Alexander Wetmore - Western United States, 1918 : Correspondence, field reports, and reference materials (1 of 2)

About the Project

In 1918, farmers were frustrated by the damage migrating birds were causing to their crops. With the August harvest time quickly approaching, farmers across the Southwest, California and Washington were feeling an increasing urgency to protect their crops. No one wanted to lose acres of their harvest to birds, especially ducks. With the United States engaged in World War I, licensing for the purchase, transfer and use of explosives was tightly regulated. The use of "duck bombs" seemed like a promising deterrent. Alexander Wetmore of the Bureau of Biological Survey, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), gathered the information in this field book while on assignment for the Bureau. It includes newspaper clippings, documents of public opinion about farmers' use of explosives, correspondence with the California Board of Fish and Game and USDA officials, and a report on the lake area of the Chusca Mountains. Join other volunpeers in transcribing another of Wetmore's field books about the contentious relationship between migrating birds and American farmers.

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Completed!

Project Progress (details)
138 pages completed

29

Contributing
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138

Total
pages