Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1904-12-08
TO SAVE ANTELOPE.
PLAN FOR GAME PRESERVE IN
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
Like Those Of Yosemite and Yellow
stone Valleys to Be Conducted
and Controlled by the Gov
ernment.

None among the game animals Of the
continent is more attractive TO the
average Of mannlnd than the antelope.
Time was, and not long ago, when
herds Of these beautlIul creatures
rOamed at large over the western
plains. But OF late there has been a
notable decrease n the numbers or
the herds Like the buIfalo, it is fasr
dlsappearng But it seems likely,
says the ChlCaA0 ChrOn4c.e, tnat thls
heen-si ghted, Mariest ana 1leete5t OF all
American horned game vii be seen
aSaln in its O4dtIme haunts on the
eastern slopes Of the mountains Oh
southern California and on the con-
! uguOus strips of desert. Years ago
these DoaulluI anllnals, With tAelr odd
maj kings OF brown and gray, were .Ae
most conspicuous feature OF desert lie
in This section, Dul with the setting up
Of the adjaCent territory they Wore
rapidly l.Icl or driven south until to-
day probably not a half dozen bat
tered, SCARED, zone and mateleSS old
veterans are lett in the whole great
Colorado river Even up to the early
sos they are said to have been as
plentiful there as on the plains OF
New Mexico, Wyoming and Montana.
AS they have been quite as much
hunted in these districts as in south
ern California, and are holding their
own in spite Of the fact, it would seem
in, hn
latter section is due to some other
agency than that Of man-prObably the
drying up Of many of the old desert
water holes.
The recent succession OF wet years
in the southwest has called back to
life nearly all OF the old springs in the
desert and on the eastern sides, and 1t
has been decided to res;ock this sec
ton with a drove Of from ~ to 100
antelore These will be brought from
the northwest, probably from the big
herd n the Yellow stone national park,
in Wyoming. The latter herd now num-
bers nearly a thousand, and recently
since the rigid enforcement Of the
game laws by the federal authorities,
has increased at rapid rate, and 1t
Is not believed that this increase will
be materially checked by the removal
of a hundred or more animals to Cali
fOrnia
The first step in the cOnsummatiOn
OF this plan will be taken shortly oy
the biological survey Of the United
States department Of agriculture, where
the lines will be run for the bound
aries of a game preserve, to be con-
Quoted and controlled by the govern
ment after the manner OF those already
existing, snd about the Yosemite and
the Yellowstone. The boundaries OF
this preserve will coincide with those
Of the now existing forest reserva-
tons of Zeca lake, San Jacinto and
Trabuca, with large strip OF desert |
added, in which the antelope will also |
be protected. Inside these boundaries
guns will be absolutely forbidden, and
it will be penitentary offense to kill
game; onteide the hunter will be gov
erned by the state game laws, as en-
forced in other sections How this re-
serve will be patrOl!ed and the protec-
ton accomplished has not been def
nitely decided At first, however, it |
is likely that the number OF forest /
rangers will be increased and each |
given the double duty of game warden .
and forester. In time, if the game in
creases sufficiently to warrant it, a |
company Of cavalry will be detailed for
duty as in the other national parks.