Supporting Question 3: Conservation Efforts

The third supporting question, “how have people tried to protect North Dakota’s wildlife?” helps students use sources to unwrap the context of the time and topic being examined. North Dakota did not have an official dedicated to the conservation of wild game until 1897 when W.W. Barrett, the state fish commissioner, was appointed state game warden by Governor Frank Briggs. The state leaders debated hunting laws periodically, even during territorial days. In 1887 the territorial legislature instituted a game bird bag limit (the number of animals harvested per hunter) of 25 and prohibited the shooting of songbirds. The state legislature of 1891 established open seasons on bison, deer, elk, pronghorn, and mountain sheep. In 1899, the legislature established a limit of 8 deer which was reduced to 5 in 1901. That year, seasons on bison, elk, moose, and mountain sheep were permanently closed. There would never again be open hunting on bison in North Dakota.

State legislators, along with federal and state agencies across the nation, were beginning to recognize the need for game animal conservation. As the legislature made steps toward the conservation of game, the major game populations of the state underwent significant changes. The extinction of bison was prevented by a few western ranchers who saw the need to protect and propagate the species. The numbers of pronghorn, also inaccurately called antelope, fell to such low numbers that the legislature closed the season in 1901. Hunters did not have a pronghorn season again until 1951. Around 1910, pheasants, a new, non-native bird, were introduced as game wardens and legislators noticed the decline of the prairie chicken. After World War II, game conservation measures finally began to see positive results. Though prairie chickens remained precariously scarce, antelope re-opened, deer hunters once again enjoyed annual seasons, and most other game animal populations rebounded. Today, there are hunting seasons on all the historic game animals of North Dakota except for bison.

The story of game animal conservation demonstrates the importance of the application of scientific management principles to this important natural resource. Not only has hunting been limited by laws which are today rigorously enforced, game animal habitats have been supported by North Dakota Game and Fish Department as well as organizations such as the Mule Deer Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Pheasants Forever. Changes in hunting laws also demonstrate the vitality of democratic decision-making in North Dakota as hunters, legislators, game and fish commissioners, and interested citizens debated hunting and conservation laws from 1889 to the present. Complete the following task using the sources provided to build a context of the time period and topic being examined.

Formative Performance Task 3

Study featured sources A-B. What do they tell us about conservation efforts in North Dakota over time? What methods have been used in the past to preserve wildlife populations? What methods are used currently? What has changed? What has stayed the same? What role do people have in the management of natural resources, including game animals? Are hunting laws effective management tools? What other tools besides the regulation of hunting are available for the management of wildlife populations? While the Board of Control that governed game and fish laws before 1913 often recommended limitations on deer hunting in order to preserve the animals, hunters pressured their legislators to oppose such laws. As a result, deer numbers continued to decline and finally all deer hunting was halted for nearly 20 years. The democratic process of law making functioned well to meet the interests of the legislators and their constituents, but representative government failed to respond adequately to many people’s wildlife concerns. Write a summary about the methods you think are the most effective using evidence from the sources.

Featured Sources 3

Featured Sources A-B are a combination of primary and secondary sources. Secondary sources are accounts or interpretations of historical events, people, places, and ideas by someone who does not necessarily have firsthand experience of the subject. This is the material that historians and other researchers have written about primary sources and the events, ideas, and people of history. These are the products of historical work including exhibits, websites, documentaries, performances, books, and other publications. When students read or view secondary sources, they should pay careful attention to the bibliography. What sources did the author use? Are they reliable evidence to support their claims? When students read or view secondary sources, they should also explore additional sources, including primary sources, to get an accurate understanding of the context and if the author wrote a valid, accurate, and thoughtful interpretation. What is the author’s historical argument, or thesis statement? Are their claims logical and supported by evidence? Further research of materials and sources can either prove or disprove the students’ argument.

Learn more about wildlife, hunting, fishing, and conservation efforts in North Dakota by visiting the Game and Fish Department’s collection in the state archives, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department.