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Show Forest Service Estimates of Big Game DcvKLuoircAT ana protection of wild life In the national forests Is one of the major duties of forest officers, according ac-cording to Col. W. 15. Greeley, chief of the forest service, speaking before the Biological society ot the Cosmos club. Over 515,000 head of big game animals ani-mals are to be found In the 147 national na-tional forests, Colonel Greeley stated, of which 440,000 are deer, 48,500 are elk, 12,000 are Rocky mountain sheep, 10,500 are mountain goats and 4,500 are moose. These are cheering figures, but a good ninny people are frankly skeptical skepti-cal The skeptics say that nearly all the remaining elk are In Yellowstone National park, possibly 15,000; that nearly all the Rocky mountain sheep are In Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Olaclcr and Mount McKlnley National parks ; that the mountain goats are in Glacier and McKlnley National parks, and that the moose are In Yellowstone nd Mount McKlnley Natlonnl parks. The national parks are gume sanctuaries, sanctu-aries, while hunting Is permitted In national forests, except In areas that have been set aside as game preserves. Antelope are now practically extinct. "The national forests," suld Colonel Greeley, "Include a large part of the breeding grounds and range of Amer-I Amer-I lean big game. No management of tne iorests is souna or rar-signtea thut does not recognize wild life as one of the major resources to be fostered fos-tered and wisely used along with timber tim-ber and forage. This the forest service serv-ice has set out to do." Colonel Greeley stated that live stock grazing privileges have been permanently reduced or wholly eliminated elimi-nated on about one hundred forest-grazing forest-grazing districts to provide forage for game. These reductions are in force, among other areas, on 1,500,000 acres of range lunds In the national forests bordering the Yellowstone National park, and on the Knlbab forest bordering bor-dering Grand Canyon National park, where at 1eust 20,000 head of deer are to be found. The recent big game count compiled by forest officers showed a general Increase In-crease In the numbers of all larger animals In the national forests, except In the case of antelope. Stocking of forest lakes and streams with fish Is another activity which the forest service serv-ice is currying on In co-operation with state and federal agencies, Colonel Greeley stated. More game refuges will be necessary, neces-sary, Colonel Greeley said, to meet the threat of depletion of both game and fish through the vastly Increased use of the foresf? by motorists and vacationists vaca-tionists during the last few years. |