The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1931-12-24
Minnesota Waltonians
Back Conservation Plan
State Division In Annual Business
Meeting, Indorses Organize
lions Policies

l.
Izaac Walton League has whole
heartedly Endorsed the policies of
the present State Conservation
Commission. This action came dur
ing the annual business meeting
held last week in Minneapolis with
nearly 200 delegates present. Min
nesota lists nearly 5000 members
in this national organization:
Delegates heard w. T. Cox, State
Conservation Commissioner, call
for a statewide ban on shooting
of waterfowl on baited areas. Mr..
Cox said in part.
can interesting experiment and
demonstration at Winona has led
to similar efforts in other places
and am convinced that it opens
way to restore duck shooting in
Minnesota. If every chapter of the
Izaac Walton League of America
would foster g wild duck pond, as
sportsnen did, then other organi-
cations and individuals would do
likewise and we should have hum
dreds of thousands of wild ducks
reared under control in this state.
I am arranging to have the De-
partment of Conservation set the
pace.
"a new deal is being made in
land ownership in the state. Tax de-
linquency has been increasing for
a number of years and it now
appears that millions of acres of
land will revert to the state within
the next year or two. These consist
Of cut-over lands, second growth
timber, drained swamps and mar
shes and partly cleared abandoned
farms.
1--WE are going to have an oppor-
tunity to classify these lands, in
deed, this work is under way. AS
fast as the classification data
comes to hand we are going ahead
with plan which contemplates the
designation of areas to be included
in State forests, other areas in wild
life refugees and public shooting
grounds. Some areas apparently
will serve their best purpose as re-
servations for water control.
We aim not only to establish a
statewide system of public reser-
vations of various kinds but to give
them the protection and manage
ment that will make them of the
greatest use to the people of Min
nesota. In this Connection scientific
studies are of first Importance.
John R. Foley, Wabasha, Sec
rotary of the State Conservation
Commission, assured the league
members that a competent and
worthy force of game wardens is
being organized. He asked the CO.
operation of members of the lea
que and citizens generally in a
campaign to achieve greater re-
spect for game laws and conserve
tion-mindedness in Minnesota.
The Commission Chairman, Will
liam e. McEwen, Duluth, and
Commissioners Richard r. Bailey,
Virginia, and James T. Williams,
Minneapolis, were introduced, to-
gether with Directors w. D. Ste
wart, Game and Fish, Grover Con-
yet, Forestry & Fire Prevention,
Frank Wildes, Lands & Minerals.
and e. v. Willard, Waters & Drain
age.
Others to speak were e. c. Ober-
holtzer, President of the Quetico-
Superior Council, Frank M. War
rem, and Geo. M. Brown, Minneap-
oils, and Geo. Beck, Winona, Con-
servation Leaders, and Bafford s.
Leweilen, President of the Mime
sofa Izaac Walton League.
Subjects discussed were Mime
sofas waterfowl problem, plans to
increase game refugees and public
shooting grounds, increased game
law respect, Twin Cities sewage
disposal, the proposed nine-foot
channel and its effect on the Upper
Mississippi Wild Life and Fish Re
fuge, and allied topics.
Judson Wicks, Minneapolis, and
o. L. Kaupanger, Bloomington,
were reelected president and Sec
rotary, respectively.