The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, March 31, 1940, Page 22

PROGRESS AND DEVELOPMENT EDITIO WILDLIFE AGENTS TAKE T0 AIR, COVER 33,582 PLANE MILES IN YEAR By HOMER W. JEWELL 1t Executive Officer, Alaska Game Commission Three planes are now operated | by the Alaska Game Commission,| and their Agents have covered more | Ascis territory by air, per man, doing actual patrol work, than all the 48 State game departments together| during the past year. With the operation of these airplanes the Agents have been able to visit re- mote and outlying fore inaccessible. Recently three outstanding pa- trols have been completed, one cov- ering a survey of the great Arctic Slope, never before visited by Ag- ents of the Alaska Game Commis- places hereto- sion, On this patrol, native Eski- mos in many villages saw their first airplane. This trip was made by a lone Agent flying his own plane over 12,000 miles at a cost of less than two cents per mile. Invalua- ble information was obtained. Large herds of moose and mountain sheep, previously not listed, were recorded Patrol With Mounties In a cooperative patrol with the Mounted Police of Canada, two oth- er Wildlife Agents covered 3500 rziles by air in a month and, in addition, traveled many miles on snowshoes | and skies over trap lines along both | sides of the Alaska-Yukon boundary They uncovered evidence that cer- tain residents of Alaska and Can- ada were promiscuously trapping | in the territory across the boun-| dary. They found and broke up a ring well organized for smuggling wolf and coyote pelts and leg bones into Alaska from Canada for the collection of the $20 Territorial bounty In one instance, 84 leg bones of wolves and coyotes were seized from a Canadian mail carrier enroute to a trading post in Alaska, and in Dawson he was found guilty on four separate counts involving al trading and the possession and use of poison. They appre- hended eight violators. and d large quantities of fur which were ferfeited to the respective Govern- ments. In possession of one tra were found seven quarters of mountain sheep meat, for which he was receiving 30 cents a pound. The nts also halted consideraple traf- in other kinds of game animals Game Wog Caught he Another trip was made by two wildlife Agents into the Mount Hayes district, where they appre- hended one of the most vicious game hogs yet to be exposed by the Ag- ents of the Commission. The meat of 21 game animals was found in his possession, including 11 sheep, | two cow moose and one lamb. A pile, containing 34 ram horns, was| found under a tree. Most were fresh kills. The ruthless and wan- ton slaugt of these fine game animals could never have been de- tected without the aid of an air-| plane. { Of the 124,148 miles traveled by |ana sources. Registered Guide Service From all parts of the world, spor men come to Alaska seeking bi game trophies, some of which are not to be found in any other place To care for this type of visitor, a Registered Guide service has been made available under the direction of the Alaska Game Commission License fees have also been estab- shed All nonresident and alien hunt- ers are required to have a license in order to take big game in Ale The Nonresident Small Game Li- cense costs $10; the Nonresident General Hunting License is $50, and the Alien License is $100. There is no additional charge for trophies taken or transported out of the Territory under such licenses. The Alaska Game Law requires each nonresident or alien hunter to be accompanied’ by a Registered Guide while taking big game in Al- aska. A current list of Registered Guides, together with up-to-date copies of the Alaska Game Law, may be obtained free of charge by writing to the Alaska Game Commission, Juneau, Alaska. Preparation Necessary Upon determination of the sec- tion where he desires to hunt, the sportsman should get in touch with one of the Registered Guides or Guide Association serving such sec- tion and agree upon tes, length of hunt, trophies desired and such other matters as may come up. It is well to do this in plenty of time so that the Guide or Guide Associa- tion may make proper arrangements. Many of the hunts require expert preparation if the hunter is to make every day in the field count Registered Guides, in addition to arranging the hunt, heading the party in the field, loca the game and lending advice in the selection of suitable trophies, must also be experts in skinning out, preparing and curing the trophies under field conditions. At the close of the hunt it usually devolves upon them to properly pack and attend to the chipment of the skir capes and an- juide service in Alaska is carefully studied, perma- nently established profession in which high class outdoorsmen are engaged. Ev means is taken to nsure the nonresident successful hunt, and to leave him with a desire to return again and maintaining the wildlife re- a pleasing, | THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE, SUNDAY, MARCH 31, * It All Started W ith The Curti eight year runner of the modern use o ASIATIC BROWN BEAR SHOT ON ST. LAWRENCE Pelt Authenficates Rumor- ed Presence of Brownie on Far North Island First sighted several years ago by the fossil-collecting Otto Geist expedition, a lone brown bear which has been living on St. Lawrence Island for at least six years was fi- nally killled recently by native rein- deer herders. Since St. Lawrence Island, lying in the middle of Bering Sea, is much nearer to Siberia than to Alaska, it is concluded that the bear is an Old World variety. Even so, it (or one of its ancestors) had to cross 50 miles of open ocean and the In- ternational Date Line in order to reach the island The skin, skull and skeleton were secured by the Alaska Game Com- mission and. forwarded to the Bu- reau of Biological Survey in Wash- ington, D. C., for identification. Thisis the first record of a brown colored bear ever having been seen on the island | although white polar ss Swallow biplane which Wildlife Agent Sam White flew out of Fairbanks for gaining for its pilot the title of the “flying game warden,” was the fore- aviation in the work of the Alaska Game Commi f Game Birds Increasing, Says Man Whe Follows Ducks on Alaska-to-Mexico Flyway | Game birds are increasing because of favorable nesting conditions, ac. cording to L. G. Goldman, who vis- ited Juneau again last year in con- | nection with his studies for the wa- terfowl investigational division of the Biological Survey. Goldman follows the birds an- nually from the Alaska Arctic to Mexico and Central America. “Waterfowl nesting conditions ev- ery place I visited in Alaska ap- pear satisfactory,” he said. “I ob- served these conditions closely and also conferred with white and na- tive persons about the migratory bird situation.” Natural aspects and the opinions of well informed persons convinced him there are more birds this year than last, he said. Lewest Ebb in 1935 “Waterfowl reached their lowest ebb in 1935. For their conservation, the United States made a treaty in 1918 with Canada and a similar treaty was negotiated with Mexico in 1935, Since the treaty with Mexico, the number of transitory birds has gradually increased. “Generally speaking, West Coast 1940. e e GAME ANIMALS 5 ) 3 \ N N \ N ) ' ! )\ \ ] \ \ N N ) \ 3 Muskox Knew When to !Mm:'e Along particularly | dogs. After a children, women Alaska Game Commission photo, shriog destroy the offending bull But the bull had other ideas. It seemed to sense that its welcome had been worn thin and left the village, never to be seen again. The muskoxen herd now roamjng on Nunivak Island was transplant- ed from Greenland several years ago. It is planned to build up a |herd of several hundred or more on. Among the 34 muskoxen transfer- red from Fairbanks to Nunivak Is- land by the Alaska Game Commis- sion three years ago was a cantank- |erous bull which refused to follow |the rest of the herd but persisted in bitering around the Eskimo vil- lage, attacking everything in sight, and of near tragedies, permission was given the natives to WIDE VARIETY OF GAME ~ NATIVE 10 BEAR, M Some of the finest big game hunt- ing areas in the world lie on the “last frontier” in Alaska—a fact at- tested by the pilgrimages north ev- |ery year of hunters by the hun- dreds. Game Animals BEAR — Under the heading of game animals, the big brown bear “holds first piace. He is not only |the largest carnivorous animal in | Alaska but the largest in the world. | His habitat includes several of the | larger islands, such as Chichagof, | Baranof, Admiralty, Hinchinbrook, | Kodiak, Afognak and Unimak and also the coastal regions from Port- Jand Canal to the westernmost tip of the Aleutian Peninsula. The grizzly bear, a close relative of the brownie, is found throughout most of the interior areas and along the coast line from Cook Inlet south to Portland Canal. The number of coastal brown {bear has been numbered at 8500 and the interfor and coastal dwel- ling grizzlies at 10,000 Black bear, including the many color variations, are estimated at | 75,000, range over a large portion of the Territory. | The polar bears are found only |in the most northern parts of Al-| most important species, nests from San Diego, California, to the Arc- | tie.” By OLIVER EDWARDS u. Forest Service Whenever hunters gather around to swap stories and quench thirsty throats the conversation eventually turns to that mecca of big-game hunters—Alaska. From the roofs of those tall te- pees of New York, under the equal- ly tall firs of Oregon and along the warm, sandy beaches of California and Florida, it is ever the same— Alaska. That one word embodies all that the big-game hunter cher- ishes in his dreams of things to {come. And thus it should be. Where else ean be found such a variety |of game—mountain sheep, goats, again to the great game fields of bears are not uncommon during the | waterfowl nest in the Spring and | moose, deer, caribou, black and griz- the Territory. Game (13 nder the Mi the 11 Alaska Wildlife Agents dur- ing the past year 33,582 miles were by air. Other modes of transpor-| tation were by commercial steam- ship, Government owned patrol| boats, outboard motor boats, auto-| mobil railroads and dog teams. Hundreds of miles were covered on| foot, including snowshoe and ski| travel. | Protection Given Wildlife | In 1925 Congress passed the Al-| aska Game Law, setting up a Game Commission to function as the oper-| ating agency of the Bureau of Bio-| logical Survey in the formation and | enforcement of suitable regulations for managing the wildlife resource in the Territory. The Alaska Game | Law provides that the Secretary| ng fur animals ways of raisi of the Interior shall appoint a members of which four are require to be representative residents of | Alaska, one from each of the four | judicial divisions, and not Federal | employees. The fifth member is| the chief representative of the Bio- logical Survey resident in Alaska | and the Executive Officer of the| Commission. The general admin- | istration of the Alaska Game Law | is largely in the hands of the Com- | mission; also, the law provides that, | upon consultation with or upon rec- ommendations from the Commis- sion, the Secretary of the Interior | may issue suitable regulations gov- | erning the taking of game animals, land fur-bearing’ animals and birds | in Alaska. The Commission meets annually, at which time it proposes] for action by the Biological Survey | and the Secretary of the Interior| such regulations as seem advisable | with respect to hunting seasons, bag‘ limits, establishment of game and | fur districts and designation of | areas as wildlife sanctuaries. It for- mulates general plans for regulatory work to be carried out under the | direct supervision of the Executive Officer and makes recommenda- tions for action on such matters as restocking of game lands, the in- troduction of new species, predatory animal control and wildlife research. This administrative arrangement has proved satisfactory. Better enforce- ment of the Alaska Game Laws is now largely a question of .increased funds to supply the needed per- sonnel and equipment. The Biological Survey, in close cooperation -with the .Commission, conducts research work in the Ter- ritory with the objective of determ- ining the best means of developing Wolf, Wolverin | winter season. ‘roscope” ' i The experimental ¥ame and fur farm near Petersburg is operated by the University of Alaska to learn the best | in Alaska. | es Swapped By Game Commission for | Hardy Asiatic P In response to concerted public requests for introduction of pheas- ants to Alaska, and mindful of the fact that such pheasants must be from hardy northern species, the Alaska Game Commission last fall secured a shipment of Brown Eared, Cheer, Nepal Kaleege and Reeve's WILDLIFE AGENT IS STATIONED ON KODIAK ISLAND | Kodiak is to be the permanent station of an Alaska Wildlife Agent for the first time, it was announced recently by Executive Officer Frank Dufresne. Wildlife Agent Jack Benson has been transferred to Kodiak from McGrath. Wayne House, Deputy | Agent with Benson in" the Kusko- | kwim territory, will be the Wild- |1ife Agent at McGrath. e | The lowest natural temperature of | record is said to have been 94.4 de- |grees below zero, in Siberia, in Feb- ruary, 1892. The highest similar | record was made in Tripoliania, Ly- | bia, North Africa, 136.4 degrees above zero, September, 1922. heasants | pheasants from the State of Wis-|yere near some good trees to climb,” |and mana; consin in exchange for a black tim-| ber wolf and a pair of live wolver- | ines. the Experiment Station at Peters- burg where arrangements have | been made for hatching, brooding and then making shipments of young birds to various sections of the Territory. Approximately 60 Mongolian, pheasants, hatched at the Station last springhave been liberated and close check is being made concern-| ing their ability to care for them- selves during the winter. 500 “Farmed Out” At Anchorage and Palmer about| 500 Mongolian pheasants as well as | a few Chukar partridges, which | were secured through public sub- | scription and by gift to the Com-l | | mission, are being cared for by var- jous ranchers and such other fa-| cilities as are available. | In the vicinity of Ketchikan and | Sitka, Ringneck pheasants intro-‘ !duced several Yyears ago are sur- viving, but do not show much prom- | ise of taking to the wilds and be-; | coming self supporting, preferring | to remain in the vicinity of highways | and cleared areas. It is hoped that | the new varieties will not' exhibit | I this weakness. | Summer in the North and Winter in the South. “Of course, there are some species that do not follow this procedure. For instance, the pintail duck, & Wild Cattle Lords Of Chirikof Huge cattle on Chirikof Island, Western Alaska, are so wild and bel- | {ligerent these days it is risky to travel on the island without a rifle —and then it's no picnic—according to experiences of those visiting the island during the past year. Scattered bands of bulls, grazing |on the outskirts of the main herd |of about 600 head of cattle, are difficult- to avoid and prone to | charge. W. B. Goss and Adolph Rogers, travelers who explored the island last summer on a photographic ex- pedition, had some narrow escapes. they. related. “They were ferocious looking, making interesting photographic | subjects,” said Goss. ‘“They looked!desired to place these millions of |gass National Forest, Southeastern |like wild west pictures of buffa- | acres in inviolate refuges. " he added. Kept Guard Goss kept guard with a rifle to drive away their fierce camera sub- jects if they got too close, while Rogers operated a movie camera. “A couple of times we wished we loes,” said Rogers. Once the situation looked critical |when they were photographing a|ure for the people of the Territory | | The birds are being cared for at|huge bull less than 30 feet away. and the 0 He lowered his head and snorted menacingly. “It was too close for comfort,” said Rogers. zly bear, and the monarch of them all, the Alaska brown bear? Where |else such a setting of lofty peaks cut by rivers of ice, countless virgin lakes in a vast expanse of forest or tundra, and an apparently never- ending seashore continually dis- | closing new wonders? Valuable Resource For this reason the game resourc- les of the Territory—as yet largely undeveloped—are an economic re- source of ever-increasing value. Un- like its gold and copper, the wealth of game need never cease to exist. The planned management of . this resource can provide the Territory with a continual source of revenue and pleasure. An important part of this resource is found on and de- pendent upon the National Forests As the administrator of | of Alaska. the land and its several kinds of resources, the Forest Service is striv- | ing to do its share in making the Forest Service Also Inferested in Game; Managgd»as Alaska Tourist Atfradi jon Nunivak Island and then reseed | them' to various points along the Arctic Coast where they were ex- terminated by whalers nearly ! years ago. aska where they inhabit the ice | floes and are hunted by Eskimos and Indians for their hides and 75 | meat. ! MOOSE. While the greatest con- Rare Sight for Men’s Eyes Alaska Game Commission photo. Two bull moose, the larger weighing almost 1400 pounds, locked n.ntllers in combat, Both would have died but an Alaska Wildlife Agent spotted them from a plane, Rog- tiet‘ the victor and freed the animals by sawing off an antler, 2300 brown bear on the four islands. | tourists—all “make use” of the wild- TERRITORY; 00SE SUPREME i centration of moose is found o | the Kenai Peninsula, they m [to be found in lesser H | throughout most of the jht of Alaska. The Alaska m {s the largest of ifs kinfl, jome obtaining a weight of over 1400 pounds. MOUNTAIN SHEEP, The Ovis dalli, predominating metnber 6f the sheep family in Alaska and the o1 white mountain sheep in N America, inhabits the mountainols reglons protectéd from the west coastal storms in estimated numbers of from 30,000 to 45,000. MOUNTAIN GOAT. Mountaii goats are to be found along the precipitous coast lipe from “Port- Jand Canal to Cook Inlet and thelr numbers are estimated to be 13,500. CARIBOU. These game ahifials are by far the most numerods bt any in the Territory and thelr Hu- bers reach well over the million mark. The stone, Grant, and Poifit Barrow species are listed in Alaska. DEER. The Sitka biack-tafled deer is a native 3f Souttieastern ‘Al- | aska, occupying both the islands and | mainland in this district An ‘esti- mation of 40,000 of these animaly has been made. These deer have been planted in Yakutat and Prince | William Sound districts ahd afe adaptinf themselves exceptionally well. 3 BISON, ELK AND. MUSK OXEN have recently been uced to the Territory and are mk »‘np extel- lent showing. With absolute pro- tection these fine animals should give a good account w‘m and form one of, the Territdry’s greatest. meat supplies and add more animals 6 the 1ist of big gt animals, . | .. B RAL Land Fur-Beiring Anlmate Fur-béaring | ahimals furnish - & e part of the cash incgme of mkn rative Indians, Bskimos old time white trappers. period of 16 years the valu taken in Alaska hds w 32278091 per ydr" The Alaska and are Nstéd 3 to their economit value: miin fox, blue fox, beaver, whil muskrat, lynx, cross silver fox, land otter, er coyote, polar bear, hare, and SQNPFO‘;“ AR Pur farming in Alaska {5 ually receiving more Territorlal Experiffiént Wut has recently been stal Petersbyrg and is o X Dr. J. B. Loftus, a graduste - inarian, Blue fox and mEk fre e most favored animals how being farmed. . . S A bounty oiu& & wolf and éach coyote Teghlly |life of the Territory. This attrac- tion is responsible in varying de- grees for their journey to Alaska and the stream of dollars they leave ibehind to help build a new land. Under proper management and reg- |ulation there should always be enough for all—enough to provide !an annual surplus that can be re- moved by the hunter, enough to al- low the nature student and photo- grapher to find in undisturbed prim- itive abundance, and enough for Mr. This information forms ‘the foun- dation for further study and the development of a plan of manage- ment that should go far toward the goal of maintaining the species in large numbers and permitting a controlled use of the animals for the greatest good of the Territory. Much remains to be done before |- the wild-life of the National For- ests can be assured of perpetual ants, among which game. of more value to the Nation|and Mrs. John Tourist. and the Territory. It is taking steps | to build up an efficient program of | National Forest game management to supplement the game regulatory | and protective -work which the Al- aska Game Commission carries on throughout the Territory. | tourist. The sight of a doe nudging her fawn into hiding, or a clownish' bear Hshlng"] for salmon, is an 'experierice long to be remembered by the average As a step toward this kind of management a rough inventory of more widely studied. A well planned, lz;legrnwd program of regulation, protection and management by all lof the public agencies concerned will obviate the danger of the wasteful depletion of game that practically every State in the Union has ex- preservation and use. The forests Ree M‘?‘ are large and their great possibili- Mor:’::ihn Vabktids tles for game production must be the Chucker 5 iy ing 1938 a total of - iy ey e | This does not mean that it is the brown bear islands in the Ton- Alaska, has been made during the past few years in cooperation with the Alaska Game Commission. In 1932 Admiralty Island was investi- gated to determine the approxi- mate number of big brown bear inhabiting the area. This was the first large scale study of this kind ever made of Alaska brown bear. A similar survey of Chichagof Is- Jand was made in 1838, and durinig the past year Baranof Island was covered. " Game management implies much more| | than reservation. It means an ac- | tive program to develop the game lresourws, conserve them, and at| | the same time encourage thefr util-| | ization. 'The game should be used,| but that use must be so controlled | as to guard against depletion and thereby insure a per- | manent source of revenue and pleas- Natton. Tourist Attraction | 2300 Brown Bear | .~ Hunters,” fishermen, nature stu-| By these investigations it was de- | dents, camera fans, and just plain termined that there are at least Compliments to Alaska and The Empire Int froman ted Friend in SEATTLE H cent of the fishermen perienced. and Indians, while 12 % The Forest Service expects to so the bhandle the lands under its super- vision that these will contribute of Orlenta] origin. substantially and in perpetuity to the supply of game. THe Alaika ¢ than 26,000 miles lank. 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