3/7/2008:
From the stubble fields of fall farmland to the grass-lined pools of water dotting the state’s prairie, North Dakota is widely recognized for its excellent hunting and fishing opportunities. The abundance of deer, pheasants, grouse, ducks, geese, and even the occasional mountain lion, serve as a testament to the state’s natural bounty. The federal organization dedicated to the preservation of these North Dakota natural wonders is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The history of the Fish and Wildlife Service stretches back to two separate government programs created in the later half of the 19th century. The first, the U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries, was created in 1871 by Congress inside the Department of Commerce to investigate the declining numbers of fish numbers in U.S. waters. Fourteen years later in 1885 the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy, later known as the Bureau of Biological Survey, was established within the Department of Agriculture to study the effects birds had in controlling pests and also to document the geographical distribution of plants and animals throughout the United States. In 1903 the Bureau was given another task by former North Dakota resident Theodore Roosevelt, the preservation of the first national wildlife refuge, Pelican Island, Florida.
From 1939 through 1940, the U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey were combined under the Department of the Interior into one program, the Fish and Wildlife Service. Along with state and local organizations, the Service began addressing the decline in wildlife in states like ND, where hunting excess and pervasive drought in previous decades had damaged their numbers. The Fish and Wildlife Service reported on the initial success of their programs in an official announcement released on this day, March 7, 1941. The number and habitat of many animals and game birds; such as pheasants, sharp-tail, grouse, water-fowl were rebounding.
Today, the Fish and Wildlife Service manages 62 National Wildlife Refuges in North Dakota, the highest number in any state, as well as the 12 Wetland Management Districts. All totaled these refuges and wetland districts protect over 1.3 million acres of North Dakota beauty.
Besides the preservation of North Dakota’s ecology, the Fish and Wildlife Service is important to the state’s economy. It has over 20 offices scattered throughout the state, employing nearly 250 people. Federal aid, important for the operation and protection of North Dakota’s natural beauty, contributes nearly $200 million to the state’s wildlife infrastructure. Furthermore, the wildlife refuges and wetland districts attract nearly 500,000 hunters and tourists each year.
North Dakota and the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service continue to work together to ensure that North Dakota retains both its scenic beauty and its plentiful gaming opportunities that are a source of enjoyment to so many throughout the year.
Written by Lane Sunwall
Sources:
Website of the Fish and Wildlife Service
http://www.fws.gov/news/historic/1941/19410307b.pdf
Fish and Wildlife Service historical timeline
http://training.fws.gov/history/origins.html
Information on the Fish and Wildlife Service’s activities in North Dakota
http://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/reference/briefing_book_nd_2000.pdf