The independent-reporter., 1910-07-28
NATURAL RESOURCES
ENRICH MAINE
Sentiment Grows in Fa-
vor of Conservation
Realized $eO,OOO,OOO In 1909, Ought to
be $f0O, O,O00,O 900 In 20 Years Says
Bracket.

"The early angler and the fall hunt
er left about $20000.0O0 In Maine In
1909. In 20 years from now Maine
ought to realize $100000,000 a year
from the same sources"
This statement Ia ventured by Hon
James w. Bracket, the newly ap-
pointed chairman of the State Fish
and Game commission.
Coming to Maine many years ago
Mr.. Bracket settled in Phillips and
has since been intimately connected
with the history of that town, as we'll
as with the sporting interests of the
entire State. He has served the town
in the Legislature and for the past
five years has been an important fac
tor of the Fish and Game commission.
Since his appointment he has done
much toward bringing about a better
understanding with the agricultural
classes.
Our great north country brings
OuoihCoo w tiAC DNdlC lhaI IN Va iAAA
mense value" Mr.. Bracket says.
Maine Is to be the summer resort
playground of the nation and our
business and income In that line are
increasing immensely each year. The
value of our forests, lakes and
streams to Maine is beyond estimate;
therefore, it is Of the highest i'm
portance that these great natural re-
sources be conserved. In our haste
to get rich the American people are
too much inclined to overlook the re-
suit that the future Is sure to bring
forth and our race for ready cash has
the effect of denuding our forests at
great expense in wasted lumber,
while our streams, and in turn our
lakes and ponds are lowered for want
distributed timber growth. We must
gradually and not too gradually,
adopt methods similar to those sue
cessfully practiced in Germany Swift
erland, and England, to conserve our
natural resources, and it is pleasant
to note that Maine sentiment follow
ing the insistent suggestions by Gov
ernor Fernald, and the work of our
forestry and water power commits
sions, is crystallizing in favor of con-
servation.
"The situation with reference to the
big game of our forests is encourag-
ing for the future. The moose hunt
er has of late been inclined to pass us
by in favor of New Brunswick or
Quebec, because big heads are not
quite so plentiful in Maine as they
have been in the past. But there Is,
no doubt a steady increase in the
number Of young bulls and cows, and
beyond doubt there will be plenty of
big heads for the future moose hunt
ers, provided, of course, that we fur
nish proper protection.
Il find insufficient evidence to sup
port the more or less prevalent idea
that there is a general decrease in
the number of deer in Maine; that
there are localities where the natural
feed of the deer has grown scarce,
causing the deer to move, firmly be-
lieve. But there are reliable reports
from other localities that there Is a
steady increase, and more deer, and
more signs of deer are seen today
than ever before.
Col. F. e. Boothby, general pas
senger and ticket agent of the Maine
Central railroad, Is authority for the
statement that more deer were
shipped from the various stations of
the Maine Central in 1909 than In
1908, and the Bangor & Aroostook fig
ures are practically the same. To
further assist in making an intelli-
gent estimate of the number of deer
killed, Col Boothby proposes to have
the station agents of the Maine Cen
tral railroad keep a record of all
deer killed in their territory
next fall, whether they are shipped
or not. The past winter was so mild
in northern Maine, and there was SO
little snow, that the deer did not
yard at all until February, but roam
ed through the woods the same as
they do In summer, picking their feed
at Will and continuing to grow fat
We are assured that, barring unex-
pected disease, there will be far less
mortality among the deer this year
than usual, and there should be at
least as many deer in the woods next
fall as there were last
THAT there will be q decrease in
the deer supply of Maine sooner or
later we can confidently expect
Black tongue the much-dreaded dis
ease, cold and starvation, or gen
eral exodus for fear of wolves (if the
wolves should ever return to Maine)
are among the possibilities of the
future, and 1t Is incumbent upon
those who are anxious for the deer
to remain with us to be prepared for
a sudden change of policy with ref
erence to their protection, in case of
emergency.
THE question of reimbursement of
land owners for actual damage done
to their crops by deer Is of the utmost
importance as bearing upon the prob
able future attitude of the owners of
cultivated land toward the protection
of big game. The citizens OF the
State receive a large amount of mon
ey from people who hunt deer in
open time. Non-resdents pay many
thousands of dollars for licenses to
shoot deer and other game and by
that means, and by direct appropri-
alton, the fish and game department
has yearly fund nearing the $780,
In. Gra,,