Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-03-02
Meeting Held under Auspices of
Fish and Game League.
Addresses, illustrated Talks and Dis
cussions I'iII Busy Day. with Busi-
ness Session and banquet
in Evening.

ed as one of the most successful ever
held by the organization. While the
attendance at the convention was not
as large as others held in the history
OF the league. from an educational
standpoint there were never better
speakers on the conservation and
propa cation of fish, bird and animal
life. The session at The Strong the
atre in the afternoon was attended by
a large percentage of the children OF
the public schools. and the motion pic
ture reels added much to the unusually
instructive lectures. The reels of
William L. Finley. State biologist of
oregon. were little short of marvel
Gus. At the annual business meeting
in tho evening John w. Titcomb was
re elected president and the banquet
was attended by great success.
The morning session was opened on
the roof OF the Hotel Vermont and at
eleven o'clock, following all informal dis
cussioh by the wardens and the general
public, W. l.. McAtee of the United States
biological survey at Washington, ID. G..
gave an interesting address of the work
of the survey, touching especially on the
relation of the work relative to the pro-
| lection of bird life.
| The biological survey, he said. is. broad
| ly speaking. concerned with all the rcla-
lions of wild birds and mammals to the
people of the United States. The survey
I studies the distribution and migration
| the habits, food and economic value of
| these animals, and takes action to secure
| the preservation of useful species and
the destruction of injurious onea. The
fo,, nj, 1i,,pe
Investigations of the food habits of North
| American birds and mammals in relation
to agriculture. biological Investigations
| with special reference to the geographic
distribution of native animals and plants
| supervision of national bird and mammal
reservations, the preservation of the native
wild game, and the enforcement of the
Lacey act regulating the importation of
! birds and interstate shipment of game
and administration If the federal
migratory bird law. The work of tho
scientists who secure the data for these
! departments is by no means easy. and
Mr. McAtees stories " their trips were
of interest, especially that one telling of
the need Of a lizard diet in Mexico when
food ran short. From the various points
brought out in the address Of Mr. Nc
|
vey. it was very evident that the survey
Is working along many lines for the
! benefit OF sportsmen, and the speaker
made an appeal that in return the sports
men give the same hearty and much
| appreciated corporation that has so
materially aided it's work in the past.
| Following the address the speaker an
swered questions
AFTERNOON SESSION.
! The afternoon session was held at The
Strong theatre. Commissioner j. w.
Tttconlb calling the meeting to order
soon after two o'clock. While tho at
tendance was not very large at the OPEN
ing Of the meeting the theatre was well
Glled before adjournment the boy scouts
Of this city and the pupils OF the local
schools having received 4 special invita-
tion to attend.
The first address was given by George
d. Pratt, conservation commissioner of
the State of New York, who told Of the
work as conducted in that State along
the lines of preserving the forests and
animal life. He opened his address with
q brief outline of the officers necessary
to carry on the work, 1t has been the law
Of the State of late not to allow any
| deer to be shot that WAS not carrying
horns three inches or more in length.
| This he said had resulted in protecting
| human life for if hunter is close enough
to observe horns three inches in length
| he will not take a shot vt human
| form by mistake. Last year there was
but one fatal accident of the kind, with
only three wounded There were. how
ever g wounded by the careless use OF
fire arms. and the coming year the COM
mission expects to get our posters warm
ing all sportsmcn to be careful with fire
arms.
There are eleven fish latcheries under
the management of the State commits
sion and 645.OC0,Io0 fish were distributed
from them last year. New York wishes
to cooperate with Vermont in the plant
ing of white FISH IN Lake Chanlplain and
newt year plans to put 100000 In the
waters of the lake.
There are three game farms where
pheasants are raised and last year 500
chicks were distributed with mother hens
These are not supplied for any private
use but all who take them ~ raise mus
turn them lose at maturity This will il
time tend to make hunting for pheasants
possible all through the woods of the
State.
The forestry end of the commission ha,
a number of nurseries where pine ans
hemlock are raised. The State has lS0OJ
acres of forest land, of which 1890
acres have been burned over and are o
no use until they arc rc-planted. Their,
were 100000 trees set out last year, whicl
Is enough to cover but 5000 acres, hu
6, 600. 600 are expected to he set out thi.
year The forests must he preserved i
the water to quench the thirst of the cit,
of New York is to be conserved 1t i!
a matter OF education to teach the people
who are in the wlds not to set fires anC
; to be extraordinarily careful about the
camp fires and carclessly dropped
matches. Motion picture reels were thei
shown and described by the speaker
They showed the fish hatcheries ant
manner of planting the fry. and ast
, showed the great danger of the fores
fire and of methods Of lookout and fir,
hghting which are used in New Yorl
State with the result that the fires ar,
much scarcer than of old.
The next speaker was John Il. Burn
) ham, whose topic was AN Alaska Yukor
, Trip" His talk of the cold Northwes
was illustrated by stereopticon slides
and listening to tho talk was so interest
ing that ones imagination did not hav,
to he stretched to the point of brcakin.
to imagine clearly the hardships of thos,
, who made the rush to Alaska at the tim,
OF the gold rush in "a and '9S The rush
, said the speaker waS the largest long