1. Wildlife Restoration ACT (WRA)
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2. Wildlife Management
The Early Years

3. Early Settlers Reported -
“incredible numbers,” of deer, beaver, turkey, hares, and fowl…
“millions of millions,” of passenger pigeons
Large mature forests
Clearing of land only by Native Americans, beavers, or lightning caused fires
Deer were hunted mercilessly for their meat and hides
By 1639, regulations on deer hunting imposed Connecticut and Massachusetts also imposed limits
But it was to late, deer herds were almost gone!

4. New York Sporting Club
1844
New York Sporting club members hunted for sport
Promoted restrictions against market hunters
Massachusetts (1865) – created 1st state administered game and fish commission
Instrumental in getting laws passed for game species conservation

5. Stop Market Hunting!!
Sports hunters worked to stop the unethical hunting practices of the market hunters….

9. Mid-1870s of a pile of American bison skulls waiting to be ground for fertilizer

10. Market Hunters
Market hunters killed birds and animals to sell their feathers, furs, and meat……
Hunted all year long
Killed passenger pigeons during nesting season
One such hunt recorded the slaughter of 1.5 million passenger pigeons in a single hunt Read more at tina_butler_pigeon.html#hCkypMX45bIVIdrQ.99
Slaughtered waterfowl on their breeding grounds

11. 1st Federal Act Passed Dealing with wildlife
The Road Back
1st Federal Act Passed
Dealing with wildlife

12. Lacey Act of 1900
Doom of large-scale market hunting
Saved fish and wildlife species from destruction
Forest and Stream
American Field
Audubon Society
The League of American Sportsmen
The Boone and Crockett Club
“Ban the interstate transportation and sale of most wildlife and wildlife products, such as feathers” – Federal Crime!

13.
1900 – VP to McKinley
26th President (42 years old)
Term in office

14. His Conservation Efforts
March 14, Pelican Island, in Florida's Indian River
First Federal Wildlife Refuge
Less than four acres
Roosevelt...created fifty more bird reservations
150 National Forests
4 Game Preserves
5 National Parks
18 National Monuments

15. Washington Post- Clifford Berryman political cartoonist
President Roosevelt refused to shoot the bear while hunting in Mississippi e

17. Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act
1916
Signed by?
U.S. and Great Britain
1st effective legislation protecting migratory waterfowl
Why have a federal regulation to protect these birds?
Waterfowl are migratory and cross international boundaries
Breed in Canada and fly yearly across the U.S. to Central and South America

18. Aldo Leopold “Father of Game Management”
Professor of game management at the Univ. of Wisconsin
1933 – published Game Management
Still used today as the basis for wildlife management taught in school and managing wildlife

19. Duck Stamp Act Passed in 1934
Required waterfowl hunters to purchase a $1.00 stamp
Sale of “duck stamps” produced $600,000 in its first year
With the increase to $3.00, income from sales generated $6 million a year
Income helped to finance many federal waterfowl projects

20. Birdbanding!! 1920 - first birds banded
1 million birds per year banded
50,000 bands recovered each year
bands help to determine:
migratory routes, distribution within types of habitats, breeding age, other life histories
Bird Banding Laboratory in Laurel, Md. (records maintained- over 45 million birds)

21. They Also Administer Federal Aid….
1939 -Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act –
“Pittman-Robertson Act” excise tax on sporting arms, ammunition, and archery equipment
1952- Federal Aid in Sport Fisheries Restoration Act –
“Dingell-Johnson Act” excise tax on sport fishing tackle
Wallop- Breaux Amendments –
tax motorboat fuel, pleasure boats

22. Benefits of the “Pittman-Robertson Act” Act -
Increase in wild turkey populations from 100,000 to 4,500,000
Pronghorn Antelope was 13,000 now over 950,000 pronghorn antelope
Elk was 40,000 now > 1,000,000
Trumpeter swan was 73 now 25,000 and thriving
White-tail deer below 500,000 now 20 million
Wood Ducks was RARE now 5,500,000 - the most common duck
Canada Goose was 1.1 million, now >3,7 million

23. Economic impact of hunting:
hunters spend $$$millions each year
licenses and tag fees (resident & nonresident)
federal & state waterfowl stamps
air fair, hotels, meals, gas, clothing
leasing of land from farmers

24. Benefits from private conservation organizations

25. Benefits from private conservation organizations