The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1927-05-27
BY w. T. cox

BY w. T. COX
Some millions of Americans have
heard of the great National Wild Life
Refuge being built up on the Upper
Mississippi River. Conservationists
and ,sportsmen do not need to be told
that there was urgent need for the
establishment Of such a Refuge. The
gradual, in some cases tragic, dimin-
ution in the number of wild creatures
OF various kinds has awakened the
public to the urgent necessity for ac-
ton to save our game and fish and
fur-bearing animals before It Is too
late. We have long needed a great
object lesson like the Upper Missis-
sippi River Refuge which, for this
country, is in reality new type of
public forest managed with a view to
the fullest protection, development
and use of all the resources inherent
in wild land and waters.
Fortunately an almost ideal strip of
country remained available for the
very purpose in mind. 1t was situated
in the right part of the country, It
extended in the right direction and
served as the natural route of flight
for our wild fowl in migration. 1t had
once been great game and fur dis
trict teeming also with fish. 1t offered
opportunities for rehabilitation in
these respects and could be obtained
at a reasonable cost. On top of all
this the strip Of country so peculiarly
and outstandingly adapted for the
purpose Of a wild life and fish refuge
by great good fortune happened also
to be one of the most beautiful re-
gions in all America.
1t is pleasant to climb one of the
great hills overlooking this Refuge and
from the top of some sheer cliff that
drops off hundreds of feet to the val
ley below, allow ones mind to travel
back historically for the space of q
few generations.
This was the eastern edge of the
Buffalo Range. Herds of elk and deer
wandered over hill and valley. Wild
turkeys filled the woodlands. Passen-
ger pigeons darkened the sky while
geese and swan and host of wild
fowl swarmed in the lakes and marsh
es and the river itself. Beaver and
other valuable fur bearers were abun-
dant. Later settlers filled the. open
country. Farms replaced the Buffalo
Range. Cities came into being with
consequent pollution of the river.
Game was slaughtered for the market.
Commercial fishing depleted the wa
tiers. LAUNDERING, fires, cultivation and
grazing on steep slopes, i'll advised
and unregulated drainage, brought
millions of tons of silt.
Then came Clifford Pinchot with his
constructive ideas Of conservation and
Theodore Roosevelt to give them ma
tion-wide significance. The Izaak WAL
ton League came into existence and
luckily chose the Upper Mississippi as
a field of first endeavor. The League
rallied to its support practically all of
the conservation organizations of the
country and on June z, 1924, Presi-
dent Coolidge signed the act provid.
ing for the purchase Of lands for the
Upper Mississippi River Wild Life and
Fish Refuge.
The area which the Refuge is to
embrace includes the bottom lands Of
the Mississippi and islands in the
river from approximately the foot of
Lake Pepin to Rock Island, Illinois.
This strip Is nearly 300 miles long
and from to or 4 miles wide. It
embraces about 100000 acres of terri
tory Of the character that Congress in
tended should be included in the
Refuge.
This area has long been known as
one well suited to various forms of
wild life. 1t has been notorious also
as district in which there has been
much illegal shooting and fishing, for
1t lies along the border of four states
where conflicting laws, questions of
jurisdiction and frequent changes in
administration have made game law
enforcement exceedingly difficult. The
only solution of this interstate prob
lem, which for generation had re.
NAMED unsolved to the serious detri.
ment OF wild life, was to ask the CO.
operation of the Federal Government.
Some of the provisions of the Fed
eral Act are Of special interest: A
maximum average price of SIS per acre
was prescribed; the lands may be &C
quired by gift as well as purchase;
only lands subject at times to being
.overfiowed by the Mississippi river
can be included. The water area
which does not have to be bought is
very extensive and Is probably just as
valuable acre for acre as land areas
for wild fowl and fur production pur-
poses. The possibilities of the waters
Of the Refuge for fish culture are ex-
ceedingly great.
Throughout the area Of the Refuge
there is small nucleus forming a
breeding stock" of muskrats. 1t VIII
take only few years of protection to
restock the Refuge with these prolific
animals. Raccoons are quite common.
Minks, red and gray foxes, skunks, a
few wolves, an occasional opossum,
large numbers of cottontail rabbits,
and gray and fox squirrels are found.
A few beavers and offers are reported
as are also half dozen or so deer.
Among the birds there are the ruffed,
pinnated. and sharp-tafled grouse, the
quail. ducks, snipe. rails and coots,
and other game birds; the pileated
woodpecker, the cardinal. the king
bird, the bald eagle, the osprey, the
great blue heron, the indigo bunting,
and hundred other songsters, insect
eaters, waders, and birds OF prey.