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STORY OF A CENTURY
CONSERVATION
    By Bernard Hagen
A fine mess of fish from state stream.
  The p ione e r s of Manitowoc
county   found  here  conditions
which delighted the heart of the
hunter, the   nimrod, the   true
sportsman and lover of nature.
Hordes of game animals inhabit-
ed the forest, and wild fowl in
great profusion nested in the
lowlands and along the shores
of our many creeks and rivers,
teeming with a great variety of
game fishes.
   Never to the mind of the pio-
 neer and his immediate succes-
 sors came the thought that this
 wild animal life, abundant in the
 forest, through  lowlands, and
 over plain, would in the near
 future be in danger of total ex-
 tinction. Three generations have
 about accomplished this result.
 The flight of the wild fowl is
 now a mere trickle. The ruthless
 hand of the destroyer has about
 devastated the forest of game.
 But fortunately, a remnant of
 the hardy life in the forest and
 river remains. Today sportsmen
 are uniting to replenish in part
 the ruthless destruction of the
 past and with laws enacted to
 accomplish this result, they are
determined to prevent the utter
annhilation of life in forest and
rivers.
  Fish and Game Association
  Several organizations and
groups have actually engaged in
conservation activities. The
earliest of these is the Manitowoc
County Hunting and Fishing as-
sociation which later changed its
name to Manitowoc County Fish
and Game Protective association.
This association was organized
Sept. 14, 1907, for the express
purpose of advancing the art of
hunting and fishing, and for the
enforcement of the laws against
the unlawful illegal killing or
selling of game or fish in the
state of Wisconsin.
  In  September, 1907, twenty-
two county sportsmen saw the
need of organized conservation
in our county to lessen the con-
stant depletion of wildlife and
natural resources. Under     the
guidance of its first president,
Edward Thorison, the remainder
of the year was devoted to or-
ganization and the appointment
96
MANITOWOC COUNTY,