NEW FEDERAL AREAS

ACKIA BATTLEGROUND NATIONAL MONUMENT

By Presidential Proclamation of October 25, Ackia (Mississippi) Battleground was made a national monument. The lands involved were purchased by condemnation with funds appropriated for the purpose. Arrangements have been made with the Smithsonian Institution for the assignment of an archeologist to direct field exploration and reconnaissance work at the site. In pursuance of legislation enacted in 1935, the Service made studies at Ackia and has selected 50 acres which appear to include the Chickasaw village site on which the battle occurred. This further study to be directed by the Smithsonian Institution will determine conclusively whether the proposed area embraces the entire site of that village, and should offer additional information on the Chickasaw Indian occupation significant as historical background for the Battle of Ackia and the general Natchez Trace Story.

It was on May 26, 1736, that the Chickasaws, headed by the English, repulsed an attack made by 600 Choctaws under the command of Bienville. The battle of Ackia was one of the numerous Indian battles, supported by Europeans, for the control of the Mississippi Valley, and was particularly significant in that the English victory was responsible for the English colonization of the area.

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GREAT WHITE HERON REFUGE

The proposal to reserve islands within a portion of the Florida Keys group as the Great White Heron Refuge has been approved by the President. The area is a part of the proposed extension to Fort Jefferson National Monument. The creation of the refuge was recommended in accordance with an agreement with the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency protection for the white heron pending final arrangements for inclusion of the area in the national monument.

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SANTA ROSA PROGRESS REPORTED

As a result of recent negotiations, new progress has been reported concerning the move to establish Santa Rosa Island National Monument, Pensacola, Fla. The area has had an interesting place in national development. It contains the remains of old Forts Barrancas and San Carlos, representatives of the Spanish period, and is adjacent to one of the early live oak reservations set aside by the United States Navy in 1828. Timbers from the area were used 99 years later in reconditioning "Old Ironsides." In addition to its historical values, the is land possesses a charm and appeal of its own. The glistening white sand beach and dunes and the fine possibilities for bathing, boating and fishing offer a constant invitation to the traveler.

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A SCIENTIST ON PARK STANDARDS

An interesting opinion on national park standards is expressed in a message to the National Parks Association by Dr. V. E. Shelford, one of its trustees, who holds the chair of zoology at the University of Illinois and long has been identified with national conservation. He writes:

"The biologists of our country have been very derelict in their duties toward the preservation of plants and animals. The zoologists have been particularly lax and have failed to understand some of the necessary things relative to preservation of roaming species.

"Different people appreciate the object of park standards from different angles. I recall very well the terrific letter which I received from a former member of the organization ten years ago when I suggested that the national parks should include areas representing all the different major types of vegetation with their normal attendant animal life. As nearly as I could understand this individual, a national park must have a quality of scenic grandeur and of course these qualities are, in general really very permanent; whereas biological qualities are readily changed by man and slowly restored by natural processes. You will readily see that an attempt to let national parks include various types of the biological nature which possess a grandeur to the biologist and lover of animal nature might involve the making of national parks of the areas not up to standard at the time of establishment. The same areas a hundred years hence will possess the high standard qualities from a biological point of view. The protection of migratory animals often calls for the inclusion of areas far below park standards as part of parks in which these animals occur.

"I read the National Parks Bulletin which referred to the breaking down of standards sometime ago and recently read Mr. Cammerer's letter I considered the letter an admirable statement of the facts in the case and I believe that the Park Service is working along the right lines."

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FEDERAL PARK SYSTEM NOW EXCEEDS 19.000.000 ACRES

Recent additions to the national park system have brought to more than 19,000,000 acres the lands administered by the Service, Director Cammerer points out in his annual report submitted this month to Secretary Ickes. The acreage, comprising 144 areas, is distributed in the continental United States and Hawaii and Alaska. Outstanding among the extensions of the system during the last fiscal year was the creation of Salem Maritime National Historic Site, in Massachusetts, and Olympic National Park, in the state of Washington. Saratoga National Historical Park, in New York, was authorized for eventual inclusion among federal reservations and funds were made available for acquisition of lands which, it is hoped will make possible the formal dedication of Great Smoky Mountains National Park within the next year.