The Bridge to Conservation
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d .- .e .o h y lt t, j, If le 1e s. re 1e Volume 9 SEPTEMBER 15, 1950 Number 9 g. r at ·d THE BRIDGE TO CONSERVATION ;e se * * * * * • * * * * * B y Michael Hudoba Ie THE CAROLINA ( This article was adapted from an address lli given by Mr Hudoba before delegates to er OTTE R the annual meeting of the National Asso of ciation of Conservation Education and B) Rod Amund'>o n Publicity at Gulfport, Mississippi, last an September. Mike Hudoba has been the Washington Editor for Sports Afield ma~ er Like other water-lovmg fur azlne for the past several years and 1s bearers such as the beaver, the recognized as one of the ablest reporters by mink, and the muskrat, otters m the nation's capital.) 115 have played an tmportant part in Conservation of the nation's re ch the development of America. They sources is still m the infant stage. did not play the role to the extent The major problem to aid in its JIY beavers did, for example, but ot growth is to get the correct story )0· ters were sought after eagerly by across to the public. lC· early day trappers, and these trap Another generation is maturing ra· pers spearheaded the westward and 1t is to this generation that the ld~ push of civilization. appeal must l:e made ills Because of the superior quality They are the ones who must be so of their furs, otlet·s have always reached to help save our resources, tve brought high prices in the fut to build legislative and administra tall market And because of the high tive supports for progress designed the prices paid for furs, otters bec:1me to continue and restore the re Ille almost extmct sources. An appeal must be made his Not many years ago otter:.; were to their consciences. Uld extremely rare in North Cat·olina. The generatwns that are des lhe It is pleasmg to rcpm t that these tined to enter a world of expanding ~u beautiful, valuable, and fascinat populations, pressuring overtaxed ingly interesting animals, under resources, must be prepared for strict protection by law, have be conservation-restoration as one of come sufficienlly numerous in the their basic educational factors. eastern part of the state to war An mformed pubhc aroused to the urgency of conservation need EOl rant an open season for ttappmg Careful protection and a reason can help to realize constructive :> a laws expanding conservation ef 'hiS able harvest of furs will msure the contmued existence of otters in fort. Such a public can give im sci· petus to progressive administra un· North Carolina, and profit in the pockets of trappers. tion to form conservation programs and and can pave the way to bring ren. One cannot observe and study otters without falling in love with preservation education into school be curncula. Fmally, this understand aall them. In the first place, they are Jsm Sherman Photo among the most beautiful and Th e generat ions tha t are d est ined to e nte r a world of expanding populations and ove r· ing of the problem would create ner t axed resources must be prepared t hrough e duca tion for conservation- rest orat ion. the urge to realize and practice JiS· graceful of mammals, with their gleaming fur, intelligent features, conservation. and the long grace of their bodies There is much room for pioneer In add1tion to comeliness, otters ing. Unfortunately too much ef are intelhgent. playful, and almost IOWA'S STRIPED SNAKES fort has been expended in treating the symptoms of resource waste without sin The only thing that By Robert B. ~Ioorma n a nd can be said against them is that Kenneth D. Carlandt>r has five such, four of them being and abuse, and not enough im true garter snakes, the fifth be portance placed on treatment of they compete \vith fishermen for l oT> a "itntE' C.o ii E'~e fish. longing to a different genus. All the cause. The problem of the The Carolina oltet 1s the largest Most Iowa snakes are harmless. of the five snakes are marked with natural sequence, which is the re the tesident member of the weasel Many of them directly benefit agri three light-colored stripes that run storation of renewable resources, uc family, with fullgro\vn m a 1 e s culture by helping control injurious lengthwise from head to tail. None has tarely been attacked. , or reaching- a length of 40 to 45 inch rodents. All of them have a place of them are poisonous. In all fh e \Ve have :.;cientists and techni in the complex picture of wild tor es. and a \\etght of about 20 the parent snakes give birth to cians ferreting out the secrets of pounds. The body is elongated. creatures, the foods they eat and living young whereas most snakes conservation, along with the ad ~w their effect on man and man's own age. like that of the mink, with a long, lay eggs. ministrators who must make the surroundings. tb8t slender, neck and a long, thick, The striped swamp snake, Tropt decisions and operate the pro Some of our best known snakes lllld powerfully-muscled tail. The feet doclonion lineatum, at first glance grams. are webbed, both fore and hind. are included in a group loosely appears to be true garter snake, On the other hand, we have the \Conbnucd on Paie 69) described as "striped snakes." Iowa (Continued on paee 68) (Continued on paee 72) Page 66 IOWA CONSERVATIONIST - Iowa Conservat ionist HERE TODAY, Publiahed Monthly By The IOWA CONSERVATION COMMISSION GONE TOMORROW 914 Grand Avenue Des Moines Iowa No Rights Reserved) 1 Today nearly everyone knO\>.'s WM S. BEARDSLEY Governor of Iowa that the gathering of swallows. BRUCE F STILES. Director ' watetfowl, blackbirds, and doves JAMES R HARLAN. Editor in huge flocks is a prelude to theit LOIS RECKNOR. Associate Editor southward fiio-ht MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION b • . E G ~ r:t r" ~ ~ ~ _ dq The sudden disappearance of E. B.... .'L ... - ... ........ ... _a~ _n., these autumn flocks has not at- ARTHUR C GINGERICH· · Wellman ways been so well understood. For F. POYNEER ... .. C dar Raptds J. D. REYNOLDS . .. ... .... ...Creston hundreds of yean; men wondered, C. A. DI!'/GES ....................Emmetsbu rg guessed and argued about th1s MRS. - A I'RUIDE''IfR - ' . lOP ' ' annual d 1 s p 1 a y of nature's CIRCULATION THIS ISSUE 48.000 "magic " En1•rEod a <- nd Ia ' h a 'he post otL .1 ___ Hcm"s I ~ .J .... "_.nber Some argued lhal bu·ds hiber- 22 1947, "nd•-- ...... A-t t..1 • 24, 1912. nated in hollow trees or caves or SubsCTipt p<>r year even under water and mud In 3 yea.rs for S 1.00 SubsCTI .. ... a servahon 1 7 Dt Elliott Coues, a noted au- CommtssL .. , ... Gra .._ • . uo, Des thot ity on btrds, listed many refer- Momos, Iowa. Send cash, check or money ences lo the hibernatiOn of swal- order. lows m mud. The followmg are taken from Dt Coues' 1 eport: ---- J•m shcnn~n roho .o "Dr Wallerius, the distingw'shed G &~ th eri n g of bank s w &~llo w s prepa rat ory t o d eparture to South Am eri ~ a. when~ they will TAKE IT EASY spend the w1 nt er month:;. Swedtsh sctentist v. rote in 1748 IF YOU'RE 50 that he had more than once seen "In 1-t94 ·m \'ermon t . .. a by suggesting that summer and B~ Dr. C. "hit lo<'l s\\'allov. s assembling on a reed ttll man dtgging up roots of the pond winter birds were the same they had merely changed plumage G:nue D h 1-.lon, ~ll e hi ~nn < o n.,er• n - they v. ete all tmmersed and that lil} found several swallows en t io n D e par tnwn t he had likewise seen a swallow closed m the mud, ahve, but in a In 1703 one who signed himself So you used to run the 440 in caught m a net undet water, re lot pid state." "A Person of Learnmg and Ptety" record time for ol' Sod City High? vived in a wat m room where it Aristotle explamed the sudden went to great pams to prove that So you can take it? So you're fiutleted around and then died" dtsappearance of btrds m autumn birds spent theit winters on the cc 1 moon. tough? Well that is, you used to - Wben you see the flocks which The be 25 years ago Nov. you are 40 hunters Checking them over care- I fever, etc ~Iodern medicine ts years plus You polish the seat of fully reveals the surpnsing fact savmg people m their early years herald the great annual pageant of bird m1gration, give thanks your pants on good, solid var- that a fairly high percentage of only to see them succumb latet to A Man has !eat ned another of Na nished oak eight hours a day about them (about 40 pet cent accordmg the new champiOn killer heart ture's secrets Yon can tell the " gr~ 50 weeks out of the year You had to one authority) result from heart dtsease. tlon curious why "they are here today a little spell of dtzzmess on that fail\11 e Flying lead and drunken But many of these heart deaths won I and gone tomorrow " hot daJ during the pheasant sea- drivers are not the only menace to are preventable 01 at least could senf son You puffed a lot after run- the health of Mtchtgan's deer hunt- be delayed for a few years if we duct.