Congress which would take the 10,700 acre tract from the 
Refuge and give it to the Secretary of the Army for use as part of the 
Fort Sill artillery school. These bills are H.R. 9665, by Congressman Victor 
Wickersham, and 8. 3360, by Senators Mike Monroney and Robert S. Kerr, 
all members of the Oklahoma delegation. 
The only chance conservationists have of saving the very best part of 
the Wichita Wildlife Refuge is to write in protest. Write to Congressman 
Herbert C. Bonner, Chairman of the House Committee on Merchant Marine 
and Fisheries, expressing your opposition to H.R. 9665. Write to Senator 
Richard B. Russell, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, 
objecting to S. 3660. And write to your Congressmen and Senators, telling 
them of earnest objections to both of these bills, and request that they 
personally contact members of the House and Senate committees to express 
your feelings. 
Let your representatives know what you think of the Army’s attacks 
on the Wichitas and other wildlife refuges. Send your letters, and get 
others to write. Do this now. By concerted action we saved Echo Park; 
we must not let our refuges be destroyed. 
5725 S. Harper Ave., Chicago 37, Ill. 
