Appendices to Pacific Water Plan Review Draft

Document: Appendices to Pacific Southwest Water Plan Review Draft "Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife", August 1963, page 4part of Arizona and the southwestern corner of New Mexico. Minks are not uncommon in some localities while badgers and skunks are common in most of the region. The ubiquitous gray foxes and the desert-dwelling kit foxes also occur in the Pacific Southwest. An indication of the importance of fish and wildlife to the economy of the Pacific Southwest may be gained from some of the statistics compiled by the Federal and state fish and game agencies. For example, something like 7,000,000 day per year are spent in the region by fishermen in pursuit of their favorite sport. Hunters spend about 2,500,000 days per year afield. Such estimates gauge the magnitude of current participation in these outdoor activities but measure neither the demands nor the desires of the exploding population of the area. For example, the large population of Southern California finds limited opportunities for fishing and hunting in that section of the state. The consequence is that the people of this heavily-populated area do most of their fishing and hunting outside of Southern California. Many concentrate along the Colorado River. Others fan out into Arizona and New Mexico, and many more go to the more northerly sections of California and into states like Utah and the other mountain states. Programs for Development Recognizing the great interest in fish and wildlife resources, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and the several State fish and game departments have expended much effort and money to meet the increasing demands for fishing and hunting. Broadly viewed, the programs of these agencies fall into two categories: Regulation, and habitat management and improvement. For the most part, regulation is aimed at prescribing the methods and the mores of enjoying fish and wildlife through the reduction of such free and wild resources to possession by the citizen. Important though regulation is, the chief concern here is with land and water, the two basic elements of fish and wildlife habitat. Because of its scarcity, water of course is the more important of the two in the Pacific Southwest. To the end that land and water may produce more fish and wildlife, the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife and its state counterparts have shown great interest in the habitat, the physical plant on which fish and wildlife are so dependent. Lands have been purchased and leased and agreements entered into with the objective of producing 4Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 2,958,182 byte