Conservation Around the Worm 233

for all of DDT'S current uses. DDT is a highly dis- ruptive material in an agro-ecosystem; its use often causes not only outbreaks of insect pests by killing their natural enemies, but also serious damage to many populations of non-target organisms in our biosphere. The case for its total banning seems to be gathering force and momentum.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND, P. O. Drawer 740, Stony Brook, New York 11790, USA.

VEGETATIONAL CHANGES 1N SOUTHERN WISCONSIN PRAIRIES*

Settlers who came to southern Wisconsin in the early 1800s found large areas of grasslands with productive soils. However, these deep-soil prairies soon disappeared behind the plough, while areas of marginal productivity, such as gravel-hill prairies and wet prairies, were later destroyed by grazing, quarry- ing, or draining. Thus, by the beginning of the present century, little was left of the once-verdant prairie vege- tation. The few vestiges which did remain were found in such undisturbed sites as fencerows, corners of cemeteries, and especially railroad rights-of-way. With the advent of herbicides for 'weed' control, fencerows became neat and tr im--and devoid of prairie species-- with railroad companies owning much of the remaining prairie areas in southern Wisconsin. Fortunately, railroad companies often find it more expedient to

* Field expenses and specimen preparation for this project were financed by a National Science Foundation Insti- tutional Grant awarded to the University of Wisconsin, Rock County Campus.

burn and mow their rights-of-way--activities which in some cases may actually serve to maintain prairies-- than to spray with herbicides.

What splendours greeted the early settlers must be left largely to conjecture, but the discovery of the dried plant collection of Samuel H. Watson (cf. Musselman, 1969) provides an indication of the rich composition of the prairies before their destruction. Watson's parents emigrated from England to Dunkirk Township in southern Dane County in 1847. Fourteen years earlier, surveyors had recorded the presence of 'a narrow skirt of prairie' along the Yahara River and 'a good, dry, rolling prairie' extending across Dunkirk Township (History of Dane County, 1880). Watson collected extensively in the area between 1858 and 1862. His collection and the record of the surveyors indicate that several types of prairies and related communities must have existed in those times--e.g. wet, wet-mesic, and dry prairies, fens, and oak- openings. Watson collected in the vicinity of the village of Dunkirk; thus it is possible to ascertain which prairie species are now extinct in this defined geographical area by studying any extant prairies.

During the early spring of 1969, search was begun for remaining prairies in Dunkirk Township. The results were discouraging. The largest remaining prairie remnant is along a railroad right-of-way. It consists of a stretch of prairie 100 feet (30.5 m) wide on either side of the tracks, and perhaps ten feet wider where a road runs near the tracks--a condition noted by Curtis (1959) to be conducive to prairie preservation. The total area covered by this prairie is less than five acres (2 ha). Compare this to the thousands of acres noted by surveyors in 1833! Collections were made in this area and the species were compared with those present in Watson's collections. Based on these obser- vations, the following species, employing the nomen- clature of Fernald (1950), are now considered to be apparently extinct in this area:

Tofieldia glutinosa (Michx.) Pers. Cypripedium candidum Muhl.

Habenaria flava (L.) Spreng. Spiranthes gracilis (Bigel.) Beck Liparis loeslii (L.) Richard Parnassia glauca Raf. Gentiana crinata Froel. Gentiana procera Holm Gentiana quinquefolia L.

Gentiana puberula Michx. Gentiana saponaria L.

Gentiana flavida Gray Asclepias tuberosa L.

False Asphodel Small White Lady's-slipper Pale Green Orchid Southern Slender Ladies'-tresses Loesel's or Yellow Twayblade Grass-of-Parnassus Fringed Gentian Fringed Gentian Stiff Gentian Downy Gentian Soapwort Gentian Yellowish Gentian Butterfly-weed

234 Biological Conservation

Asclepias sullivantii Engelm. Asclepias hirtella (Pennell) Woodson Asclepias lanuginosa Nutt. Gerardia tenuifolia Vahl Gerardia auriculata Michx. Castilleja sessiliflora Pursh Orobanche uniflora L. Houstonia caerulea L. Valeriana ciliata T. & G. Lobelia kalmii L. Cacalia atriplicifolia L. Agoseris cuspidata (Pursh) Raf. Prenanthes aspera Michx.

Milkweed Milkweed Milkweed Gerardia Gerardia Downy Painted-cup One-flowered Cancer-root Bluets Valerian Kalm's Lobelia Pale Indian-plantain Troximon Rattlesnake-root

Some of the plants listed above are now very rare--

in the case of the elusive and fascinating Gerardia

auriculata, perhaps extinct--in Wisconsin. It is over-

whelming to consider the destruction of the prairies of

the American Middle West when the drastic changes

in one township alone are multiplied by the thousands

of townships in hundreds of counties in the prairie region.

So little of the original prairie remains that few

citizens are aware of its existence, much less of its

beauty. Where will tomorrow's student go to find some

of this vegetation, even on a vastly reduced scale? The

ecologist and taxonomist must make citizens aware

of their vegetational heritage and advance measures to

provide for purchase and maintenance of the few

extant prairies, or students may soon have to envision

even degraded bits of prairie in much the same way as

we now envision the lush prairies of Watson's day

which have long since succumbed to monotonous rows of corn and tobacco.

References

CURTIS, J. T. (1959). The Vegetation of Wisconsin. Univer- sity of Wisconsin Press, Madison, 657 pp.

FERNALD, M. L. (1950). Gray's Manual of Botany, 8th edn. American Book Company, New York, etc., lxiv + 1632 pp., illustr.

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY (1880), Western Historical Company, Chicago, 1289 pp.

MUSSELMAN, L. J. (1969). Samuel H. Watson, pioneer botanist of southern Wisconsin. Michigan Bot., 8, 35-7.

LYTTON J. MUSSELMAN, Department of Botany and Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Rock County Campus, Kellogg Avenue, Janesville, Wisconsin 53545, USA.

CONFERENCES & MEETINGS

WORKING MEETING OF MARINE TURTLE SPECIALISTS, IUCN HEADQUARTERS, MORGES, SWITZERLAND,

10--13 MARCH 1969

Marine turtle specialists representing all regions of the world where major breeding beaches are located have unanimously agreed on a seven-point programme to help save this valuable marine resource from the destruction it now faces. Chairman of the Meeting which approved this programme was Professor Archie Carr, Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32601, USA, who is also Chairman of the IUCN Marine Turtle Group.

In a statement issued after their four-day meeting at Morges, Switzerland, the turtle scientists called for an immediate programme involving both national and inter- national actions. Organised by the Survival Service Com- mission of IUCN, the Meeting was sponsored by the World

Wildlife Fund, which is interested in mounting a world-wide programme for the conservation of marine turtles. This was the first such international working meeting of turtle specialists.

As with many other once-abundant animals, the seven surviving species of sea turtles are now severely depleted. At the same time, consumer demand for turtle products-- oil, calipee for soup, meat, eggs, leather, and shell--has grown enormously. This combination of greatly increased exploitation and limited resources has produced the present critical threat.

The seven-point programme involves the following proposed actions:

1. Increased incubation and hatchling programmes, using proved techniques.

2. Study and analysis of world exploitation patterns. 3. A broad information programme.