Evening star., 1924-12-13
RECREATION GROUP
BACKS ARBORETUM
Views Project Here as Slim.
uIuS for HeaIthfuI Out
door Activities.

When the next Nationaly1Confer-
ence on Outdoor Recreation conyenes
here some time in May, it will have
placed before it for consideration a
definite program for the inauguration
of steps to bring healthful outdoor
recreation within the reach of Ameri-
cans in every walk of life.
This was assured yesterday when
the advisory council. appointed by
the Presidents Conference on Out
door Recreation here a year ago, con-
cluded two-day session at the
American Red Cross building with
the adoption of a plan that clothed
the executive committee with broad
powers to work during the Winter
A striking example of what the
council hopes to see accomplished
from one end of the country to the
other was found in the unanimous
adoption of a resolution fully and
unreservedly" approving the estab-
lishment of national arboretum"
here for the propagation of trees
and plants. 1t is such parks as this,
Municipal State and National, that
the members of the council and the
National Conference, representing
12S prominent organizations, want
created. The resolution follows:
Stimulant for Recreation.
"The advisory council of the Ma
tiona1 Conference on Outdoor Recre-
alton fully and unreservedly approves
the proposal that there be established
at the National Capital, under the au-
thority of the Secretary of Agricul-
ture, a national arboretum for the
propagation of trees and plants. With
IF
der competent scientific direction,
such an arboretum will not only con-
tribute enormously to the progress of
agriculture and horticulture, but it
will render service of Importance in
public education and in the stimula-
tfon of healthful outdoor recreation.
This council especially approves the
proposal of former Secretary of
Agriculture that one Of the features
of the arboretum be the preservation
of an island of the original wild rice
marsh of the Anacostia River, on
which rice birds and other migratory
birds can find the same safe refuge
and satisfactory feeding ground in
future years as in the past. This
council also urges that when the ma
tional arboretum is established spe-
cial consideration be given to the
protection of our native plants and to
the development of an adequate
knowledge of their care and propaga-
tion"
The various phases of the research
and fact-finding operations that are
to be carried out between now and
next May were placed in the hands
Of five committees, as follows: Com
mittee on education, committee on
human relations, committee on play
grounds and athletic activities, COM
mittee on land policies and committee
on wild life.
Must Survey Resources.
Both Secretary of Commerce Hoover,
a member of the Presidents commit
tee on outdoor recreation, and Col.
Theodore Roosevelt, executive secre-
tary, told the advisory council during
it's sessions that before it can hope
to accomplish the work President
Coolidge set for it-that Of bringing
outdoor recreation to every American
community-it must take stock of the
country's natural outdoor resources.
Secretary Hoover pointed out that
in order to make these resources,
lated and known, useful to the citizen,
the conference must thoroughly un-
derstand the manner in which it
wishes to make use Of these lands.
It was to determine these facts that
the advisory council named the above
committee, which will present their
reports to the national conference
next May.
The chairman Of each Of these COM
mittees is to be a member of the ex-
ecutive committee, and the person
mel of each is to be appointed by
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