Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-02-04

recreation to hundreds of people every
summer.
| would recommend that Hepburn
park be made a game preserve. 1t has
all of the natural environments for a
preserve and can soon be stocked to
capacity with various special of ami
mails. 1t should also be made unlaw-
ful to discharge firearms within tho
park.
The department has had preliminary
road surveys made. Between $4,000
and $4,000 worth of timber will be
sold. and during the next two years
will be expended to build roads and
docks to beautify the park.
FISH SCREENS.
More fish pass from canals and If.
rigation bitches into the alfalfa fields
of this state every year than are
caught with hook and line by the
sportsmen of Idaho. This remarkable
situation brings wildly to mind the
urgent necessity for the screening of
canal and ditch outlets. 1t Is one OF
the most difficult problems this de-
partment has had to solve. After de-
llberating on it carefully, investigating
conditions in all parts of the state.
and realizing that millions Of our fish
are lost annually without proper pro-
lection, l have concluded to recon-
| mend to the Legislature that an ade-
quate screening law be passed. and II
method provided to raise such funds
, as are necessary for this purpose.
Our present law is impracticable and
ambiguous. 1t has left the department
with its hands tied. Under present
! "a.
f, pass from streams, lakes and reser-
voirs into canals, millions of them are
lost when the headgates are shut
down. leaving them stranded in the
canals. In the Deer Flat reservoir of
the Boise project, for instance, last
! year the water was shut off from the
main canals, and only the combined
efforts of the department and sports
men who volunteered their services.
saved millions Of bass and perch. which
were later planted in streams and
lakes. If these canals and the reser-
! volr outlets were properly screened
this would not happen. Many other in
stances of loss Of fish could be cited.
Countless fish every season pass
through the canals, into laterals ara
bitches, and finally into irrigated
fields, where they die. great major
ty Of them could be saved by proper
screens.
FISH HATCHERlES.
The four hatcheries under the fur
isdiction of the fish and game depart
ment should be consolidated and two
large hatcheries maintained in the fu-
ture. and this ] would also recommend.
There are several reasons for this
| a
the impractieabillty of building
spawning ponds with any certainty of
results, either at Warm River or the
| Occur d'Alene hatcheres: and second.
the Warm River hatchery is located 90
miles from railroad and is in from
! four to seven feet of snow every win
ter, and cannot be operated successful
| ~. Eggs come at time of year when
! the roads are bad and the weather
stormy.
T he other two hatcheries are located
at Standpoint in northern Idaho and
Hay Spur in the southern part Of the
state. | would recommend that they
be maintained. enlarged and improved
to care for the work that is being done
by the other hatcheries. The Hay
Spur hatchery is in Blaine county. the
Warm River at Ffshatc:l In Fremont
county, the Occur d'Aelene on the
shores OF Lake Occur d Atene in Koo-
tenai county, and the other at Sand
point on the Pend d'Oreille lake In
Bonner county. These hatcheries arc
all in splendid condition. They were
repaired and painted last year. Spawn
ing and rearing ponds were built at
both the Standpoint and Hay Spur
hatcherics fer the purpose of stocking
with spawners.