Evening star., 1924-07-20
WILD LIFE PROTECTION
U. S. Takes First Step in Comprehensive Scheme

| est natural spawning region in
the United States. 1t will increase
the natural hatcheries of game fish
800 per cent and greatly reduce the
cost.
| From the area in this authorized
purchase in six years time 9,041 900
game fish were sent to thirty differ
| ent States in the Union. This purchase
Will multiply the output of these fish
many times.
| Scientific bodies devoted to the
study of fish conservation claim that
| If protection is not given to the black
bass during the spawning season this
favorite of American game fishes will
| soon become extinct.
| Black Bass Different.
| The black bass is different from
any other American fish. 1t must
| select its own spawning bed, and II
cannot be stripped like trout, salmon,
or pike. There is no American fish so
popular. and 80 per cent of all fishing
tackle is made by the manufacturers
to take black bass. He is found in
all American fresh waters, ponds.
lakes and streams. The bass is found
under the frs and birches Of the st.
Lawrence basin, in the Everglades.
under the oyerhanging Spanish moss
of Florida, and in Louisiana, but his
principal and natural spawning place
is in the Mississippi River. the area
which this law seeks to preserve.
This region is designed by nature
especially for the conservation of the
bass, and he passes down the
mighty Mississippi River and enters
all it's tributaries he brings food and
he brings health to the smallest boy
and to the oldest man.
From these upper Mississippi
sloughs. swamps. creeks, lakes and
Fisheries during low water rescued
l4S,000,000 fish. such as pike, pickerel.
perch, crappie and suntish; and
40.00o.oO0 baby black bass. These
fish were shipped to stock the waters
of thirtytwo states.
The region is famous for its small
fur bearing animals. and during last
year more than 100000 worth of
peltS were trapped. Government
supervision will greatly increase the
output.
Used in Button Making.
The pearl button industry is de-
pendent for its preservation upon TINS
conservation measure. Few persons
realize that the black bass is essential
to the production of pearl buttons.
Some years ago it was found that
when the eggs of the fresh water
clans are thrown out in the water
they fasten on the gills OF the black
bass, aS-one stage Of development.
Then they fall to the bottom of the
stream and grow into shell fish. which
is the basis of the pearl button in
dustry. If this area was drained II
would mean the Wiping out not only
Of this breeding place for fish, but OF
| the pearl button industry.
In 1928 approximately 5000. 600 was
paid by this industry to Clammers il
! the upper river for mussel shells.
This amount can be increased under
! the new law.
The aquatic plant life of these bot
! tom lands is valuable and government
control would greatly increase the
yield of wild celery, wild rice. lotus
| and arroWroot because Of the proper
| protection of their natural habitats
Hearings on this legislation devel-
| oped that the 900 miles encompassed
| is of incalcu}able value as a breeding
| ground for waterfowl and feeding
ground during the northern and
| southern flights.
| Two hundred and sixty varieties OF
| song birds nest along the upper Mis-
! Sissippf, and ii is a ia amous sanctuary
| for insect t-eating birds.
| Value Placed High.
| The value Of the young black bass
distributed by the Bureau Of Fish
| cries from this region each year far
| exceeds the total cost of the reserva-
| tion, Congress was assured
| Representative Harry Il. Halves OF
| Missouri, who led the drive to have
| this law Passed for the Izaak Walton
| League Of some 100000 members.
/ DoIHIS out JHdl-
Posse ession by the National Govern
! ment will not interfere with naviga-
! ton or the water supply Of any OF
| the States.
! The present sloughs, marshes.
! ponds, lakes and streams act as Il
natural reservoir by holding floods
1 in leash and preventing the waters
/ from being precipitated to the lower
river in destructive floods.
There is no more beautiful section
! I'm the United States than the 500
miles Of river bottom land covered by
| this reserve. Artists and painters de-
| clare the natural scenery not only
! he equal of the Hudson, but surpass-
! ing it in beauty.
on each side Of the river there are
| bluffs, some of them as high as 1,S00
! feet, and the rugged beauty is beyond
| description.
The timber value of the islands and
! bottom lands in this district is great.
/ All types Of Woodland trees grow
there IN great quantity and very rap
/ idly-elm, ash. oak, willow. boNwood.
! cottonwood, walnut. hickory, maple.
! dOgWood, live oak and birch.
1t is impossible To approximate tn"
/ food value Of ducks, geese, brant,
/ Snipe. WcodCock. grouse and pheas-
| ants taken from this area. but they
are in the hundreds of thousands.
| There is no other natural wild life
| refuge established by the Federal
Government between the Rockies and
| AppalachianS the Canadian border
and Gulf of Mexico.