US Fish and Wildlife Service essays

US Fish and Wildlife Service essays At the beginning of the twentieth century, the population of white-tailed deer in the United States had fallen to 500,000, and at the same time, with only 100,000 elk surviving. There were only 30,000 wild turkeys left in 1930 and barely 12,000 pronghorn antelope roaming the US. Thankfully, today, the white-tailed deer population has risen up to 25 million and there are now over 1 million elk, 5.6 million wild turkeys, and one million pronghorn antelope (Field and Stream). These species of wildlife that used to be threatened by extinction now are multiplying and, in some parts, even becoming overcrowded. The growth of these animals is largely due to the work done by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The forefather to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Commission on Fish and Fisheries, was started in 1871 by Congress. This Commission was used to fertilize and ship salmon eggs from California to the east coast. In 1885, another organization, the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy, was created to focus on the positive effects of birds on agricultural insects and pests. The Division was later expanded and renamed the Bureau of Biological Survey. The Lacey Act, founded in 1901, was the first Federal law that protected game, prohibiting the interstate shipment of illegally caught wildlife and the importation of animals. Pelican Island was made into the first National Wildlife Reservation in 1903. Pelican Island was picked because so many people were interested in selling the feathers of pelicans that the pelicans were becoming endangered. In 1918, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act was passed, for the United States and the land that Britain owned in Canada, for the protection of migratory birds. This Act was a milestone in legislation, because it was the first to provide regulation to migratory bird hunting (Stamp). The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act, or the Duck Stamp Act, was passed in ...