Wildlife Federation for Nebraska

WORK of the Nebraska Wild life Federation, headed by Dr. M. C. Pedersen of Lincoln, got into full swing when delegates from all over the state met at the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce building March 14, to learn the purpose of the federation and to discuss conservation problems.

James E. Lawrence, editor of the Lincoln Star, was principal speaker on the all-day program and addressed the 150 sportsmen on "The Need and Possibilities of the Conservation Program."

Dr. M. C. Pedersen was named temporary chairman of the federation, Mrs. M. S. McDuffe of Alliance and H. G. Smith of Hastings were elected vice-chairmen, H. B. Porterfield of Lincoln will hold the post of secretary, and H. D. Gish of Lincoln was elected treasurer.

The program was opened by showing of motion pictures of Nebraska fish and game by Mr. J. B. Douglas of Tecumseh, chairman of the Fish and Game Commission. Short talks were given by Mr. H. E. Engstrom, State Coordinator of Soil Conservation, of Albion. Mr. Graland F. Smith, Ass't. Information Adviser of the Resettlement Administration, Mr. Frank B. O'Connell, secretary of the Fish and Game Commission, and by Mr. Harold Porterfield, Ass't. to City Attorney, Lincoln. "How U. S. Soil and Forest Survey Can Aid the Conservation Program," was the topic of Mr. Engstrom's speech, while Mr. Smith spoke on "How U. S. Resettlement Projects Will Help Conservation of Wildlife." Mr. O'Connell explained the "Plan of the Fish and Game Commission" and Mr. Porterfield spoke on the "Importance of Forestry to the Wild Life Program."

Ex-Senator Frank Brady of Atkinson, Regional Director of the U. S. Wild Life Federation gave an address and A View of the New Ponca State Park the delegates were welcomed by T. B. Strain, President of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce who presented Gov. Roy L. Cochran.

A report of the Wild Life Conference held recently in Washington was given by Prof. Myron Swenk, of the University of Nebraska.

A fairly new organization, the Nebraska Wildlife Federation came into being when "Ding" Darling, head of the U. S. Biological Survey, created the Wildlife Federation of America asking the National Junior Chamber of Commerc to organize state divisions. Nebraska's division was organized immediately and Dr. Pedersen placed at its head. The Nebraska Division set about organizing a county wildlife council with local officers in each of the 93 counties in Nebraska. Each council is to be made up of representatives of organizations already existing that are interested in conservation. Garden Clubs, Izaak Walton Leagues, American Legion Posts, 4-H Clubs, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Game Protective Association and Boy Scouts are urged to take part in the work. Twelve of these county councils have already been organized and according to Dr. Pedersen, others are urged to do so immediately. The work is being supervised by the directors of the fifteen districts into which the state has been divided.

In the constitution drawn up by delegates to the March 14 convention, the aims of the organization are defined as: "To protect, propagate, and increase fish and game, to improve the habitat for all wildlife, to procure the enactment of laws for the protection

Growth Rate of Fishes

FROM some forgotten source, there comes to mind that much repeated story about the rat killed in the fruit warehouse. "The demise of a rat in any kind of a warehouse is not unusual in itself, but this animal was exceptional. It was nineteen inches long, weighed three pounds, and was fifteen years old." Your victim permits his eyes to bulge for two seconds, then swallows twice and wants to know more about it. He asks: "How did they know the rat was fifteen years old?" The answer is: "When killed, it had a date in its mouth!"

The age of game and fish is always of interest to the sportsman. Old animals are not at a premium, but with fishes, size depends partly upon age. Growth never entirely stops, so that in order to catch large fish, it is necessary to catch old fish. In this instance we are interested in age from another standpoint, i. e., we want to catch large fish, but we don't want to wait too many years to begin catching them. The question naturally follows: How long will we have to wait? In reality, age is not the only factor to be considered. Fish growth must be surveyed from the standpoint of growth rate per year, and this varies directly with the abundance of natural food in any lake or stream.

A rapid growth depends upon the presence of a variety of foods for all sizes of fish present in a body of water. The type of food necessary for small fish is not adequate for large fish of the same species, nor is it necessarily adapted to small fish of all species. Young trout prefer one type of food, young bass another, and the young muskellunge is extremely exacting in its food requirements, so much so, in fact, that it will starve for lack of a single species of crustacean, when hundreds of individuals of other species surround it.

A lake may produce in abundance, foods highly suitable for young fish and, at the same time, may be almost devoid of foods required by the older and larger individuals. The young fish grow well at first, but after reaching a certain size, growth practically ceases, and soon the lake is filled with large numbers of fish too small for sport or table use.

On the other hand, a lake may be deficient in its food supply for young fish, while the supply may be adequate for the larger sizes. In such a lake, fish will not be numerous, but those present will be of good size.

Newly hatched fry require minute organisms, both plant and animal, most of which are microscopic in size and without a great deal of locomotive powers. Collectively these forms are known as plankton. They range from a size so small that it would take 5,000 lined up one after another to make an inch; up to a size such that a file of 2 5 or less would cover the same distance.

When the fry becomes more active and their mouths increase in size, other larger forms are necessary. Some of them, such as the fresh water shrimp, and various insect larvae are strong swimmers, living in a definite location among the leaves of aquatic plants. Others inhabit the bottom mud, causing the young fish to go down into the depths in order to find them.

Biologists have long sought methods by which all of these organisms might be estimated quantitatively. How much food will a lake produce, and how much food does a fish require, in order to make a substantial growth? Some authorities estimate that it takes ten pounds of food to produce one pound of fish. At this rate, a five pound bass must have consumed during its lifetime, fifty pounds of aquatic organisms, undoubtedly representing millions of individuals.

At the present time, quantitative methods are available, so that one can not only determine the quantitative weight of the larger organisms, but also obtain a fairly accurate weight estimate of the microscopic forms. By applying these methods to any given lake, it is possible to estimate with fair accuracy the number of pounds of fish that this lake will produce per year. It follows that the greater the number of fish present in this body of water, the less will be the weight increase per year for each individual fish. Thus the assurance of substantial fish growth depends upon keeping the fish population at a point where the greatest amount of food will be utilized, without too great a loss in yearly growth.

It is not difficult to determine the rate of growth of the fish of any lake. Fish keep piscatorial diaries on their scales. If you have ever examined a fish scale closely, you will have noticed that the bony material is laid down in concentric rings around a central area. The total number of scales on a fish is constant, as they are formed in the skin soon after the fish hatches. In order to cover the body as the fish grows, more material is added around the outer edges of each scale. This material is added during the summer growth period, while throughout the winter, due to a much reduced food supply the growth practically stops. With the advent of warm weather, food again becomes abundant, growth is resumed, and more material is added to the scales. The cessation of growth during the winter produces a definite check or mark on the scale, which can be readily determined. There are other factors that may cause the formation of extra checks, which somewhat resemble the winter marks. However, one experienced in scale reading is able to accurately separate the true winter marks from false checks. Also, as the scale growth between the winter checks is nearly proportional to the summer increase in length, it is possible to estimate the approximate length of a fish at the end of any summer of its life. Accuracy in these measurements may be increased if the scale is enlarged by microprojection.

Large numbers of scale readings from scales of fish from the glacial lakes of Wisconsin show that the average growth of the large mouthed bass in northern waters is about one-half pound per year, following the second year. Before this time the increase in weight is not so rapid. The average Increase in weight for the small mouthed bass is slightly less. By reading an adequate number of scales from any lake, it is possible to determine the rate of growth of the present population of that lake. If the growth is seemingly too small, the population is probably too large for the amount of available food and some of the fish should be removed, to increase the food supply of those remaining. If the growth is rapid, the lake will undoubtedly support a larger fish population.

Just as soils vary in productivity, so lakes vary. Sandpits are among the most unproductive of all lakes, because of their deficiency in organic matter. This condition may be improved by the addition of commercial fertilizers, but it is unknown whether the results obtained merit the cost. Experiments of this kind in Wisconsin glacial lakes show an increase in productivity of 20% at a cost of about ?1.25 per acre of lake surface. All the characteristics of Nebraska sandpits vary from those

National Waterfowl Refuge Contest

SPORTSMEN this year have another opportunity to learn how to boost local wild duck populations—with all the necessary "how to" information available for the asking and with national recognition, cash and silver cup awards for their efforts The More Game Birds Foundation announces that its National Waterfowl Refuge Contest, which last year resulted in the starting of 2 37 duck refuges by sportsmen and others, including eight in Nebraska, will be repeated.

Forty-four states were represented in the 1935 contest, it was announced at the Washington Wildlife Conference by Jay N. ("Ding") Darling, who headed the Committee of Judges. The first five place winners were awarded $500.00 in cash, silver cups and certificates of merit illustrated by "Ding". Fifteen other refuge sponsors also received cups and certificates and 43 additional certificates were awarded. Similar prizes are offered in the 193 6 contest.

Rules of the contest, in brief, are: Notice of entry must be given by June 15 to qualify for one of the first 20 prizes. The refuge must be a new project started this year. Food, cover, decoys, upkeep, protection and means employed in development of the site figure in the final rating. Judging is based upon attested reports, photographs and maps to be submitted.

To qualify for prize awards, refuges are required to have a permanent water area of not less than three acres, an acre each of natural food plants and cover, three pairs of decoys, protection from shooting and predators, and permanency of at least three years.

Three free booklets are offered showing how to start and manage a refuge. They are: Small Refuges for Water-fowl, Waterfowl Food Plants, and Water Areas: How to Create and Maintain Them. These and copies of the conditions and rules of the contest, entry blanks and other contest material may be obtained free of charge by addressing More Game Birds in America, 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y.

Among Nebraska entrants in last year's contest were: C. H. Silvernail of Bridgeport, the Game, Fish and Forestation Commission, Scottsbluff refuge; the Lincoln Park Department; Carl A. Wickman, of Eli; V. W. Binderup, of Mlnden; Lincoln Chapter, Izaak Walton League; Gothenburg Gun Club, and Ward W. Johnson, of Sidney.

The Committee of Judges for this year's contest is composed of: Ira N. Gabrielson, Chief, U. S. Bureau of Biological Survey, Chairman; S. Barry Locke, Conservation Director, Izaak Walton League of America; Mrs. H. G. Bogert, Conservation Chairman, General Federation of Women's Clubs; William L. Finley, naturalist-lecturer, of Portland, Oregon; Nathan Moran, California member, Federal Migratory Bird Advisory Board; Edward A. McIlhenny, Avery Island, Louisiana author of "How I made a Bird City" and A. C. Camerle, More Game Birds in America.

Out of 237 entrants, a committee of nationally known judges selected the waterfowl refuge built by the Gothenburg Gun Club as winner of second place in the 1935 contest for the best bird refuge and awarded the club a prize of one hundred dollars in cash and a silver cup.

Entries in the contest ranged from a model $75,000 project developed with WPA aid in Chicago's Jackson Park, to a section of the Rio Grande at Eagle Pass, Texas, and from Lubec, Maine, to Santa Barbara, California. Full instructions on how to attract ducks, geese and swans to the "duckports" were freely supplied and so successful has the movement proven, that the More Game Birds in America Foundation announced it would be continued this year.

First place winner in the contest was the Southampton Township Wild- fowl Association for a refuge at Quoge, N. Y. Third place was captured by Bob Smart, 7812 Constance Ave., Chicago, 111., at Jackson park; fourth, by Pair-o-Docs' fifth by the Hendrick Hudson Fish & Game Club, Inc., Box 1551, Winter St., Troy, N. Y., at Poestenkill.

Recipients of cup awards for sponsoring

1. Only those contestants whose notices of entry are postmarked before midnight, June 15, 1936, shall be considered by the judges for award of one of the first twenty prizes.

2. Each waterfowl refuge must be a new project started not earlier than Jan. 1, 1936. Refuges entered in the 1935 National Waterfowl Refuge Contest but which have not been completed may be entered for a Certificate of Merit.

3. Evidence of the establishment and development of a waterfowl refuge must be submitted to the Foundation by each contestant not later than Dec. 1, 1936, on forms available from the Foundation. Such evidence must be attested by a public official not identified with the project. It must include at least one photograph showing a detailed view of the project.

4. For award of the first twenty prizes, achievements shall be rated on the extent of expenditures of services, labor, funds and materials which they have used or secured for the establishment and development of their projects, and the extent to which the minimum requirements outlined in Rule 5 have been exceeded.

5. The following essentials must be met:

(a) Water: Each waterfowl refuge must have a permanent water area of not less than 3 acres, not polluted by oil.

(b) Foods: At least one acre of marsh or aquatic food plants must exist on the area. Where local conditions prevent the growth of natural food plants, arrangements must have been completed to supply sufficient grain or other artificial food for maintenance of decoys.

(c) Vegetation cover suitable for nesting sites or shelter must be available in or immediately adjoining the water on the refuge. It must cover an area of not less than one acre in extent.

(d) At least 3 pair of any species of wild ducks or geese must be maintained.

(e) Waterfowl on refuge must be protected from shooting and principal predatory enemies.

(f) Provision must have been made to continue the refuge for at least 3 years from Jan. 1, 1937.

Sutherland Project to Have Great Recreational Value

THE new Sutherland Public Power and Irrigation District project, near North Platte, which is nearing completion, will provide a home for many migratory waterfowl and for many fish.

The State of Nebraska has already started stocking the larger reservoir. Pike and pickerel are being placed in these waters in the belief they will feed on the small carp that may come in from the river and thereby increase in large numbers.

The diversion dam is located in the North Platte River, at a point approximately three miles west of Keystone, Nebraska, or approximately 55 miles west of the City of North Platte, Nebraska. This dam is a spillway constructed of concrete, extending from the south bank 1,300 feet and is joined on the north side by an earthern dike which is 6,900 feet in length. This dike is built sufficiently high to divert all river flow water over the spillway, even at flood stage. This unit is proposed to divert approximately 900,000 gallons of water per minute (2,000 cubic feet per second).

Leaving the diversion dam, the water will flow in a newly constructed ditch, which proceeds in an easterly direction along south bank of the North Platte River to a point directly north of the village of Paxton, Nebraska. The water will enter a huge open cut 6,850 feet in length. This cut runs through a range of so-called Nebraska sandhills or bluffs. In order to maintain a proper water level in the bottom of this cut there are places where it will be approximately 150 feet from the bottom to the highest point on the bank, requiring the excavation of 2,300,000 yards of earth. Due to the extreme depth of this cut, some of the earth had to be handled as many as 3 times. This work was done with large draglines, power shovels and with motor driven dump wagons hauling earth from the bottom of the cut. This cut is contended by engineers to be the largest in the Mississippi valley, and equal in both depth and width to some of the cuts in the famous Panama Canal.

After passing through this cut, the water will flow through a concrete pressure siphon 14 feet in diameter. This siphon will pass under the Lincoln Highway, under the U. P. Railway right-of-way, and then under the South Platte River. The South Platte River in characteristic is somewhat of a subterranean river, at certain stages the surface is completely dry but there is always a large subterranean flow. Due to the large water shed, this river at flood periods is indeed a torrent. After the water has passed through the pressure tube and has reached the higher ground south of the river flood plane, it passes into another canal section and finally finds its way into the Sutherland reservoir. This reservoir covers an area of 7 square miles, and has a storage capacity of enough water to cover one square mile 300 feet deep. The maximum depth of this lake will be 87 feet, and from the point of shore line miles, will be the largest lake in the State of Nebraska.

In the canal system, the water will have a base width of 30 feet and an

SUBSCRIPTION--Twenty-five cents a year. Published at Lincoln, Nebr., quarterly, for entry as Second Class Matter pending.

PUBLISH NEW MAP

Conservation camps, a quarterly publication, motion pictures of scenic points, and conservation bulletins have helped to educate the people of the state in conservation work during the past two years.

During the summer of 1935, the Game, Forestation, and Parks Commission cooperated with the Nebraska 4-H Clubs in holding a conservation camp at Seward. Ten thousand copies of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA were distributed each quarter of the past two years and served to acquaint the citizens of the state with the work being done toward conserving our wildlife and natural resources.

Other citizens have learned of conservation through the motion pictures of game and fish resources which the commission furnished to schools, clubs, and organizations of the state, while three conservation bulletins issued to schools and 4-H clubs educated children in this work.

Bulletins containing the game laws, trapping laws and regulations, hunting time tables, pheasant open seasons, federal seasons on waterfowl have also been widely distributed.

PLANT MANY FISH

During the past two years over eight million fish have been placed in Nebraska lakes and streams by the Nebraska Game, Forestation, and Parks Commission, according to a report issued recently by its secretary, Frank B. O'Connell.

For 1934 the report reads as follows: Bullheads 2,606,624; crappie 207,770; black bass 238,741; perch 632,650; loch levin trout 7,065; rainbow trout 187,041; brook trout 114,575; bluegill 35,570; catfish 218,905; rock bass 87,527; northern pike 56; and tadpoles 32,000, making a total of 4,568,314.

In 1935 the fish were distributed as follows: Bullheads 1,614,505; crappie 362,243; black bass 622,704; perch 12,600; loch levin trout 1,270; rainbow trout 94,287; brook trout 10,967; bluegill 166,702; catfish 181,388; rock bass 168,844; northern pike 72; and tadpoles 38,000. The total number of fish distributed in 1935 reached 3,401,582.

Observe all the Nebraska game laws. Buy your 1936 hunting and fishing permit now!

Floods Damage State Properties

Spring floods damaged recreational areas at Fremont and at Louisville during March. These were caused by ice gorges in the Platte River.

The upper picture shows what happened to a road in the U. P. Pits area south of the Union Pacific railway tracks near Fremont. These grounds were improved several years ago by CCC labor. It is hoped that a WPA project can be secured to rebuild this road and other damages caused there.

The second picture shows what is left of a dike at the Louisville Recreation Grounds. This dike formed the bank of a twenty-acre lake or pit, but it is now a part of the river. It is doubtful if this damage can be repaired.

The third picture shows damage done to privately-owned pits near Meadow. Here the Platte went on a rampage when the ice held it back. It cut through several fine pits, destroying a private fish hatchery, railroad tracks and roads.

Commission Field Activities

Tourists and Nebraska sightseers will have no trouble locating the best picnicking, camping or fishing grounds or the most interesting places in the state when the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission issues its newest map the middle of May.

This map, in four colors, is a pictorial one and contains sketches of the landmarks in the state. For example, to show where the state capital is located, or to mark Buffalo Bill's old home at Scoutrest ranch, there are small drawings resembling the two structures. This makes the map much more interesting as well as easier to read. Places where fishing is good, are marked by small drawing of fish and sketches of ducks show where the best waterfowl hunting is.

The back of the map contains photographs of the outstanding recreation grounds and state parks, lists the price schedule for resorts, tells where to hunt and fish and explains in detail some of the more interesting sights of Nebraska.

The Game, Forestation and Parks Commission feels that the map answers a definite need of citizens of the state when it tells them where, in their own state, they can find delightful picnicking, camping and fishing grounds and tells them how to reach them.

More resident hunting and fishing permits were issued in 1935 than in 1934, according to a report issued by the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission. In nearly all kinds of permits, the year 1935 showed a larger sale than that in 19 34. The report is as follows:

Losses in collections for permits sold by agents during 1934 amounted to $513.80, and while the accounts for 19 35 are not yet audited, the commission believed that they would be no greater than those of last year.

During 1934 and part of 19 35, government relief agencies aided in the construction of several projects sponsored by the Nebraska Game, Forestation and Parks Commission. Workers in a CCC camp developed the Niobrara Park and Game Refuge in Knox county, greatly improving it and making it possible to open it to the public late in 1935. Another CCC post started improvement in Ponca State Park in Dixon county but was withdrawn before completion of the park. It is hoped some means can be found to get this park completed and opened to the public in the near future.

During 1935 a CCC camp was obtained for development of the Wild-Cat Hills Game Sanctuary and Recreation Grounds in Scotts Bluff county. CWA labor built a small lake and recreation grounds near Guide Rock in Webster county and the project was nearly ready to be opened to the public when it was destroyed by the Republican Valley Flood. The Gretna Fish Hatchery was also improved by CWA labor during the two years.

Hundreds of complaints pour into the offices of the Game, Forestation and Parks Commission each year and are immediately referred to the District Deputy Conservation officer of the respective district who makes a personal investigation and then reports to the office any action taken.

All special permits such as those issued for scientific purposes, damage caused by pheasants, muskrats and beaver, are also investigated by the Deputy Conservation officers.

In the year 1934, 386 arrests were made and 75 0 complaints investigated. Officers found it necessary to confiscate 640 articles and collected $899.90 in liquidated damages. $5,163.50 worth of fines were collected for school funds. Conservation officers salvaged 300,000 fish and checked 11,000 permits. Special investigations numbered 430.

During 1935, 423 arrests were made, 921 complaints investigated, and 536 articles confiscated. $335 in liquidated damages was collected, $5,314 was collected in fines for school funds, while 89,000 fish were salvaged by conservation officers. 14,5 32 permits were checked and 450 special investigations conducted.

Nebraska sportsmen partook of the hunting and fishing advantages in the Cornhusker state to the extent of buying 135,072 licenses in 1934, according to the latest statistics released by the Bureau of Biological Survey. Total income from licenses for the same year, the last year for which figures are now available, reached $139,177.

In the United States and Alaska, the total number of hunting licenses issued almost reached six million, while hunters dug into their pockets for more than $9,000,000 to pay for them.

The 5,918,045 licenses sold in all states and Alaska, yielded $9,068,880.96, approximately 18,000 more licenses than were sold in 193 3. Pennsylvania led all states in receipts and in the number of licenses issued while Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana together sold more than a third of the licenses. Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin reported more than 200,000 licenses sold while Washington and California each issued more than 150,000 licenses.

More non-resident licenses were sold in 1934 than in 1933. Sales in 1934 totaled 41,9 36 and in the previous year, 36,947. Only eleven states licensed more than 1,000 non-residents or aliens in 1934. In this field, Pennsylvania led with 6,024, New York came second with 3,929, Idaho third with 3,879, and Michigan fourth with 3,780.

If you want fish for tomorrow, help conserve today. Too many fisherman think they should get a dollars worth of meat each time they go fishing. A few fish at several times is preferable.

From Maine to Texas and from Alabama to Oregon, active progress is already being reported from the wildlife research and management projects set up in land grant colleges through cooperation of the Biological Survey, the American Wildlife Institute and the various States.

This is revealed by the Institute in a summary of a report prepared by I. T. Bode, conservationist of the Division of Wildlife Research of the Survey. The report covers progress in nine States where projects are already under way. Others are expected to be added later. Funds provided by the Institute and the Survey are matched in each case by the State game department and the land grant college involved.

The program forms one of the first major projects undertaken by the Institute. Its objectives are three-fold: (1) To carry on research and investigation to obtain foundation knowledge upon which to base practical wildlife management; (2) To establish actual experimental and demonstration areas where methods of handling wildlife and environment, and methods of game management and utilization may be tested and where landowners, hunters and all others interested in wildlife production may see examples of such management and utilization; (3) To carry on educational work, making results of investigations and demonstrations available to the public, and promoting greater interest in wildlife production and in practical methods of making a surplus available for utilization.

The projects already under way are being conducted at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, Connecticut Agricultural College, Iowa State College, University of Maine, Ohio State University, Oregon Agricultural College, Texas A. & M. College, Utah State Agricultural College, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. They include the following:

Alabama—Mourning dove, bobwhite quail, wild turkey, waterfowl food plants, white-tailed deer and fox.

Connecticut—Eastern cottontail, correlation of existence of game populations with cover types, planting tests of seeds and plants to determine best food and cover for New England game.

Iowa—Muskrat, western cottontail, duck, coot and parasites and diseases of wildlife.

Maine—Woodcock, forest-game relationships, moose.

Ohio—This project is just getting Started and no details are as yet available.

Oregon—Small game problems, Oregon deer, Oregon antelope.

Texas—Western bobwhite quail, deer and turkey management.

Utah—Mule deer, sage grouse, beaver, fish studies.

Virginia—Elk, deer, crows, grouse, fox.

Each state also is operating trial management and demonstration areas in the field, and conducting varied educational work. The projects are being carried out in the most scientific and practical manner, and should add greatly to the basic knowledge upon which any wildlife restoration and conservation movement must be based to be successful.

The deaths of many fish in lakes during the winter were not due to the thickness of ice or to a "sealing" of the surface, but to relative darkness for a prolonged period, caused by the thick covering of snow on the ice in addition to the lack of transparency of some of the ice.

A Trap That Gets the Turtles

The simple trap holds a good turtle catch. The inventor is at the right. Below, the trap is seen floating just offshore.

A Texas fisherman, B. F. Bunyard, has declared war on the turtles that infest his favorite streams. As the first step in his campaign, he invented a trap that the Game, Fish and Oyster Commission of his state calls perfect. One string of traps, it points out, caught 13,000 predators in a few months last summer.

Other anglers, troubled by turtles, can easily make similar traps. As the first step, saw two 4-ft. sections from an old telephone pole, and split each section. Bevel the ends of the four half logs and lay them out to form a square, with the round side of the logs on the outside. Bolt or nail the logs at the corners. Then saw four pieces of lx6-in. lumber in lengths to fit around the inside of the square. Drill small holes, 2-in. apart, through the lx6-in. boards, and drive 16-penny nails through these holes so they project about 3 in. on the inside. Fasten the boards to the inside of the half-log frame so the nails, projecting horizontally, will be well out of the water when the trap is launched. Tack 1-in. poultry netting to the under side of the frame, using enough to let the mesh belly down about 3 feet.

To keep the trap from sinking into the water when the wood becomes waterlogged, get two 1-gal. oil cans from a garage or filling station, and seal them so that they are air-tight. Attach the cans on opposite sides of the frame.

When you are ready to launch the trap, place some bait in a wire container so the turtles will be unable to get to the food. Suspend the container inside the trap in such a way that it will be barely submerged when the trap is set out. Then set the trap afloat, or stake it out. Turtles will crawl up on the log to sun themselves. Smelling the bait and attempting to get at it, they will crawl over the projecting nails, and drop into the trap.

LETTERS

Dear Sir:

I should like to describe to you one of the most enjoyable sightseeing and fishing trips I have ever had.

On a July morning three years ago, a friend of mine joined me in setting off for Yellowstone Park. We took our flyrods and fishing tackle along and immediately after making camp at Yellowstone lake, went down to the river and caught a nice mess of cutthroat or native trout. The next morning we went west a few miles around the lake and fished. We caught the limit of trout from fourteen to eighteen inches long.

We fished for a few days on Yellowstone river and Yellowstone lake and then, after going around the circle to Tower falls, we went east up the Lamar river where we caught some Brook trout for dinner. From there, we journeyed to Mammoth, Morris Junction, and Madison and fished in the Madison river. Here my friend caught a five pound brown trout, while the best I could do was to land a sucker.

The next day we hiked four and one-half miles through a forest to beautiful Shoshoni lake. As a fishing trip it was not so successful since we caught no fish on our flies. We found out later that in order to land lake trout, you have to fish deep with spoon hooks. Although we caught no fish at this spot, we felt amply repaid for our hike by the beautiful scenery.

During a visit to Grebe lake, we caught fifteen nice rainbow trout. We caught them on a grey tackle, No. 10 flies, with red bodies. They averaged from two to six pounds. * * *

We had many pleasant times at Yellowstone park and anyone who has never been there has missed one of the grandest and most wonderful sights there is in America.

See America First!

Dear Sir:

I received the last copy of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA and promptly read it from cover to cover. I am very pleased with the article which Mr. J. M. Merritt wrote and which you published with reference to the destructive habits of turtles. There are also some other very good articles in the publication, particularly those referring to crows.

I have a suggestion to make which may possibly be of some value and that is to set aside one place in your magazine to publish a list of birds, animals, and reptiles which are destructive to game life and which sportsmen should destroy at all seasons of the year. It seems to me as tho' this would be an excellent guide for the amateur sportsman because there are a good many birds, animals and reptiles upon which the ordinary amateur sportsman is uncertain as to their destructive or beneficial properties. It seems to me that if the Game Commission would list in your publication such destructive creatures as crows, turtles, roaming cats, or any creature considered destructive, that it would be a guide which all sportsmen could follow in eradicating the pests.

I feel that enormous progress has been made and that there is still room for a great deal of beneficial work.

Dear Sir:

May I ask your indulgence while I discuss a paragraph contained in your Winter issue of OUTDOOR NEBRASKA for 1936, under the title "Eyes Do Not Shine"?

The opening sentence in the paragraph states: "The eyes of a human being do not reflect light in the dark." This statement should not go unqualified for the eyes of a human being do reflect light in the dark to a very appreciable extent. In fact, in modern methods of examining eyes, this very principle forms a most important step in the estimation of the proper refractive needs of the individual in question. Further there is no other way to fit glasses on a child who is too young to know his letters. This method is also of great advantage in refracting imbeciles or other adults who may be illiterate.

Now whatever light is reflected from a human being's eyes may not be of sufficient brightness to be noticed out of doors at night by the casual observer, but nevertheless the reflex is there and is very definite and easily studied if one is equipped with the proper instruments.

All thanks to Mr. Perrigo for enlightening us on the eye shining situation.—ED.

To the Editor:

At a crow hunt near Pierce recently, sixty hunters, with the aid of an airplane, killed about 900 crows. The next day, a farmer in trying to estimate the number of crows killed, found and removed the following leg bands and brought them to me.

I have already written the United States Biological Survey department about the above band.

The following leg band (aluminum) is quite interesting and we should like to obtain further information about it.

Another item of interest is that one crow had a small aluminum bell attached to its neck with a strap.

We will have another hunt soon, this time with two airplanes and all birds will be examined carefully for any information they may carry on their leg bands. Other hunting parties should also be on the look-out for leg bands as it is probable that the Biological Survey will welcome such information.

Any reader knowing Mr. King, please have him get in touch with Mr. Bowen. Congratulations to Pierce hunters on such a successful crow hunt.—ED.

A novel cure for "game hogs" who kill out of season was introduced recently by Sheriff Roehr of Britton, South Dakota, when he was dealing with two prisoners convicted of commercial hunting.

Byrnes and Russell, caught with 118 pheasants which they had shot out of season intending to sell them to Minneapolis restaurants and hotels, were immediately thumped into jail. The birds were confiscated by a game warden but first the sheriff purchased 5 0 of them to serve to his prisoners as a steady diet. The meat was fried, baked, boiled, fricasseed, roasted, broiled, and stewed with the hope that the prisoners would develop such a distaste for the bird, usually considered a delicacy that they would nevermore hunt out of season.

Spring Arrests for Violation Game Laws

Both state and federal wardens have been busy in Nebraska this spring looking after the migratory waterfowl on its way north.

Since the first of the year, the following arrests have been made:

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SUTHERLAND PROJECT TO HAVE GREAT RECREATIONAL VALUE

average depth of approximately 13 feet. In all, about 60 miles of canals will be constructed; in addition to the canals it has been found necessary to construct bridges across the canal at points of crossings of all primary and secondary roads. Also it has been necessary to build concrete culverts under the canal to take care of natural slope drainage.

From the Sutherland reservoir, the water as needed is released into a canal leading to the regulating reservoir, located at a point directly south of the city of North Platte. This reservoir will cover an area of approximately 1,700 acres, the water level of this body of water will generally be constant, but may be drawn down as much as 4 feet at times. The water from the regulating reservoir goes through a power canal about 2 miles long to a forebay which covers an area of approximately 70 acres, then through the penstock which is about 3,000 feet long to the power house, where a head of 208 feet is developed. From here, it is discharged into a tail race which discharges into the South Platte river.

This power house will contain a hydro-electric plant that is designed for the generation of 100,000,000 kilowatt hours of prima electrical energy annually. This large figure will amount to one-sixth of the entire electrical load of the State of Nebraska. The power transmission lines consist of one short line to the city of North Platte, operating at 13,200 volts, one line approximately 65 miles in length to supply the city of McCook, this line will operate at 66,000 volts; the 3rd and largest line which is contended by engineers to be the fifth largest in the world will run from North Platte to Hastings, then north to Grand Island, and then east to Columbus, an approximate distance of 225 miles. This line will operate 110,000 volts. The total length of all transmission lines, exclusive of short take-off lines, will be in excess of 300 miles.

The waters discharged from the power house will supplement the natural stream flow and serve to irrigate 178,000 acres of land located in Dawson and Buffalo counties, Nebraska. This area lying under these canals is already highly developed and improved. The canal system in this area has already been constructed at an approximate cost of $3,000,000.00, and has been used for several years. To date, contracts have been drawn and completed for the sale of 100,000 acre feet of the new project water that will be used for irrigation purposes.

GROWTH RATE OF FISHES

of Wisconsin lakes, so that it is impossible to accurately predict the results of fertilization. However, such an experiment is worth attempting. Due to the presence of a greater abundance of calcium salts in our waters, we may find that fertilization here, will give bigger returns than those obtained in Wisconsin lakes. Such an experiment will be launched in eastern Nebraska this summer.

Perhaps you fishermen would be interested in knowing the ages of the fishes you catch. I would like to collect fish scales, with length and weight measurements from all parts of the state. If you will take the trouble to measure each fish, weigh them individually, and place 5 or 6 scales, taken from the back near the dorsal fin, in a small envelope and mail them to me, along with the length-weight data, I will read the scales and send back the ages of your fish. In this way you will learn the length of time required to grow a sizable fish in your favorite lake or stream and I will gradually collect the material that I want. As long as the benefit is mutual, there will be no charge for the service. Send your scales and length-weight measurements to George W. Bennett, McCook Junior College, McCook, Nebr.

GAME BIRDS SURVIVE

While Nebraska sportsmen were lamenting the fact that many of their favorite game birds perished during the cruel winter of 1936, various persons have investigated the extent of bird suffering in an effort to determine how the species in the future will be affected by the severe weather. That the cold will prove to have been a blessing in disguise, is the opinion of the Pierce County Game Protective Association.

That the word "blessing" should be applied to anything which caused the death of so many game birds may seem queer to most of Nebraska's huntsmen, but close examination shows that in the long run, the winter can be called, if not a blessing, at least a good thing.

Only the healthiest birds were able to survive the cold weather while the weaker birds, the product of inbreeding, or possible still bearing the wounds of an encounter with a hunter, succumbed to the abnormal conditions. Thus the weaker strains were eliminated and future flocks will be stronger than they have been for the past few years.

Many of the older .hunters are of the opinion that the peculiar trait which a quail has of remaining with the parent flock, leads to the production of a strain too weak to withstand the rigors of a Nebraska winter. As a result, whole flocks were wiped out. Has the same type of inbreeding taken place within the flocks of our Ringneck Pheasant?

After last winter, the only possible answer seems to be that it has, but, of course, not to such a great extent as is found in the quail flocks. During the winter, mature pheasants, which to all outward appearances were whole and sound, were found frozen to death. Closer examination showed that their crops were at least partially filled with grain. On the other hand, young pheasants, half-starving but still alive, have been rescued from the snow. That the mature birds, naturally stronger, should be found dead, not from hunger but from cold, while young birds, half-starving and struggling in the drifts, were still alive, is a phenomenon explained only by saying that the older birds were the product of inbreeding while the younger ones were not.

The rigors of the past winter have cut great holes in Nebraska's Ringneck Pheasant population. Farmers report only small flocks at their feeding places where several months ago they had large numbers. Those birds which have emerged from the icy blasts of the 1936 season, however, are the best birds in the flocks and will contribute toward making the species in the future stronger, larger, and much hardier than it has ever been in the past

GOTHENBURG CLUB WINNER

the 15 next best refuges were: 6th—Sportsman's Chapt. No. 5, Izaak Walton League of America, 3128 Brighton St., Baltimore, Md., for a refuge at Halethorpe; 7th—Kurtis R. Froedtert, Box 712, Milwaukee, Wis., at Palmyra; 8th—Lewis A. Winget, Keithsburg, 111. (at Keithsburg); 9th— Mr. M. W. Iverson, Miranda, S. Dak., at Centerville; 10th — Consolidated Sportsmen of N. J., 222 Main St., Paterson, N. J., at Franklin Lakes; 11th— Embarrass Rod & Gun Club, Embarrass, Minn., at Allen; 12th—Rockland Rod & Gun Club, Rockland, Mass, (at Rock-land); 13th—Mora Chapt. No. 70, Izaak Walton League of America, Mora, Minn., at Arthur; 14th—H. H. Keim Co., Ltd., Route 1, Nampa, Idaho (at Nampa); 15th—M. H. Scorer, Wester-vllle, Ohio, at Blendon; 16th—Matoska Game Refuge, 6 3 E. 4th St., St. Paul, Minn., at White Bear; 17th—Chisholm Chapt. Izaak Walton League, Chisholm, Minn., at Balkan; 18th—Peter Prime & Chas. P. Fox, Crooked Lake Farm, Oconomowoc, Wis., at Summit; 19th—Troop 12 Boy Scouts of America, 30 West Ave., Essex, Conn, (at Essex); 20th—N. M. Orvik, Michigan, N. Dak., at Wamduska.

LEGION ON JOB

Folders containing a plea to protect Nebraska's wild life were issued the first of this year by American Legion Post No. 210 at Oshkosh in conjunction with the local Chamber of Commerce.

Made up of bright colored cardboard, the little four page booklet is prefaced by a short paragraph reading: "The highways, fields and streams are strewn with the remains of fish, game and birds. To stop this slaughter and eventual extermination of these friends of ours, let us follow these few simple rules." Then follows a list of suggestions urging drivers to frighten game and song birds from the road by sounding their horns, pleading with hunters not to shoot birds out of season, to destroy "tramp" domestic cats, asking fishermen to throw back undersized fish, and asking all sportsmen to comply with the laws setting limits on game.

SCHOOLS HELP FEED

School children in Richardson County have taken up the work of saving the birds and have embarked upon feeding projects to aid the birds who have suffered through a hard, cold winter.

The Department of Cooperative Extension Work in Agriculture and Home Economics under the direction of J. F. Hendricks, Agricultural Agent, started the movement by sending letters to all teachers in Richardson county asking them to interest children in the subject and to put out feed for birds.

The children nail a large, flat board on a fence post or some other upright place and after the noon lunch they scatter the fragments from their lunch on this bird table. They then count the different birds that come to eat and thus learn to identify native birds.

ARE WE COMING TO THIS?

Hatching fish eggs by electricity has begun in upper Italy. The eggs are placed in a salt solution and the electric current is then turned on. The biological research station has succeeded in hatching out several trays of ova of different varieties of lake fish. It claims that the results are 100 per cent, which is scarcely attained by hatching in the ordinary way. Recently nearly a quarter of a million "artificiall born" alevins were distributed in the lake, and their growth has been as good as fish naturally hatched in the lake. The details of the electric hatching method are soon to be published. —The Fishing Gazette (London).

WILDLIFE FEDERATION FOR NEBRASKA

and restoration of wildlife, forests, streams, marshes and lakes, to promote the special observance of such laws; to create and foster public sentiment in favor of the protection and reservation of the woods, waters, and wildlife, to promote sportsmanlike methods in hunting and fishing; and proper respect for rights of land owners, to cooperate with all associations and agencies for similar objectives. This conservation council shall be non-political."

"The object of the federation," says Chairman Pedersen, "Is purely to protect and advance the interests of the sportsmen and outdoor enthusiasts as it is affected by legislation, state and national, or governmental activities of various sorts. It is not intended to be another wildlife association designed to promote the interests of the outdoors by preaching the gospel of conservation, "to all the world and unto all the inhabitants thereof," but to preach this gospel to the members of congress, governmental bureaus, and state legislators. The great objective of the whole thing is not action by groups as groups but action by individuals."

Where To Go in Nebraska A Directory of State Recreation Centers

Camp in cabins in the woods in Nebraska's Biggest Park. Swimming, horseback riding, skyline hiking, playgrounds.

A restaurant, store and saddle horses for your use. Prices and rentals reasonable. Write for rates and reservations.

Address, Mrs. A. E. Speer, Supt., Chadron, Nebr.

Visit Nebraska's new state park for northeastern Nebraska. Fishing, camping, picnicking. Splendid shade. A good place to enjoy the Indian and Missouri River country. Located near Niobrara, Nebr.

Fish in Pibal Lake for bass, sunfish and bullheads. This resort is owned and operated by the State of Nebraska. Hotel with first class accommodations. Camping sites free. Boats for rental. Fishing free.

Address, I. S. Boulier, Supt., Spalding, Nebr.

Located just off State Highway No. 2, near Anselmo, in Custer County. Cabins for rental. Camping, fishing, picnicking free.

Address, C. 0. Williams, Supt., Anselmo, Nebr.

Visit America's: agricultural shrine. See the old home of the founder of Arbor P>ay.

Mansion open daily. Picnicking facilities free. No camping permitted at this park.

Booklets describing trees, well illustrated, excellent souvenir, price 25 cts. Park located adjacent to Nebraska City.

Address. Prank Williams, Supt., Nebraska City, Nebraska.

Get acquainted with western Nebraska. See the famous North Platte Valley and the scenic Wild Cat Hills. Buffalo, elk, deer, etc., on exhibition.

Located on State Highway No. 29, between Gering and Harris-burg.

Handy Reference of Nebraska Hunting and Fishing Regulations Season of 1936

A hunting and nshing permit is required for every person having arrived at his sixteenth birthday. Said permits shall be carried in a button furnished for the permit, said button to be worn in plain sight on breast or hat of holder. The permit together with the button shall be on the person of the holder at all times while he is .hunting, trapping or nshing, and shall be shown immediately upon demand to any officer or person whose duty it is to enforce the provisions of this act and any person hunting, nshing or trapping in this state without such permit and button actually on or about his person, as above required shall be deemed to be without such permit and button.

Hunting and Fishing Permit...............................$1.10

Trapping Permit (all persons regardless of age must have a trapping permit)........................ 2.10

Unless holding a permit as required, it shall be unlawful for any person to trap or otherwise take any fur-bearing animals, or for any person sixteen years or older to hunt for, kill, shoot at, pursue, take or possess any kind of game, or take, angle for, or attempt to take any kind of fish from the waters of this state or possess same.

It shall also be unlawful for anyone to do or attempt to do any other thing for which a permit is provided, without first obtaining such permit and paying the fee therefor. Any violation of this provision shall constitute a misdemeanor and subject the offender to fine of not to exceed $100.00 except for trapping in violation of this section for which the punishment shall be a fine of from $5.00 to $500.00 or imprisonment not exceeding six months or both fine and imprisonment.

It is unlawful to buy, sell, or barter game birds, animals, or fish protected by the game laws of this state: Provided, however, catfish 13 inches in length or over, legally taken from the Missouri River on Permit issued by the Game Commission.

All game birds and fish shipped must be tagged in accordance with the law.

It is unlawful to hunt on private lands without permission of owner.

It is unlawful for anyone to trap fur-bearing animals upon land of another without his consent.

It is unlawful to destroy house or den of furbearing animals.

It is unlawful to use spear or any like device in hunting or taking fur-bearing animals or use explosives, chemicals, or smokers.

It is unlawful to use ferrets.

It is unlawful to run bird dogs or other dogs in fields where game birds are found between the first day of April and the sixteenth day of September.

It is unlawful to run dogs on forest reserves.

It is unlawful to explode dynamite, powder, or use poison, lime, etc., in the taking of fish.

It is unlawful to pollute the waters of the state.

It is unlawful to place carcasses in waters of the state.

It is unlawful to disturb private fish ponds or damage private property of another.

It is unlawful to take beaver without a special permit from the Chief Conservation Officer.

It is unlawful to place game and fish in cold storage or ship the same unless same are properly tagged.

It is unlawful to hold fur after the close of the season without special authority from the Game Commission.

IT SHALL BE UNLAWFUL:

(a) To shoot from any public highway at any bird or animal protected by this act;

(b) To hunt for any of such birds or animals with a spotlight or other artificial light;

(c) To hunt or kill or attempt to hunt or kill any water fowl from any boat or water craft propelled by sails or electric, gas, or steam power or from an aeroplane or hydroplane;

(d) To use any rifle or swivel-gun or shotgun larger than ten gauge in hunting any game birds, or to trap, snare, net, or attempt to trap, snare, or net any game bird or birds;

(e) To take or needlessly destroy the nests or eggs of any game bird or birds;

(f) To hunt or kill or attempt to hunt or kill any game bird or birds earlier than one-half hour before sunrise or later than sunset.

It is hereby declared unlawful to take, catch, kill, destroy, or attempt to take or catch any game fish by any means other than angling with hook and line. Fishing with a line having more than five hooks thereon, or with artificial bait having thereon more than three triple-gang hooks, or by snagging fish externally with hook and line, is declared unlawful. Provided that, carp, suckers, or other non-game fish may be taken by spearing between sunrise and sunset from April 1st to December 1st.

Seines, trammel nets, and hoop nets, the meshes of which are 2 inches or larger, may be used in the Missouri River, South and West of the middle of the channel of said river and not less than 300 yards in any direction from the mouth of any stream emptying into said river upon procuring from the Secretary of the Game, Forestation and Parks Commission an annual Permit for the use of same. Fees, $5.00 for each 500 lineal feet of seine or fraction thereof; $2.50 for each 500 feet of trammel net or fraction thereof; Fifty cents for each hoop net. Each net and seine must have metal tag attached thereto having permit number stamped thereon. Cost of tag, ten cents. Before any such permit is issued to non-resident of the State, bond for $200.00 with two sureties must be furnished.

There's Health, Rest and Fun at CHADRON STATE PARK "Nebraska's Forest Playgrounds"

You will find hundreds of acres of pine forests where the nights are cool and exhilarating. Camp in your own tent or rent a cabin. Eight miles south of Chadron on State Highway No. 19.

It is now time for you to relax—1o get out of doors for a few days.

Why not go to Nebraska's Own Great Park—Chadron Park—this year?

Perhaps you do not know that you can enjoy yourself right in your own state park. Beautiful Pine Ridge scenery, excellent water, comfortable cabins, swimming, sky-line hiking or horse-back riding, rustic picnic shelters, play grounds, restaurant, store—everything to please the visitor.

There are 800 acres of pine forests ready for you. Cabins (some with fireplaces) off in the woods away from the crowds. Good roads and trails where you can go by car or afoot.

Keep your vacation money in your own state where it will come right back to you! See the Pine Ridge country this year!

Rates are reasonable.

Lauer, Clark

1345 B St

Lincoln, Nebr.

Chadron State Park

Chadron, Nebr.