---------------------------------------- ------------------------------ ,united ,states ,department of ,agriculture ,bureau of ,biological ,survey ------- ,wildlife ,research and ,management ,leaflet ,,bs-#ed ---------------------------------------- ------------------------------ ,washington1 ,d4 ,c4 ,rev41 ,december #aicf ---------------------------------------- ------------------------------ ,,rodent ,,control ,,aided ,,by ,,emergency ,,conservation ,,work ,by ,stanley ,p4 ,young1 ,chief1 ,division of ,game ,management ,contents ,page ,need for rodent control #a ,federal1 ,state1 and local cooperation #b ,training of ,e4,c4,w4 crews #b ,timeliness of emergency aid #c ,forest and forage protection #c ,aid in erosion control #d ,examples of benefits derived #d ,safeguarding harmless species #e ,control work illustrated #f ,prairie dogs #g ,ground squirrels #ac ,pocket gophers #ae ,kangaroo rats #bj ,rabbits and hares #be ,porcupines #bg ,a typical ,e4,c4,w4 crew #cj ,need for ,rodent ,control ,the ,emergency ,conservation ,work ,program has been of inestimable value in the control of prairie dogs1 ground squirrels1 pocket gophers1 kangaroo rats1 rabbits1 and porcupines4 ,the citizens of the ,west have been forced to carry on campaigns for the control of these rodents since the settlers first staked out claims on the prairies4 ,to the agricultural interests of the ,west the control of rodents is as vital as is the proper spraying of trees throughout the ,east to prevent damage by insects4 ,these small mammals cover the western ranges by countless thousands1 and control is necessary if crops are to be grown4 ,rodent control is nothing new4 ,records indicate that as early as #ahjh1 strychnine was shipped by boat around ,cape ,horn to the ,santa ,barbara ,mission1 ,calif41 in order that the early settlers might kill off the ground squirrels4 ,a constant fight has been waged ever1 since1 but unfortunately1 while the landowners were willing to finance the killing of squirrels on their own holdings1 the ,federal ,government provided inadequate funds to take care of the vast areas of public domain1 national forests1 ,indian reservations1 and other ,federal holdings4 ,federal1 ,state1 and ,local ,cooperation ,when the ,emergency ,conservation ,work ,program came into being1 the ,forest ,service1 the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs1 the ,bureau of ,reclamation1 the ,division of ,grazing1 and the ,bureau of ,biological ,survey took the opportunity to treat a vast acreage that would have been treated years ago had funds permitted4 ,during the three fiscal years #aicd to #aicf a total of almost #bj1jjj1jjj acres had been covered by ,e4,c4,w4 for the control of these various rodent pests4 ,on the statute books of several ,western ,states rodent-control laws provide that landowners may establish rodent-control districts wherein all lands are treated simultaneously by paid crews working under the supervision of the ,biological ,survey4 ,never before the ,e4,c4,w4 program were there adequate ,federal funds to make these laws effective by taking proper care of infested public lands adjacent to private holdings4 ,the most concrete proof of the necessity of rodent control is found in the amount of money expended by private individuals throughout the ,west for this purpose4 ,the ,federal ,government1 while owning as much as #fj percent of the land in many of the ,western ,states1 contributes only about #be percent of the total cost of rodent-control operations4 ,during the fiscal year #aicf1 ,states1 counties1 and private individuals expended #ffe1ghe for the purpose1 while the ,biological ,survey was able to expend only #bbf1fbc from regular appropriations4 ,the ,e4,c4,w4 program afforded the first opportunity of somewhere near meeting the ,federal ,government's obligations to the citizens of the ,west in the matter of adequately controlling the rodent pests that breed and range on public lands and from these strongholds infest and reinfest adjacent private holdings4 ,training of ,e4,c4,w4 ,crews ,rodent control is one of the most popular projects with ,e4,c4,w4 enrollees themselves as well as with the local people benefited4 ,in many cases1 crew foremen supplied by the ,survey took boys who would not work satisfactorily on any other type of project and made real hands of them on rodent-control crews4 ,the boys liked to work in these crews1 as it afforded them opportunity to become acquainted not only with methods of rodent control but with the various habits of wildlife as well4 ,in order to employ proper methods and place all possible safeguards around poisoning operations for the protection of beneficial and harmless species1 the ,biological ,survey has insisted upon approving the appointments of all men employed on the supervision of rodent-control work for its various cooperating agencies4 ,this is for the reason that when poisoning campaigns are properly handled and carefully supervised1 there is little danger of the accidental poisoning of other animals4 ,the records indicate that there have been practically no cases of destruction of other forms of life through the ,e4,c4,w4 rodent-control program4 ,naturally1 the supervisors not only must know rodent control but also must be acquainted with the habits and status of wildlife in general1 and in handling the crews they have imparted knowledge to the beys that will be of permanent benefit to them and to the ,nation4 ,educational programs were provided as regularly as possible1 in order to tell the ,c4,c4,c4 enrollees of various wildlife problems4 ,the entire personnel of ,e4,c4,w4 camps were shown films depicting the work of beavers1 showing measures for the protection of elk1 deer1 and other big-game animals1 and portraying the need of sane1 sensible conservation methods1 in order that the remnants of our fast-vanishing forms of valuable wildlife might be preserved4 ,mimeographed leaflets on wildlife management studies were made up by district agents of the ,survey for the boys in order that they might be given as broad instructions as possible in the protection and preservation of species that are an asset rather than a liability to man's interest4 ,it has been the attempt of the ,biological ,survey to make the rodent-control project a field laboratory for the education of the enrollees in natural history and wildlife management1 and the popularity of the project among the boys attests to the wisdom of this course4 ,in many camps more applications for places on rodent-control crews were received than there were places to fill4 ,timeliness of ,emergency ,aid ,fortunately1 the ,e4,c4,w4 program came at the most opportune time4 ,the extreme drought throughout the west had forced rodents from the open lands into adjacent irrigated valleys and mountain meadows1 where they became especially objectionable in their competition with livestock for the available forage4 ,livestock and rodents together1 during dry periods1 have in many places almost entirely denuded the surface soil of its vegetation4 ,this has caused the beginning of sheet erosion in areas where there would still be ample forage for livestock had it not been for the excessive numbers of rodents4 ,on many areas1 grazing by livestock and rodents combined has practically eliminated the native grasses1 and these are now being replaced with weeds and poisonous plants4 ,damage in some instances has amounted to at least #ge percent of the available forage1 and the average loss has probably been approximately #be percent4 ,on some of the ,indian reservations of the ,southwest1 the condition has been pitiful4 ,on the ,navajo ,reservation1 in particular1 the ,indians have carried on a losing fight against drought and rodents4 ,it has often been necessary for them to replant their corn three and four times a season1 since kangaroo rats and other native rodents dig up the kernels as rapidly as they are planted4 ,prior to the spring of #aicf1 there had been four years of drought1 and this1 coupled with rodent damage1 had reduced corn production to the point where the ,indians had barely enough for the spring seeding4 ,all were clamoring for aid1 and in order to save their last crop of corn it was necessary to detail a foreman with four or five ,e4,c4,w4 ,indians to go from farm to farm and conduct rodent-control operations4 ,forest and ,forage ,protection ,the ,forest ,service is endeavoring to carry on a reforestation program throughout much of the cut-over area in the ,lake ,states and the ,pacific ,northwest4 ,one of the chief problems to successful reforestation is the control of rodents1 particularly the snowshoe hare4 ,in the ,olympic ,forest in ,washington1 the snowshoe hare has destroyed as much as #dj percent and damaged #gj percent of the ,douglas fir seedlings4 ,in ,michigan and ,wisconsin1 it was necessary to carry on extensive rodent-control operations to permit the seedlings to survive4 ,much of this work would never have been possible but for ,e4,c4,w4 help4 ,in the open area1 jack rabbits have become a serious pest4 ,the ,biological ,survey1 in #aicd1 received a petition bearing the signatures of more than #h1jjj individuals of eastern ,colorado1 requesting ,government aid in killing jack rabbits1 which were ravaging the meager stocks of forage left after drought and wind had taken their toll4 ,the ,forest ,service recognized that rodent control would be essential if the ,plains ,shelterbelt program of planting trees from the ,canadian border to ,texas was to be effective1 and in #aice approximately one-tenth of its entire appropriation for the program was expended for rodent control under the supervision of the ,biological ,survey4 ,crews patrolled the planted areas constantly to prevent the gnawing of the seedlings by jack rabbits and pocket gophers4 ,aid in ,erosion ,control ,the permanent benefits accruing from the ,e4,c4,w4 rodent-control program have been enormous from the standpoint of erosion control alone4 ,an associate range examiner of the ,forest ,service has the following to say regarding the effect of rodents on erosion in the ,boise watershed of ,idaho3 ,rodents1 numerous and spreading over nearly #hj percent of the ,boise watershed1 have undoubtedly been responsible for no small part of the present erosion4 ,wholly dependent upon the herbaceous plants for their food supply1 their tremendous numbers1 along with over-grazing by livestock and unfavorable climate1 have been an important contributing factor in depleting this cover1 and thus have greatly reduced the protection afforded the soil and subjected it the more to increased sheet erosion4 ,even light rains on rodent-infested areas are likely to start cutting1 which may develop into destructive gully erosion because of the almost immediate accumulation of run-offs in the myriads of burrows and channels which these animals construct just under the surface of the soil4 ,the control of rodents is vital to the successful operation of reclamation projects in the western third of the ,united ,states4 ,rodents1 particularly pocket gophers1 find the banks of irrigation canals an ideal location for their burrows and runways4 ,these subterranean passageways frequently are the cause of serious breaks in canals1 through which the flow of irrigation water is diverted and wasted to flood adjacent lands1 destroying valuable crops1 and indirectly ruining others by causing delays in delivery of water4 ,through the ,e4,c4,w4 program1 ,c4,c4,c4 crews working under the direction of experienced foremen trained by the ,biological ,survey have greatly reduced this menace4 ,in the past year alone half a million acres of canal banks and contiguous lands were treated by ,c4,c4,c4 rodent-control crews with a thoroughness that will be of lasting benefit to the nation's reclamation projects4 ,examples of ,benefits ,derived ,a few concrete examples will illustrate the great good that has resulted from the ,e4,c4,w4 rodent-control program4 ,a group of farmers living at ,springfield1 ,idaho1 suggested to the camp superintendent there that the jack rabbit control work done by the ,e4,c4,w4 crew during the summer of #aice might pay the cost of the camp4 ,it is estimated that not less than #fjj1jjj rabbits were killed by this crew on public lands adjacent to farming areas between ,american ,falls and ,moreland1 ,idaho4 ,the work afforded protection to not less than half a million dollars worth of cultivated crops and to more than #ge1jjj acres of grazing lands4 ,the control work carried on by an ,e4,c4,w4 crew near ,weber ,lake1 ,calif41 in #aicc has been responsible for a #ej percent comeback of the grass on a large mountain meadow1 which had been made a dust heap because of pocket gopher workings4 ,the pocket gophers had honeycombed the surface of the ground1 and sheep had trampled out most of the grass1 while livestock grazing had been reduced to a negligible figure4 ,the restoration in two years was due primarily to the elimination of the pocket gophers4 ,to control prairie dogs in ,oklahoma1 an area1 of #dg1jjj acres in ,pawnee1 ,noble1 and ,kay ,counties was treated through the medium of the ,e4,c4,w4 ,the ,indian lands here are interspersed with private lands1 and the landowners were unable to make any progress in a general clean up because there were insufficient ,federal funds to treat the ,indian lands until the ,e4,c4,w4 project afforded opportunity to carry on a systematic campaign over the entire area4 ,a good piece of work was accomplished1 and this1 in conjunction with water developments1 made the grass so much better over these old prairie dog towns in the spring of #aice that the ,indian ,service officials at ,pawnee received an increased rental of #be cents an acre on their grazing lands4 ,on areas where they received #ej cents an acre in #aicd1 they received #ge cents in #aice1 a direct increase in receipts to the ,federal ,treasury4 ,the permanent benefit accruing to the ,indians from ,e4,c4,w4 rodent control is summed up as follows by an ,agricultural ,extension agent of the ,indian ,service1 at ,anadarko1 ,oklahoma3 ,no little stress can be placed upon the financial value of the rodent-control project to the ,indians4 ,the ,indian enrollees received the labor benefit on both ,indian and deeded land throughout the reservation but still greater than the temporary labor relief1 the ,indian has received a lasting increase in the financial rental of his land4 ,due to such heavy prairie dog infestation of the allotted land it had become necessary to reduce the rental value of the grass land infested4 ,now that the prairie dogs have been controlled the rental value will be increased by approximately #aj cents or more per acre because the pastures will regrass and the carrying capacity will be increased4 ,in comparing this increase in rental value with the cost of controlling the prairie dogs1 the ,indians will reap the financial benefit of the ,government expenditures in two or three years4 ,therefore1 this project has certainly been of utmost value to the reservation and the ,extension ,division in helping the ,indian to help himself4 ,safeguarding ,harmless ,species ,some persons uninformed as to the need for rodent control and the methods followed by the ,biological ,survey in carrying on the work have stated that control by use of poison and ,c4,c4,c4 workers endangers the existence of other forms of wildlife4 ,this1 however1 is not the case4 ,the ,biological ,survey has studied rodent-control methods for more than twenty years and in this period it has developed the most scientific and selective poisons possible4 ,scientific investigations conducted by the ,bureau are bringing increasing knowledge of the habits of economically injurious species and of their physiological reaction to various baits4 ,this has made it possible to use more and more specific control methods and so to select1 prepare1 and expose poison baits as not seriously to endanger animals other than those for which the baits are intended4 ,when these scientific methods are carried out under direct supervision of trained personnel1 the total number of beneficial species destroyed is negligible4 ,the ,biological ,survey is a conservation organization and will undertake no work that will be detrimental to any species of animal not interfering too greatly with the interests of man4 ,those conversant with actual conditions in the range ,states realize that if agriculture is to survive1 the control of injurious rodents is as essential as is control of the corn borer1 the chinch bug1 the boll weevil1 the grasshopper1 the coddling moth1 and numerous other agricultural pests4 ,the ,survey insists that in conducting work of this sort1 the most careful supervision by trained technicians must be given4 ,all cooperating agencies recognize the necessity for such supervision1 and as a result a most worth-while program has been carried on during the past three fiscal years4 ,the ,biological ,survey has entered into written cooperative understandings with the various governmental agencies under which rodent-control activities have been conducted4 ,these agreements place the responsibility for technically supervising all rodent-control activities in the hands of the ,bureau1 leaving the cooperating agencies responsible for administration4 ,control ,work ,illustrated ,the illustrations on the following pages tell better than would volumes of written words1 the story of rodent damage and of cooperative work to reduce this damage4 ,,prairie ,,dogs ,four years experimental study in northern ,arizona showed that prairie dogs destroy #fj percent of the wheat grass1 #ii percent of the dropseed1 and #hc percent of the grama grass1 or #hj percent of the total potential annual production of forage4 ,the possible destruction of four-fifths of the forage1 or even a far smaller proportion1 is serious enough at any time1 but in periods of drought it is likely to be calamitous4 ,the following pictures show typical prairie dog infestation4 ,illustration ,prairie dog mounds on abandoned ,indian farm1 ,southern ,navajo ,reservation1 ,arizona4 ,illustration ,area practically denuded of grass by prairie dog--,wescalero ,indian ,reservation1 ,new ,mexico4 ,illustration ,dogs on leash and tin cans rattling in the wind are some of the primitive methods employed by ,indians in futile attempt to save crops from ravages of prairie dogs in the ,southwest4 ,illustration ,illustration ,indian cornfield totally destroyed by prairie dogs4 ,illustration ,cotton and corn fields damaged by prairie dogs in northwest ,texas4 ,illustration ,illustration ,side of basin denuded by prairie dogs--devastation being rapidly completed by erosion4 ,cochetopa ,forest1 ,colorado4 ,illustration ,prairie dogs prepare an ideal condition for the start of sheet erosion on hillsides by denudation of vegetative cover4 ,note lack of vegetation4 ,erosion once started is accelerated by other factors as shown on page #aa4 ,illustration ,illustration ,overgrazing1 wind1 and flood-- ,illustration resulting in gullies and arroyos4 ,illustration ,illustration3 ,interpreter explaining to ,indian farmer in ,arizona how to expose poisoned grain4 ,the ,indian1 at the left1 stated that he picked up #ahj dead prairie dogs over an area estimated at about #bjj acres around his #dh acre farm4 ,,ground ,,squirrels ,illustration3 ,ground squirrel damage4 ,semidesert type country4 ,note squirrel at mouth of burrow4 ,illustration3 ,e4,c4,w4 ground squirrel control crew--,payette ,national ,forest1 ,idaho4 ,illustration3 ,e4,c4,w4 crew at work on ,umatilla ,national ,forest1 ,washington4 ,illustration ,ground squirrel burrows become waterways during a rain and are the beginning of this type of erosion4 ,illustration ,papago ,indian ,reservation1 ,arizona4 ,,pocket ,,gophers ,illustration3 ,typical mountain range land1 heavily infested with pocket gophers--,davis ,lake1 ,oregon--before treatment4 ,illustration3 ,same area one year later after pocket gophers were brought under control and native grasses had had a chance to reseed4 ,illustration3 ,farm land infestation--,texas4 ,mounds represent pocket gopher workings4 ,illustration3 ,mountain meadow in ,utah4 ,picture taken just after snow had melted in spring4 ,ridges of dirt show extent of pocket gopher operations under snow in winter4 ,illustration3 ,pocket gopher infestation--,louisiana4 ,illustration3 ,break in terrace caused by pocket gophers burrowing through embankment4 ,illustration3 ,pocket gopher infestation along highway4 ,illustration3 ,flood water starting through a pocket gopher burrow passed under a cement highway1-- ,illustration3 ,flooded the barrow pit on the opposite side of road1 and poured into farmer's field1 leaving a deep wash as a monument4 ,illustration3 ,damage starting from pocket gopher hole in irrigation canal bank-- ,illustration3 ,soon results in bad breaks causing expensive repairs and loss to crops through failure of irrigation water4-- ,illustration3 ,and is often responsible for start of gullies4 ,,kangaroo ,,rats ,kangaroo rats abound on millions of acres of desert and semidesert range and farm lands4 ,on ranges that have been overgrazed1 kangaroo rats must be controlled before reseeding can be accomplished1 as they gather and store practically all of the seed within a radius of #ajj yards from their burrows4 ,illustration3 ,close-up of typical kangaroo rat den4 ,illustration3 ,showing plot protected from both livestock and kangaroo rats4 ,illustration3 ,plot showing grazing by kangaroo rats--livestock being excluded4 ,illustration3 ,area on left of fence subject to grazing by both livestock and kangaroo rats4 ,on right of fence shows protection from both livestock and rodents4 ,illustration3 ,open range--note lack of native grasses4 ,illustration3 ,kangaroo rat den around mesquite bush4 ,note lack of vegetation4 ,illustration3 ,typical kangaroo rat infestation4 ,illustration3 ,trail leading from kangaroo rat den to feeding ground4 ,illustration3 ,close-up of feeding ground4 ,note rat pellets and close cropped grass4 ,illustration3 ,kangaroo rat den before excavating1 ,illustration3 ,cross section of den1 showing storage chambers and stored grass seeds4 ,illustration3 ,seed heads taken from one kangaroo rat den-- ,a--,burrow grass seed4 ,b--,indian wheat heads4 ,c--,weed seeds4 ,d--,unidentified grass heads4 ,illustration3 ,kangaroo rat den before treatment 7,july #a1 #aice71 ,papago ,indian ,reservation1 ,sells1 ,arizona4 ,illustration3 ,same location as above two months later after eliminating the kangaroo rats4 ,,rabbits ,,and ,,hares ,reforestation is greatly hampered by rabbits in cut-over areas where intermittent fires have killed all seedlings over a period of years4 ,in many areas the snowshoe hare will eat off as many as #dj percent of the seedlings and damage up to #gj percent of them4 ,illustration3 ,rabbit-infested reforestation area--,olympic ,national ,forest1 ,washington4 ,illustration3 ,damage to jackpine caused by snowshoe hares--,dukes1 ,michigan4 ,illustration3 ,healthy ,norway pine4 ,snowshoe hare damage to pine and spruce seedlings at this stage of growth consists of nipping the terminal bud4 ,illustration3 ,spruce tree with lateral branches removed by snowshoe hares--,price ,county1 ,wisconsin4 ,illustration3 ,typical damage to cornfield by jack rabbits--,texas4 ,,porcupines ,on many national forest areas the control of porcupines is imperative from the standpoint of timber reproduction4 ,this is especially true on cut-over areas and where fires have destroyed all seedlings4 ,porcupines will often destroy up to #ij percent of the seedlings and1 through continued girdling of young trees #ae to #be years of age1 will destroy all chance for commercial timber for many years to come4 ,illustration3 ,typical porcupine den4 ,picture taken on ,pike ,national ,forest in ,colorado1 in area where porcupine control work was conducted under the ,forest ,service ,e4,c4,w4 program4 ,illustration3 ,porcupine at work girdling pine tree4 ,illustration3 ,showing one of #aad young pines damaged by porcupines on #ae acres4 ,illustration3 ,additional evidence on cut-over areas4 ,illustration3 ,porcupine at foot of tree probably #ae years old1 which it has damaged beyond hope of recovery4 ,illustration3 ,complete girdling by porcupines about #ab inches above ground4 ,a ,,typical ,e4,c4,w4 ,,crew ,illustration3 ,e4,c4,w4 crews have treated almost #ab1jjj1jjj acres of rodent-infested lands during the past three years1 have done it carefully and well1 and in so doing have been taught valuable lessons in wildlife management4 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's ,note ,original publication appears to have been a copy of a typewritten document4