Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-03
RESTORE SLAIN BIRD RACES
Presidents Grant of bird HRvens
Grasped rs Great Chance fer the
Audubon workers,

NFw York, Sept. 2-To insure per-
petual home refugees to many millions of
the dying races of Americas water fowl
two of the largest bird reservations IN the
world have today been turned over by the
government 20 the care of the National
Association of Audubon societies in this
city. Almost 300 square miles Of the most
thickiy populated haunts of water birds or
this continent are included in these two
tracts IN Oregon and California about the
Klamath Malheu and Harvey lakes.
Where en- army of the worlds plume and
market hunters have practically extermi-
mated the white heron. grebes, terms, ducks.
GEESE and pelicans of this once prolific re-
Eion at profits OF thousands of dollars a
week. the Audubon officials declared today
they could restore whole races OF the
STAGGERED wild fowl. IL the people of the
country would rally behind them in this
late chance for some restitution of the
nations winged resources.
For three years at frequent intervals two
daring explorers of the Audubon associa-
ton have been Drawing the dangers of
nature and the wild poacher bands in this
remote region to secure the
upon which the president has quickly acted.
Pushing about by automobile, canvass
canoe and raft. Finley and Bohlman, both
expert ornithologists, have eagerly sought
TO master the secrets of these Wild haunts
of the birds and their butchers. Today
their reports have convinced the authorl-
ties that their task has been accomplished
not n minute too soon. Where a few years
ago the commercial hunters admit making
5000 in one summer by the slaughter of
the aig1 et-bearing heron, scarcely "A single
specimen of this beautiful bird could be
an -. - .AA.-I M ,f1HZ.1
breasted grebe still survives throughout
these important Breeding g~aunds, though
It's TayeYsssonFes toTsfHgR shipments of
its tiny skins worth $4,000.
From the Klamath region alone, hun
dreds Of tons OF butchered ducks have been
d shipped to market in recent years, the
Audubon officials assert, some l2O, tons OF
their carcasses having been removed from
this breeding ground in the season of 1906.
! Slau entering $50 ducks a day, each member
of the gangs that infest tho region have
sent a constant procession of wagonloads
of their prey away for many years. In
spite of this ceaseless carnage, however,
1t has been fOund that ducks, geese, terms,
cormorant grebes, pelicans. great blue
heron and gulls still frequent these, their
natural homes in the breeding season and
still greater hosts during the vernal and
fall migrating periods.
To retake for the birds their ancestral
homing grounds from the desperate force
of poachsrs that still infest the region and
threatens violence to all bird guards, q
force Of hardy wardens and a little fleet
of stout boats must be at once sent to the
front by the Audubon workers. Every
inch OF the Businesses over which the wild
fowl have trustfully strewn their eggs must
be carefully guarded at all times, in wind
and weather. Though every resource OF
the association Is taxed today to maintain
the scores of similar reservations upon
which the work OF restoring the country's
water fowl Is being pushed, its officers
declared today that they did not despair
Of rising to this greatest opportunity OF
all which has just been opened to them.
"Pestilence and plague is staring tn,
\ whole county in the face with the alarm
ing decrease of natures scayengers, IN.
water fowl, while market butcher.