TH ieee Ue Law Bi OgN te B Ori belo UN 15 
Burns Ditch Harbor Proposal. It is reported that this scheme has had 
a setback through failure of Congress to appropriate the funds needed 
for the survey, which was the subject of the hearing in Washington last 
January before the Bureau of Engineers for Rivers and Harbors. It is 
of interest that two representatives of the National Park Service made a 
“recreational reconnaissance” of the region on June 28 at the suggestion 
of the Chicago District Engineer, U. S. Corps of Engineers. The investi- 
gators accompanied by Dr. O. D. Frank and Mr. E. M. Kratz, vice-chairman 
of the Indiana Dunes Preservation Council. I had not yet heard the re- 
sults of this inspection when this was written. An effort was made to con- 
tact me but I was out of town and could not be reached. I am sorry to 
have missed the occasion, but we had good supporters in the two men men- 
tioned above. 
If we do not succeed in getting a preserve in the region between Ogden 
Dunes and Dune Acres, the next best development of this region seems 
to be for residential purposes. However, residential use of the region would 
not serve the general public, and most of the natural history advantages 
would be lost. It would be better than commercial development because 
there would not be the danger to the Indiana Dunes State Park from 
wastes and fumes produced by factories. The problem of saving this mag- 
nificent dunes region between Ogden Dunes and Dunes Acres is now up to 
the public. 
FI FI Ft 
Illinois State Parks. A bill transferring the Division of Parks from 
the Department of Public Works to the Department of Conservation was 
passed in the last weeks of the last session of the Illinois state legislature. 
This transfer had been recommended by the Schaefer Commission, and it 
had the support of Governor Stevenson. 
During the summer of 1950, Governor Adlai E. Stevenson appointed 
an advisory natural history committee for the Illinois Beach State Park 
with nine members and myself as chairman. This group is also part of 
the Illinois Beach Park Preservation Association. The preliminary or- 
ganization work has now been completed. Preservation of the area south of 
Dead river as a sanctuary is one of the main objects. This ideal has the 
support of the state and of the Chicago Regional Planning Association, 
yet there are persons who would like to have the whole park opened up to 
recreation and who would sacrifice the nature sanctuary ideal. Constant 
vigilance is necessary to prevent selfish developments in the region. 
iG eit ft 
Waterfowl Population. According to a release by the Fish and Wildlife 
Service dated March 21, the 1951 annual inventory of North America’s 
waterfowl population, conducted on March 1-3 on the wintering grounds 
of the birds showed an upward trend which was thought sufficient to about 
offset the deeline reported in the 1950 inventory. 
Ducks comprised about 75 percent of the population; geese, 13 percent; 
coots, about 8 percent; brants and swans, less than 1 percent. The in- 
