The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-12-02
STATE BATTLES
WITH PROBLEM
TO SAVE GAME
Conservation Chief PonderS
Situation: Need Aid
of SportSmen.
Conservation
BY WILLIAM r COLLINS
Times Special Writer.


Times Special Writer.
Virgil (Skits) Simmons, director
Of the department Of conservation.
is faced with a difficult problem.
In making an inventory Of the fish
and game department assets at the
beginning Of his term of Office, he
discovered nearly 100000 invested
in buildings on the fish hatchery
sites.
One Of the hatcheries had such a
meager supply Of water that produc-
ton was limited to a few thousand
fish annually. Investment in plant
equipment including buildings if
based on the same ratio used in
either Missouri or Michigan, should
have given this state 100000 fish
each year whereas the actual pro-
duction never exceeded fifteen mil
lion.
About the time the fingerlings
started growth, the hatcheries ran
short of water and the hatch had to
be hurried into the streams in such
an immature stage they were unable
to protect themselves against their
natural enemies.
Transfer Is Expensive
One Of the game farms breeding
pheasants is on a high knob in
southern Indiana hills, originally
heavily timbered and now sur
rounded by a forest full Of every
imaginable kind of vermin from
weasels to owls and foxes. To
transport the birds that are left at
the end Of a season to a country
adapted to pheasants requires
long haul expensive to the depart
ment. In addition to that, the jig
ger population on this hill location
during the months when the young
birds are MORALLY affected by them
practically precludes a successful
operation of this site.
The cost of repairing these and
other errors in the plant is pro-
hibitive under the present depart
ment income and to ask for an
increase in the cost of a hunting
or fishing license without the in
ducement of more game or fish is
placing the department in the same
position as asking your salesman to
get another dollar for an article
upon which no improvement has
been made.
The department bulletin just out
calls for suggestions from interested
sportsmen. Proposals have been
made to allow local fish and game
clubs to aid in production to supple
ment the hatch of both fish and
game in the state farms.
Deer Plan Supported
The local club is to be paid for
this activity an amount sufficient
to help maintain their program.
Another group of Indiana conser-
vationists with nothing to sell to
the department suggested to Mr..
Simmons to place Virginia white
tailed deer in the forests of southern
Indiana. If these deer, in time,
brought one-fifth of the money into
this state that now goes into Michi-
gan. Pennsylvania or Vermont, the
future of the conservation depart
ment would be assured.
Mr.. Simmons consented to the
experiment only if the majority of
the spOrtsmen, especially those in
southern Indiana, pledged them
selves to the project He stated the
money could be obtained out of
the more than 100000 he already
had saved in the department and
that if deer were feasible in In
diana. the expense of getting them
in would be paid back time and
again in increased revenue.
The spOrtsmen are going to de-
eide this deer question. am assured
the department will not act against
his wishes At this writing there
are mOree complaints against the
project being written into the news
than petitions. But that is usually
the case with any innovation, the
calamity prophet occupies the
speakers chair.
Try Any Sane Program
Personally, I should like to see it
tried. at least in a few of the Wild
est counties in southern Indiana, and
in that wish am supported by our
most cautious sportSmen.
In any event. SportSmen, you have
a department now that is willing to
try out any sane program Contem-
plating more fish or game If you
have any objection to its program,
you will find the most interested
sympathiser sitting in "Skits" Sim
mons chair.
You don't have to go out and bang
your head against the wailing wall
to stop a project you think is hope
less If you use any other tactics
than talking the thing over with
Mr.. Simmons. those who know him
best have you placed at once.