Evening star., 1936-10-01
|y the Associated Press.

ELKINS, w. Va, October Fol
lowing is the text of President Roose-
velt's address here today at Noun
tain State forest festival:
The setting in which we are
gathered today for this forest festival
turns our thoughts toward conserva-
ton.
This wonderland Of natural beauty
Is at one and the same time q challenge
and q Justification. It demonstrates
what can be done In the way Of con-
servation Of our resources. It shows
us how prodigal nature Is in her gifts
while at the same time 1t emphasizes
the necessity for men to supplement
natures work in order that the rich
gifts which are ours may be brought
to their fullest usefulness in the
service of all mankind.
The State of West Virginia is
rightly proud Of its glorious natural
scenery, but the State also shows to us
what happens when man flies in the
face Of nature. Today I have seen
many square miles Of splendid noun
tains which have been denuded Of
timber. I have seen yellow streams
carrying eroded silt and soil from the
steep slopes.
- Points to Cooperation.
In this State, as in many others,
we are proud of the growing con-
sciousness of the people themselves
that mans errors in the past must
be corrected by man In the future.
In this worthwhile effort the State
and the Federal Government are
working hand in hand.
Here and hereabouts you see what
can be done through the National
Forest Service in cooperation with
the work of the State conservation
preserves; you have an opportunity
to observe first hand the practical
contribution to enlightened conserva-
ton made by our c. c. c. camps and
all of the other agencies whose &C.
tivities are directed to the preserva-
ton OF our matchless resources here
at the gateway to the Monongahela
National Forest.
No part Of our conservation work
is more important than the protec-
ton Of our wild life. 1t is a work
into which we can all enter heart
and soul because there is no political
partisanship in an activity whose OBJ
ject is to preserve and restore the
life Of our great out-of-doors.
lam sure that those in this audience
who are devotees of outdoor life,
whether fishermen, hunters, natural
lists, campers or mixers will rejoice to
know what has been done during the
last three and one-hah years to pro-
tect and perpetuate our wild life. In
the past it had been shamefully neg
lected and exploited.
Provided Program.
One of the earliest concerns of this
administration upon assuming oflce
was to provide a natural wild life
restoration program and a policy that
would make certain that the conserva-
ton Of our wild animals, birds and
fishes would thereafter take rank with
the conservation Of the other great re-
newable resources Of the Nation.
Plans to accomplish this had been
available for years. but they had been
Ia great part ignored.
We evolved q national wild life
conservation program which proposed
to provide abundantly for the needs
Of wild life by purchase and retire
ment Of agricultural lands submarginal
in character. by the purchase Of other
suitable lands and by making generous
ALLEGATIONS Of public lands, all to be
set aside as sanctuaries.
Allotments totsling s14, zoo, 900 have
been made from current emergency
funds to support the wild life program
an amount greater than the total
Of all funds previously appropriated
for that specific purpose.
In addition, I approved an act o!