THE ALLEGHENY SPORTSMEN'S ASSOCIATION

 

 

Following is the resolutions and recommendations passed at the 7th annual meeting of this association held at Minnehaha Springs , November 5th and 6th , 1913 .

Resolved :

The West Virginia Fish and Game Protection Association assembled in its seventh annual meeting at the Club House of the Allegheny Sports men's Association at Minnehaha Springs , Pocahontas County , congratulates itself upon being entertained amid such surroundings , which harmonize , as they do , both in spirit and purpose , with the objects that our association was organized to attain ; and we desire here to express our thanks to the Allegheny Sportsmen's Association for the use of its mag nificent new Club House and the privileges of its splendid game preserve , and to Mr. H. M. Lockridge , its manager , for the cordial welcome and abundant hospitality extended to us upon this occasion .

We here call attention to the fact that all the States of the Union except eight have laws requiring a resident hunter's license , and we regret that our own State is one of the eight which has no such law . No State that ever had this requirement ever repealed it except West Virginia . We regard the repeal of this law by our legislature as a great mistake , and urge the passage of a law by our next Legislature requiring a license fee of at least one dollar of all resident hunters . We also favor the enactment of a law increasing the non - resident hunter's license fee to $ 25.00 .

We are in favor of a closed season on quail for a period of two years .

We desire here to bear enthusiastic testimony to the efficiency of Hon . J. A. Viquesney in the discharge of his duties as State Forest , Game and Fish Warden . Through his efforts the re - stocking of our State with elk and the propagation of numerous new species of pheasant have been in augurated , and are now being successfully carried on . Likewise , by his wise foresight our State has been placed in a position to share the benefits of the Weeks Law , and is now the beneficiary thereof to the extent of $ 5 , 000.00 per annum -- thereby materially aiding in the protection of our for ests from fire .

This Association is heartily in favor of the enactment by our next Leg islature of a law creating a system of auxiliary forest reserves .

We commend the action of the White Sulphur Springs Company and pa triotic citizens in promoting the Trans - Allegheny Good Roads Association , the object of which is to improve the mountain drive ways of the Virginias , thereby making more accessible the beauties of nature , which will bring tourists into our State and contribute to the pleasures of sportsmen .

In order that the name of our association may more completely designate the objects for which it exists , we propose that such name hereafter be “ The West Virginia Forest , Game and Fish Protective Association . "

THE ALLEGHENY SPORTSMEN'S ASSOCIATION .

The above association is not as its name might indicate , an organization composed of sportsmen who assemble for the purpose of devising ways and means to ' exterminate the fast vanishing wild life of West Virginia , but on the contrary is primarily for the purpose of demonstrating the possibilities of propagating and increasing all species of animals , birds and fish , and assisting in better protecting our forests , as will be seen by the objects and purposes set out in the Charter of this Association , which are as follows :

" To establish a hunting and fishing preserve in Pocahontas and adjoining counties , by buying , leasing , owning and controlling sufficient lands and property for said purpose , with the right to build thereon - hotels , club houses , cottages and other buildings , and the right to operate same for the use and occupancy of members of clubs , their friends and families ; and for the purpose of constructing , owning and operating game farms , game parks , fish hatcheries , and ponds and lakes for boating and fishing ; and for the purpose of constructing , owning and operating golf links and courses , and other places of amusement ; for the purpose of selling hunting and fishing rights and privileges , over the lands leased , owned or under the control of said company , with the privilege of using said club houses , golf links and courses , lakes for boating and fishing , and all other places of amusement ; and for the purpose of promoting a kindly inter course and generous emulation among the sportsmen and fishermen of this and other states ; for the preservation of our forests , and protecting same from forest fires , and to unite the sportsmen , fishermen and all nature loving citizens in a more united effort - for the protection of our forests , fish , game and birds . "

A great majority of the members of this association are not sportsmen from the standpoint of killing game but are sportsmen from the broad and generous view of helping to perpetuate some of the wild life of West Vir . ginia for future generations and posterity .

Many members of this association do not hunt or fish , but enjoy a vaca tion in the mountains where they can live among the beauties of nature , within view of herds of elk , deer and other game .

A start has already been made to stock these mountains with deer , elk , turkey , imported pheasant and quail ; and also one shipment of the wild Mallard Duck has been received as a gift from the American Game Protective and Propagation Association .

This association owns , 5,000 acres of fine mountain land , and has leases on some 20,000 acres more , which will all be used for the purpose of rais . ing game and fish and demonstrating that West Virginia is the greatest place for deer , elk and all other game east of the Rocky Mountains .

Already more than $ 60,000 has been expended in this enterprise , which has been used in purchasing land , constructing buildings and purchasing game and fish . The membership is composed of about 200 of the substantial citizens of West Virginia .

OTHER ORGANIZATIONS .

There are many local and county organizations such as game and fishing clubs , gun clubs , bird clubs and societies of various kinds that have re ported violations of the law and assisted in many other ways in creating a better sentiment along the lines of forest , game and fish protection .

( Address delivered by Hon . A. D. Williams at the seventh Annual Meet 1913 ] 93 FOREST , GAME AND FISH WARDEN. Meeting of the West Virginia Forest , Game and Fish Protective Association , November 6th , 1914. ) 

 MR . PRESIDENT , LADIES AND GENTLEMEN :

When , on last Thursday , I read your program that I ' found on my desk , I thought at first that you had handed me a burlesque . Game and fish , as they had appealed to my mind , had only appeared to me as being a pro duct of the desolate and unexplored forests , but , Mr. Chairman , after drop ping back in my seat and pausing for a few moments and thinking of the subject " Good Roads and Their Relation to Forests , Game and Fish , ” a vision appeared before me and in that vision , as it was , I saw the passing of the forsaken and desolate forest and on the hills of West Virginia a new forest came forth ; not the forest of forsaken and desolate times , not the forest of the pioneer , but the forest of the patriot and the scientist . 

 I beheld also in my imagination in that self same propagation and protection of the scientist the new pheasant and the new quail brought about by scientific culture . In West Virginia we have 1,212,119 people , based on the census of 1910. By the same census , we have 15,378,080 acres of land , and by the same census the Government shows us 5,000,000 acres of land is unavailable for agricultural purposes . 

By reference to statistics gathered by the ablest conservationist in the country , we are able to as certain this land is capable of reproducing annually about 300 feet of lumber per acre , or 1,500,000,000 feet , which on a stumpage basis.of $ 4 per thousand , is worth to the State about $ 6,000,000.00 per annum , and in wages about $ 15,000,000.00 . 

 Likewise , by reference to statistics , the repro ductive capacity of our land , after being burned , is reduced about 90 % , or , in other words , instead of being able to produce in that 5,000,000 acres of unburnt land 1,500,000,000 , we can only be able to produce 150,000,000 feet of lumber and instead of having a revenue of $ 21,000,000 a year from our forests , we will be able only to have a revenue of $ 2,100,000 . 

By reference to statistics of the United States , there are other things — in the first place , Germany , the nation today that is producing lumber , not only for itself , but to other nations , is the nation of good roads . Germany can today trans port over her roads a ton of freight at a cost of eight cents per mile , France pays ten and the United States pays 22.7 .  

Take that as a basis . Take a corn crop that is produced this year - 23 hundred million bushels we have , a tonnage of 14,400,000 tons . We pay , over France , on that production about $ 14,000,000 and over Germany about $ 18,000,000 . Germany and France are a net work of good roads and their burnt area is less than one acre per thousand acres . In the United States we have suffered an an nual loss by fire of something like $ 50,000,000 according to the best statis tics I have at hand .

 Now , Mr. President and members of the West Virginia Forest , Game and Fish Association , the relative position that these roads occupy is this ; that the greatest enemy we have of the forest today is the fire . It is not the axe and it is not the saw mill men , but it is the blaze that follows in the wake of civilization . The greatest proposition in con trolling the fires of our forests is getting to them at the proper time . An hour's time in fighting a fire in the forest , as I know by experience myself , means hours and hours of work and the loss of thousands and thousands of dollars . That being true , the better road system that you have the quicker transportation you can have to get your people from one section of the country to the other when fires break out , and thereby eliminate the fires ,

Now , as to the relation of fish and game that the good roads have , I wish to state that by conserving our forests we can best conserve our game ; and with good roads we can best get the proper protection for our forests . 

 Think for one moment — we have 5,000,000 acres of land available for no other purpose , according to Government statistics , in this State except for forestry purposes and for the propagation of game and fish . By the best statistics I could obtain in the limited time that has been at my command , I have ascertained that by reports from those who have parks and have given attention to the propagation of deer , each acre of land is able to produce one deer . Right here , stick a pin in this suggestion . 

 On last Monday morning I sent a telegram to the Governor of Maine , asking him to give me data that would show the number of licenses , non - resident , the amount of deer killed , and the revenue left in that State by reason of the hunters and tourists . Yesterday morning I received reply from him , stating that in 1912 they had issued 31,379 game licenses to non - residents at $ 25 each , or equivalent to $ 784,475.00 or about eight cents on the hundred dollars of the valuation of the State of West Virginia , and we are paying this year a State tax of 6 cents ; and that the tourists had left in that State $ 20 , 000,000 ; ' that over the railroads there had been transported 8,307 deer , which represented one - third of the number killed . That would make , in round numbers , about 25,000 deer slaughtered in the State of Maine last year or equivalent , taking the license and the amount left by tourists , to be $ 830,000 .  

Now , Mr. President , if we can in West Virginia protect our deer so as to produce one deer for each of the 5,000,000 acres , or one to each man , woman and child in this State and thereby bring into the State the amount of money equal to that which Maine gets for her deer , it will be worth more to the State annually than the total valuation of the property of the State at the present time . Then , Mr. Chairman , each acre of land in this State of the 5,000,000 acres is capable of producing one dozen quail . That would be equivalent to 600,000,000 quail per year . The annual loss to the people of the United States by reason of the insect pests is something over $ 800,000,000 according to the best estimates obtainable . 

The quail is one of the best insectivorous birds that we have and if we can annually turn loose into this State 600,000,000 quail to destroy the bugs that invest our crops , we will contribute an inestimable amount of good . These quail are worth , in market value , 25 cents each , or $ 150,000,000 per year , if you could carry out that valuation . Besides that , the same acre of ground is capable of producing six pheasants and they , likewise have a value that is almost beyond estimate ; I am proud to say I am a conservationist , not of the kind that believes in looking up and forever keeping concealed from mankind the benefit of the forests by using them in a way that will make them of the most value to us . Not only that but the beauties of West Virginia stand out without parallel . Each day that I have lived in West Virginia I have felt proud that I am a West Virginian ;