10 i HOB AU DU BYOUNS 8 Ue eee 
Conservation News and Notes 
By Dr. R. M. STRONG 
SAVING THE INDIANA DUNES. References to this subject have appeared 
under the heading Burns Ditch Harbor Proposal in the last seven numbers 
of the Audubon Bulletin. It has been decided by Indiana people working 
on the effort to save the Indiana Dunes not yet occupied by industry or 
residences, to adopt a positive policy and not one of negation. In keeping 
with this commendable viewpoint, the slogan of ‘“‘Save the Dunes!” has 
been adopted. 
Indiana women have developed an effective organization under the 
leadership of Mrs. Dorothy R. Buell of Ogden Dunes, called the “Save the 
Dunes Council.” They have published an attractive leaflet which has the 
caption “Save the Dunes before it’s too late!” They have also published a 
brochure with the title “Save the Dunes.” This supplements effectively 
the brochure published by the Indiana Dunes Preservation Council, which 
has the title, “Let Us Save the Dunes.” 
The publication of literature for extensive distribution involves con- 
siderable expense. Contributions of any size are solicited, and they should 
be sent to Mrs. Willard Butz, Box 952, Ogden Dunes, Gary 5, Indiana. 
Money will also be needed to acquire the property involved, and this will 
be no small sum. The November meeting of the Conservation Council was 
devoted to a third consideration of the project with Mrs. Buell, Mr. E. M. 
Kratz, and Mr. Floyd Swink as speakers. 
ft fi fl 
LAND GRABBING. A paper at the American Wildlife Conference last March 
by Mr. Cleveland van Dresser presented some startling facts concerning 
losses of our public lands. This was condensed in Conservation News for 
May 15, and some of the items in this condensed report are given here. 
About one million acres of public lands have passed into private owner- 
ship through flagrant misuse of laws governing the discovery and opera- 
tion of mines. Only 14 per cent of this land ever produced minerals in 
commercial quantities. Most of it was obtained fraudulently. Still more 
appalling, it is estimated that 300 million acres more of public lands are 
vulnerable to such misuse if our archaic mining laws (enacted in 1872) 
are not changed. Stockmen and lumbermen are the chief offenders, but 
persons with a variety of other enterprises have participated in the land 
grabbing. 
The National Forests have suffered most, but attacks have been made 
and are still being made on the National Parks, National Monuments, and 
Wildlife Refuges. This practice will continue until our mining laws have 
been properly altered and the machinery for enforcing them strengthened. 
Two remedies have been suggested. One is to separate surface rights 
from mining rights when granting mining claims. The other is to grant 
mining privileges on lease as is done with coal and petroleum. In any 
