The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1909-05-01
SAVE THE BEAVER"
Vernon Bailey Game Expert, Talks Of
Michigan Situation.


does not renew the law protecting
beaver. The only solid opposition to
their protection lies In the intense
desire OF trappers to make roll of
money. Every other alleged ground Of
objection is fictitious. and You may put
that as coming from me. fiat. Here
is picture Of what will happen IL the
present law is not re-enacted
by treir marvellous building operations
Their ingenious houses are constructed
before your eyes aud while you wait
In time this may be- reasonably ex
pceted in Michigan with proper pro-
lection. And this added attraction is
not to be despised by state which
profits 20 largely from summer visitors.
"On the morning of January 1. 1911
a full week before the Legislature
meets again, the trappers all through
the upper part Of the lower peninsula
and in the entire upper peninsula will
tear small holes In the beaver dams
by those holes they will set their traps
AT night the beavers will try to repair
those holes in the dams. and they will
get caught. Twenty or thirty days OF
this will practically exterminate the
beaver in Michigan. for the beavers
are the easiest to catch Of all profitable
fur bearing animals. Early in the
session the Legislature Of 1911 may pass
protective law, but the harm will
have been done, and the past ten years
Of protection will have gone for notn-
ing.
"If there is agitation against the
beaver it originates in the selfish in
terest Of the trappers, most of whom
either are lumbermen themselves or
nave acquaintance among lumbermen
These trappers have caught beaver i'll.
icitly in the upper peninsula and have
sold them TO the saloons of Marquette.
That / have on definite information.
They have likewise told to lumbermen
great tales about the damage which
the beaver were doing to timber. But
in all this agitation they have forgot
ten To bring into prominence the fact
that, with the expiration OF protec-
tive law. they will put into their
pockets lot Of easy money
THE case against the beaver is
based upon two separate charges that
he cuts down valuable timber and that
ne builds dams To the first the beav-
er pleads not guilty and since he IL
dumb / shall enter the plea for him.
To the second the beaver cheerfully
pleads guilty and is very proud to
throw himself upon the mercy of the
court This talk is the veriest bosh.
"While on wolf expeditions in the
upper peninsula watched particularly
for the beavers work. saw that they
} had cut willows, poplars. aspens, and
water birches OF small size. but Their,
} was on damage OF the hardwoods OF
valuable conifers. Absolutely the only
} timber interests that have the least
} real case on this score ars pulp mills a
} the 500 and all the beavers in Mich
! gan do not begin to cut az much sof
J wood in a year az one of pulp mill
0 consume in ten hours. So far as lum
D bermen are concerned the case fall
) Hat.
The beaver does build dams an,
o ! IN glad of It. Sometimes his dam
tronbIa tho I,,n harpoan ,yhn nj
to run logs down stream, and, forget
o full of the philosophy Of it all, they be
come angry and wish the beavers in
y place where water turns TO steam
z Never was there greater mistake.
d would pay the lumbermen TO make
q hole in the dam of sufficient size to le
the logs through and this would TAX
% a comparatively short time The fac
i: is that the beaver when left alone vii
!. do for the lumberman precisely wha
!. they otherwise must do for themselves
Lumbormen in countless cases mus
y have dams in order 10 get their log
o ont It Is the part OF wisdom 10
l. them TO take advantage OF the beave
J. dams and in sheer gratitude to pu
up with such little Inconvenience a
e those dams occasion. IL Is even claim
ed that the water power companies !
y some cases dislike the beaver dams be
l. cause they hold the water back.
|. --"Perhaps the time will come som
70 day when the beaver will get his jus
j, due as great conserver Of water. 0
every stream where he lives he doe
y the samos sort of work as the govern
Il ment Is doing for its great reclamatio
I. projects in the west He stores u
" water in the time of freshets and hi
"a dams let the floods down gradually !
* Zine Of little rain.
ut is my judgement that on man
" beaverless streams the volume of fio'
10 Iostkla