1925

Volume IV December 31, 1025 Number 2r

VACATION-LAND IN OUR HOMES ' THROUGHOUT THE YEAR

Few of us are fortunate enough to spend more than a short vacation each year in our mountain playgrounds. How many of us, as we stood upon the heights and felt the thrill of fellowship that comes with first-hand acquaintance with the birds, the flowers, the trees and the mountains themselves, have wished that the inspiring influence of these associations could be with us throughout the year in our everyday life. Our' government is doing its part tQ help us to more thoroughly enjoy and understand our great playgrounds, the National Parks. In Yosemite we find a splendid museum and a corps of naturalists who conduct daily field trips along the trailsides and who deliver evening campfire lectures on a wide variety, of natural history subjects. But why should we be satisfied with ' but an introduction to the trailsides of our beloved Sierra? Is there no way in which we may continue our friendship with the Big Country during each month and each week of the year? There is a way! Lovers of the California mountains have organized to interpret and present in popular form all of the manifestations of Nature of the Sierras and more particularly of Yosemite National Park. Primarily the Yosemite NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION concerns itself with the living things of the Yosemite region; yet it must necessarily be a factor in inspiring a regard for American Wild Life in general. Yosemite Nature Notes, which has been published in mimeo- 'graphed form by the Park Naturalist for a number of years, has been adopted as the official organ of the Association : Cooperating with the government, the Association prints "Yosemite Nature Notes" weekly during June, July, and August and monthly throughout the remainder of the year, each of the twentyfour issues being sent to all members. If you are one of the hundreds of thousands who love. Yosemite, you will wish to keep in touch with her through the Association. There are hundreds of thousands of others wo have no conception of the big message of tl e,Out of-doors. You will want those uninitiated to learn of what the A ISark has to"offer. Act'now! Fill out the enclosed application for membership and mail it with a check ormoney order for $a.00 to The Park Naturalist, Yosemite National.Park, California. Every cent-cif the $a oo will be devoted to keepiiigyou " in touch with your Yosemite."

Ellume IV December 31, 1925 Number 21 ly Carne Conservation in the National Parks ll lIt;RACE M. ALBRIGHT Sul erintendvia or Yellowstone National Park and Field Assistant to the Director N T13F, history of conservation of our natural resources, particularly such resources as scenery, unusual natural phenomena, forests d wild life, Yellowstone National Park occupies a conspicuous posion. This national park. nu" larsre"l and oldest park, was set apart em the public domain.r°d dedicated is "a public park or pleasuringound for the benefit am 1 enjoyment of the people " on March 1, 1872. was the first natiocai park created in the world and is today problily the best known reservation of its kind on the race of the earth. While the park was set as ide rimaril' to preserve from private a tribute to the work of sportsmen ploitation the geyser's. hot In,acne conservation as related to rings, and other such unusual t''e national parks. The pork had henomena, also the magnificent no sooner been created than the -e nd Canyon of the Yelowston" plans for its crnnmercial exp : ohaver, and the great water fis lion were developed 1 y interests R h in this canyon, it also proved who sought to turn the people's be in later years our create et ii ' ayg'ron nd into a source of emirfo rte c[ big c nre an imals. Namolls profit to themselves. The ire ly in 1572 conservat io n of most dangerous projects contemiC' l i ''e pa"ticul e rly in Cie Rocky plated the construction of railroads ountains, was a matter that was within the park and these were ' ven no consideration whatever vigorously fought from the beginits game animals were abundant mug by George Bird Grinnell and erywhere. in the park area. They his magazine "Forest and Stream." ere shot for food in Past regso'r In pass i ng. it should be stated s elsewhere. It was not until the that this fight, first to get peruffalo, elk anti antelope became mis"ion to operate railroads in the arce that the full icsportance. of park, and later to have the park ellowstone National park as ali nes mired in order to permit me preserve became gene rally the construction and operation of rngnized throughout the Nation. railroads, was eonducted vigorousThis brings me early in my d'.sly for more than fifte,^n years, ussion to an opportunity to pay George Bird Grinnell fought these

AMERICAN BLACK BEAR

Under protection Yosemite bears have become numerous and so tan e that they rival El Capitan as a Park attraction. California still nerniltn the killing of bears, -•-Photo by courtesy "PACIFIC SPORTSIv1AN projects at every turn. year after game that would be wholly es year. Some of his writings on the terminated. Only three or our sut,ject of commercial exploitation small bands of buffalo remain,I of the park such. for instance, as in their natural wild Mate and tle his powerful brief entitled "Cooklargest of these groups was; in Ye! City vs. the National Park," are lowstone National park. In eon among the most important docu- 'slant danger, however, of total ments on conservation of the nadestruction because of the absence tional parks extant today. While of laws declaring the park to be i this defense of the park was begame preserve and providio.• ing conducted by Dr. Grinnell and penalties for violation of rules and his associates, with the aid in Conregulations established to prot,, l gress of IT. S. Senator Vest of Misthe wild life of the park. souri, one of the early pioneers in It was in 1894 that George Land conservation at Washington. hic Grinnell successfully completed IL game animals continued to disalifight to secure the enactment oa,l pear from the western plains, anal law providing an adequate :;over mountains. In the. early eighties meal for the Yellowstone. H=;a-a the great buffalo herds ceased to Emerson Hough, then one ni L, migrate back and forth over the writers, to the park in the dead prairies beyond the M.ssouri and winter, with instructions to gel eu by 1890 the buffalo was believed skiffs and gather all available r' :.'a to he a species of American hig on the existing condition of t 're

o, in particular, and other Y osemite. t Se Parks were,Gcenerl ame animals in general. At In 1890• M. Rainier to 1899 Crater time the notorious buiffalo Lake in 1003, Glacier in 1910, larger, Ed Howell, was cauglht in ly through efforts of Dr. Grinnell. Wilderness of the park east of Rocky Mountain in 1915, and so on. Grand Canyon of the YelilowWild life had been abundant in all while in the act of skin.ning of hose areas in early days, but, t1 a buffalo he had just killed with the exception of Glacier, had teen largely destroyed through unr other buffalo lay about hitn control ed hunting or excessive in his camp were heads and grazing by abseils.,Yellow,3tone. for- ' of six animals previously tunutely, was crated in the sd.aYs ed. The news of the calntur. of mining that preceded the esitabt" lishment of the sheep raising in- 'Ed Howell was broadcas du,etry. and it has never been gazed oughout the Nation by Dr, ny domestic stock. ! nell and the details of the bufl'rollem o (:cone control r slaughter were Water publilshed These other parks, while embracForest and Stream. The Nation inc ideal natural conditions, for establishment of game preserves. aroused to demand action could not be operated effectiDvely ough the news of this slaughter as such because the respective the result was the enacttment states retained control of the game, the Act Of May 7, 1894, u that is. the Federal Government the park was 1894, grantee] b• could not dec are perpetual : (*dosed Ice ::canon on killing game, liecauaa the ngress a complete seslenn of game Seluny, d to,the -states.; The aCtment of this one law forever, decal Government could onles stop osed the park to hunting and. laid hunting in the National Parts in the foundation for its the open seasons authorized by the present states through objection of hunters Status as lour greatest game refuge. as tresp'issers. In several parks Sportsmen's Qlubs Make soldiers were maintained to keep Good Fight trespassers from entering. On the The Boone and Crockett Club. other hand, soldiers were often fine old organizatiorn of careless in the exercise of their duthat and ties: and it was no uncOin,mon thing Sportsmen game conservattionfor them to• kill game e 'themselves late, so dear to the heart of Theo In the park when not ua'der the dote Roosevelt and now pre:sided closest supervision of their offiOYer byDr. Grinnell, has aIlways Inets. who as a rule were interested maintained a Yellowstone National the [Ilperformance wof ell their Padutie utie. in duties. Park committee to keep a watchful There were other reasons why eye orithe park, and to sttttrt, a these parks could not be developed light at the first move to lbreak as satisfactory game preserves. down the barriers that keep itt free Most of them had on their boundaries sma 1 communities having in from the destructive hand of corntheir midst old timers who had almercialism. ways killed game and who intended Likewise the American (Game to continue killing as long as they Protective Association, the Camp lived, and who were so familiar Fire Club, the American Bison 3owith the mountains that they could hunt in the parks with little danger eiety and the National Association of detection. Again rules prohibitOf Audubon Societies, as well as ing dogs and cats from being alm an y smaller associations of lowed to run at large werg indifSportsmen have vigorously fought ferently enforced. The lack of state every attempt to encroach upon game preserves adjacent to the parks gave little or no pretectlgqnto our greatest game preserve. 'When wild life in winter when driven irrigation interests sought to sefrom the higher elevation of the Cure rights to build reservoirs in protected park to the lowlands for the park four years ago every one food. it In some cases adjacent Indian of these organizations sent able reservations were a menace to game representatives to Washington to in that the Indians could not pre- ' apnear before Congressional cornvented from exercising what was tnittees and forcefully presemt arregard k ed as their perpetual right to e guments unalterably opposed to from as ill timethimirmeanc moriaors had done t es l. any encroachment Upon the park. Finally, many of the parks were From time to time after the erein politics and the superintendents atlon of Yellowstone National Park, were incompetent men appointed as In 1872, other parks were addled to politicians. what might outwardly have apThus in 1915, when we had a 'seated as a system, but whiclh was dozen parks. Yellowstone was the really nothing but a list, as each only one that was truly a game,Was operated without any relation preserve. Fiven it had soldier proto the other and each had radli,•alty tection which was not regarded., by afferent pn ' icies of administration. even the military :superintendents.

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YOSEMITE NATURE NOTE{ " F,; I

i',`f C; b.; DIAL LION HUNTER OF CALIFORNIA. a,` ` l~~d,` dy National Parks but no attempt is made tm klq the' Last t :'b Ymmte°igteti$iVe campaigns against the detamed coyote. have i''dicacpiit hued. STOCKTON RECORD photo

as adequate or satisfactory. A few With the National Park service Years 0ar11er a demand for a Nats.ai,lisheu and ready to funetlen, tional Park Bureau had been so inwe were able to take over the man- ' eistent that President Taft had reagement, and control of the various quested Congress to enact a law perks and monuments, and protect creating such an institution. Conand operate them as a system in gress, however, failed to do this. accoraance with a general policy istepben T. Mather eipplicable to all. bo.'diert were l•ryanrzexr Park Service withcitawn from the parks where when Secretary b rankllu they still acted as guards, ponLane neeame the need of inc dunt Hel s ' rem of o f v ic e' offices and rate partnnent of the interior, he impotent and trained men appointee nlediately took a great interest in to their places, ranger forces were the National Parks, and in January organized to protect the forests 1915 invited his old friend deeplieii and,wild life. Immediate attention T. Mather to come to Washington was given to game conservation. and as an assistant to him assume Appeals were made Lo state the admit:istration of the National l.egistt,tnres to cede jurisdiction I arks. 111 r. Mather accepted tine over National Parks to the Federai trust, and began his work with an Government and by 1920 all of tilt P idealism, an enthusiasm and unimportant parks except three or si lfish public spirit that has seffour were completely under out nom been seen in Washington ofcontrol, and the States, by their ficiar life since our Government began. any authority over the wind life He at once recognized the necesof these reservations. Acts of Con sits for a Nat i onal Park service own action, completely divested ul gress accepting tender of exclusive 4 and during the first two years ui jurisdiction by the States, were l.is incumbency worked unceasingly passed and in these laws the parka to that end. Taking everything affected were declared to be game Into consideration Congress acted preserves, and heavy penalties were quiewy on his recommendation and prescribed for violation of the rules r on August 25, 1916, President Wiiand regulations promulgated to eon approved the National Park protect their wild Life, service act which expresses the Strict enforcement of rules produties of the new bureau as to hibiting the keeping of dogs and game (:reservation in the tuilowing eels together with complete Fedparagraph : eral control of game even on priThe service thus established vate holdings within parks 'nett beshall promote and regulate tae gan to show results. in parks lice of the Federal areas known where, a few years ago, it w,as very as National Parks, monuments hard to catch a glimpse P Wild and reservations hereinafter game deer and bear are abundant, specified by such means and such and where mountain dhe 'ep once measures as conform to tae were plentiful but had alidost been fundamental purposes of the said annihilated they, too,.hake inparks, monuments and reserve creased wonderfully lions, which purpose Is to conToday, therefore, the naserve the scenery and the natural tional parks of the West and,also and historic objects and the wild Lafayette National Park on; Mt. life therein, and to provide for Desert Island, Me., are thriving the enjoyment of the same in game sanctuaries in charge of men elicit manner and by such means deeply interested in wild life cones will.'eave them unimpaired servation, and under! protection of for the enjoyment of future goa t fine ranger forces particularly deerations. voted to their work of preserving Primarily ii Protective Bureau the natural conditions of these A close analysis of this paregreat reservations. graph shows that Congress inCreation of Mtisall afield eilii tended that the National Park seeNational Park vice should be primarily a protecmt. McKinley National Prrk in Live bureau. First it is stated Alaska was te~nn;;gt;fin A iip''jj'' the that the National Parks must be system in 1917 : largely T roughi he managed so as to conserve their efforts of tllgg s p~ s "@3 rartp4 imanatural and historic objects and lions of Neva or -. arles Sheltheir wild life, and then a restricdon is one of the spo tsmep who lion is placed on development of devoted a vaef 27rib int~ ibf fling I to facilities for enjoying the parks to this bill, and Weis More rr~'esiibns'p61e the provision that such facilities than any other'Man' ''for Its 'relamust be such as wile' leave these tively quick erlaernent',itith lav6,'alnatural phenomena, historic objects though he was dfdg'd' atfl' bites and wild life unimpaired for future by trans sprott_shyetii 'tvho '&f 1 "in generations, the habit df tvirig ttnsg fi p'14 of By law, therefore, the National their time and motley te o41* aPark service is constituted a conLion projects. ``Nit 7cKn1' i e servation bureau and it can never of our proudest poss'essiottS; nd'we be anything else. Furthermore, It are maintairiing'If as''nn' 1'b# eh gve must be a 100 per cent conscrvagame preserve dnepite the'fact"Nfiat tion bureau. Congress has"not'giveti us'adidgry'ukte

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YOSEMITE NATURE NOTBE DIRECTOR MATHER AND A YELLOWSTONE ELK CALF.

Throughout the parks system native animals have responded to the friendliness of their protectors. funds with which to protect it. and work had they been the best wet'in the face of a provision in the dens in the world. We hope that

organic act creating the park, under the pending Alaska gam, which permits pi uspeetors to hunt legislation conditions will improve within its boundaries when in nerd and ate have every reason to believe of food, which means all the time they will. Protection of Mt. McKinley NoAlaska is not the only political tional Park has also been rendered unit in the United States that has difficult by the indifferent and ininsufficient game warden service. adequate game warden service of Many of the western states have so the territory Often the game warfew game wardens that were it not dens were given such extensive for forest and nark rangers even areas to patrol that they never their state game preserves would could have been.suceesrf'tl in the i r rarely see, a warden. T was grati-

CHIEF RANGER TOWNSLEY AND A Yosemite BEAR..Photo by J. V. Lloyd used by courtesy of STOCKTON RECORD. fled the other day to see that a the national forests adjacent to Mt. Kn ow association In Wyoming Is Rainier. and In California small advocating a paid game warden for state preserves would help to proevery county. At the present time tect the deer of Yosemite, Lassen there are only four or five gene and Sequoia Parks. wardens for State game preserves. We are doing what we can to with a total area of 5,000.000 acres. advance these projects at the preswhereas in Yellowstone Paris w ant time. have thirty-one rangers for 2.000.Be"" Shoold Be Protected

000 acres. Of course. forest service end park service rangers are cornSpeaking of bears, no animal inmissioned as deputy state game lerests the visiting public In nawardens and assist the State in the tinnal parks as they do. In fact. enforcement of its game laws to.I they seriously compete with geyser.; ennsidernhle extent. and waterfalls and magnificent All of the Slates having national canyons. We in the National Park parks in them should enact more or Service think the states should betless legislation to protect park ter protect bears. Every state game that is driven down in the should enact a bag limit and a winter by storms. For instance. closed season law. J. A. Maguire Montana should extend her Gallatin editor of Outdoor Life has been game preserve. Washineto :a should working on this bear problem for set aside more county pr eserves in years and deserves the support of

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YOSEM'1TZ NATURE NOTES

every clean sportsman in America. organizations should co-operate In.Out West some of us feel pretty advancing this project, which chagrined when wo have to admit should be consummated with fairthat Pennsylvania is probably the ness and justice to the settlers of beat bear State in the Union. Howthe Role. ever, we know that in several J iiientional Work for states out beyond the Missouri a. Game Coneervntion John M. Phillips could be employed The National Park Service is doto the great advantage of wild ing eduoational work of immense game animals, the greatest of value to game conservation in genwhich I think is the bear. eral. Its nature guide service is beSo, ladies and gentlemen, the Nacoming very popular and is reachtional Park Service is a great facing hundreds of thousands of peetor in the West in game conservapie each year. tion. Our parks are great game The National Para Service is ensanctuaries, summer feeding ranges couraging the publication of nature and breeding grounds. Game overbooks end is. pushing their sale flows into adjacent national forwherever and whenever possible. It ests, where it is available under is doing everything consistent with generally, not always, proper reits legal authority to encourage etrictions as to bag limits and open making of motion pictures of aniseasens.fixed by state law. If the mal '.ire in the parks. states co-operate with the National The National Park Service is furPark Service, the Forest Service and therinere advancing the genera l the Biological Survey, there will cause of conservation of forests, always be good hunting around wild life, scenery and historic several of the big parks. places wherever opportunity is orUltimately the Jackson Hole will fered to do this, whether the areas be purchased and the elk problem are administered by ut or not. our permanently solved. There again officers are encouraged to join con will be the greatest big game servation and historical assoclatioi.r hunting country in the nation, as and to participate in their transecit was thirty years ago. All Govlions, purely as a matter of unernment bureaus and conservation e,ifieb public service.

Published weekly in summer and monthly in winter by the National Park Service in cooperation with the Yosemite Natural History Association, in Yosemite Valley The articles published in "Yosemite Nature Notes" are not copyrighted. It is intended that these articles shall be freely used by the press and by all periodicals that believe in the value of National Parks. When material from this publication is used due credit should be given. Communications should be addressed to C.P.Russell, Park Naturalist, Yosemite National Park.

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i THE Yosemite NATURAL HISTORY ASSOCIATION

ITS PURPOSES

t. To gather and disseminate information on the wild-life of the Sierras. ' a. To develop and enlarge the Yosemite Museum (in co- :operation with the National Park Service) and to establish subsidiary units, such as the Glacier Point Iookout and branches of similar nature. 3. To promote the educational work of the Yosemite Nature Guide Service.. To publish (in cooperation with the U. S. National Park Service) "Yosemite Nature Notes". To study living conditions, past and present, of the Indians of the Yosemite region.. To maintain in Yosemite Valley a library.of historical, scientific, and popular interest. To further scientific investigation along lanes of greatest popular interest and to publish, from time to time, bulletins of non-technical nature. To s'tric`tly limit the aEtivities of the association to purposes which shall be scientific and educational, in order that the organization shall not be operated for profit.

MAY WE SEND YOU EACH ISSUE OF YOSEMITE NATURE NOTES?

Your check for $2.00 sent to the Park Naturali.srt, Yosemite ational Park, will help to pay the cost of its publication for e year and make you a member of the Yosemite Natural 'story Association for the same period.

10M THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON OUT-DOOR RECREATION

Called by PRESIDENT COOLIDGE

T THE CONFERENCE ENDORSE NATURE STUDY IN SCHOOLS THE EXTENSION OF THE NATURE STUDY IDEA TO EVERY RICAN SCHOOL AND FAMILY; THAT THE ESTABLISH' T OF MUSEUMS OP NATURAL HISTORY IN NATIONAL PARKS INCREASE THE EDUCATIONAL RECREATIONAL VALUE OD TH!

e".—Resolution of the Conference.

NATURE GUIDE ACTNITIES

lviuesum exhrbits and information setvi 2. Branch Museums. a Glacier Point Lookout. b. Tuolumne Meadows, Sierra Club Lodge. 3. Museum Library. 4. Field School of Natural History. 1. Nature Guide Field Trips. a., 2 hour trips, 4 times daily. b. Full day trips to "rim" once aweek. c. Six day Snips to back country, weekly. d. Saddle trips, daily. e. Motor bus valley tour, daily. f. Special trips, Boy Scouts, etc., on request. 6. Lectures. a. Museum geslogy talks, twice daily. b. Museum campfire talks, weekly. c. Camp Curry and Yosemite LodgeLectures, 4 than weekly. 7. Publications, A, Yosemite Nature Notes, wed+ in summer, moodily in winter. b. Spec ial bulletins.