Show THE REAL DOPE By BILL COLTRIN The figure seems ridiculous until you study the proposition bu but fish and game leaders figure the Ogden Bay Eay refuge has a monetary value not value not a it vague recreational value but one in dollars and cents cents- of almost Which is one way of starting out a column on the refuge xau said zaid column to be bc written from rom information contained in a general report on the refuge prepared by the state federal aid division of the Utah fish and game department Want to Have Consideration Main reason naturally for the thc report is to get it considered during the planning phase of the Weber eber basin reclamation project to show how the thc value and future needs of Ogden bay baYr and how it might be sHeeted affected if water is diverted Some of the interesting highlights of the report can be summarized summarized summarized as follows In 1948 there were hunter days spent on the refuge birds banded on the refuge have ha been shot in Canada Mexico and in most of the states stales west vest of the Mississippi As banding operations continue this migration picture will expand to include most of the states in the United States This will show that Ogden bay is a focal point in the migration of ducks in the western United States Based on an average kill per year of or ducks valued at 6 per bird the annual kill would be valued at the average hunter traveled miles on his hunting trip to Ogden ba bay he spent an average of hours in the field each trip and he shot 12 shells per day Figure that out for gas and oil eating at restaurants and buying shells and you have ha a fair fur sized income for the merchants In fact the thc report says it wot would d be conservative to estimate that each hunter spent at least 5 per pel hunting da day considering transportation tion meals ammunition etc Training Area for Students One of the points seldom mentioned is the fact that Ogden boy is used as a training area for wildlife students who are arc interested in obtaining experience in waterfowl management Each year one or two students train as assistants on the refuge And Andin in addition to the students hundreds of visitors travel to the refuge in the evenings and Sundays to enjoy watching the activity of the bird life liCe present The number of visitors is increasing increasing increasing ing each year ear as its fame as a concentrated nesting area spreads throughout the countr country Now the argument that is sure to arise when this reclamation project is being discussed is whether or not the refuge or the land to be reclaimed is more important The old Real Dope thinks that both are and that properly planned we wc could have both All the refuge needs is water and there should be enough left after the irrigation to care for the ducks Saves the Farmers' Farmers Crops Wildlife leaders point out that at present the ducks and the geese get all the feed they want at the refuge That food couldn't be raised without the water Hence the birds stay away from the farms where they could do serious damage It is pointed out that last winter when the the weather was at its worst severe damage was done to farms by geese driven from their normal feeding grounds If Utah's marshes were decreased says the report damage would occur in several western states as well as in Utah The report also says It may be argued that the proposed reclamation project would create much more agricultural land and that the detriment to migratory waterfowl would serve as a benefit to upland game birds Such is not the case since the thc area now In question already has a high upland game bird population and if it were brought under modern agricultural development the habitat would actually be reduced with a resulting loss to the upland bird population Copies of the report have ha been sent to more than a score of leaders throughout the nation including Utah's four members of congress congress con con- gress Sen Elbert D. D Thomas and Sen Arthur V. V Watkins Rep Walter Valter K t. t Granger and Rep Re a Beck Bosone Gov J. J Bracken Lee Albert Day director of the U. U S. S fish and wildlife service and to Dr I. I N. N Gabrielson president of the Wildlife Management institute And of course a copy has been sent to the bureau of reclamation |