The History of Fish and Wildlife Management

Objectives: Describe the history of fish and wildlife management. Describe laws and the methods used by private, state, and federal

agencies to protect fish and wildlife.

__________________________Conservation History

• When the Pilgrims arrived in North America in the 1600’s, natural resources were plentiful.

• Nature provided people with resources to build homes and clothe and feed themselves.

History of Conservation

• Eventually, need turned into want and people began to destroy wildlife for sport rather than necessity. This led to exploitation.

-Exploitation is the use of natural resources for profit.

History of Conservation

• It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that people began to see the need for conservation of our natural resources.

• It was during this time that the Morrill Act was passed and the Yellowstone National Park was established.

• A. The Morrill Act was passed in 1862.-The purpose of this act was to establish colleges to teach agriculture.

Conservation History

B. Yellowstone National Park was established in 1872.-This was the first national park to be developed in the world.-Its purpose was to preserve the natural resources of the area, including wildlife.

Yellowstone

National Policies that Impact Wildlife Conservation____________________

Local, state, and federal governments are all responsible for developing and carrying out thelaws related to wildlife conservation. Wildlife conservation is also important on the international level. The World Wildlife Fund is an international organization that raises money to fund wildlife conservation.

National Policies that Impact Wildlife Conservation (Cont.)

____________________

Many laws have been enacted at the federal level that help in the conservation of wild-life.

A. In 1916 the National Park Service was established including land set aside which became known as Yellowstone National Park.

The National Park Service is the federal government agency that is responsible for the care of national parks.

National Policies As of 2003, the National

Park Service was responsible for 330 protected areas. Some of these areas include:

the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee

Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico.

The National Park Service is also responsible for areas on the U.S. Virgin Islands.

National Policies____________________

B. The Lacey Act is the 1900 law responsible for regulating the shipment of illegally killed animals. This act also made it illegal to trade protected wildlife on the international level.C. The Migratory Bird Conservation Act was passed in 1929. It did not supply money to help protect the animals but it was the first step in protecting migratory birds.

National Policies

• D. The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act was passed in 1934. People planning to hunt migratory birds are required to buy these special stamps. Since 1934, these stamps have raised $1 billion for the protection of migratory birds.

• E. The Pittman-Robertson Act was passed in 1937. The purpose of this act was to raise money in the form of taxes on hunting equipment and ammunition. The federal government collects the taxes and returns matching money to the states.

National Policies____________________

F. The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1966. The purpose of this act was to identify and manage rare, threatened, and endangered species of wildlife.G. The Wildlife Refuge System was a system of wildlife refuges across the U.S. established in 1966.The Wildlife Refuge System is a part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

National Policies

• H. The Forest Service is the part of the U.S.D.A. that manages 156 forests throughout the U.S. This includes over 191 million acres of forest and grasslands.

• I. State and local governments are also responsible for wildlife conservation. Education programs, setting up wildlife sanctuaries, and maintaining parks and zoos are examples of how state and local governments can provide protection to wildlife.