U.S. Authority Appeals For Preservation Of Scenery

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29101, 13 January 1960, Page 8

U.S. Authority Appeals For Preservation Of Scenery

“The Press’- Special Service

DUNEDIN, January 12. The hope that New Zealand will succeed in keeping its natural beauty, “which will be of such inestimable value for the future and has been preserved so well up to now,” is expressed by Dr. Olaus J. Murie, director of the American Wilderness Society and formerly of the fish and wild life service of the United States Department of the Interior. Dr. Murie was commenting in a letter from the United States, on reported plans to use Lakes Manapouri and Te Anau for hydro-electricity. He was invited to the Dominion in 1948 and 1949 to become scientific leader of the big New Zealand-American Fiordland expedition which studied the wapiti population, the botany, geology, forestry and general zoology of the area. He hoped he would be forgiven for expressing himself at length on a New Zealand problem—“but I feel that a failure in one nation affects other nations, and a success in New Zealand, for example, gives courage and strength to those who are striving for the same high goals in America and other countries.”

Of the plans concerning Manapouri and Te Anau, he said: “This kind of thing is becoming a world problem, not confined to any one nation.

“I notice that people of New Zealand, including the Forest and Bird Protection Society, are objecting to the plan to destroy the beauty of those lakes. This seems very familiar. I would like to say that we have similar problems in other places. “Similar Threats” “Right here in the western United States we have similar threats. Certain hydro-engineer-ing bureaus have even threatened to go into some of our national parks, but so far the public here has been able to forestall such action. “Right now we are trying to prevent a dam in a beautiful canyon of Snake river, objected to by many people, not only locally, but from far and wide who come here to enjoy that beautiful canyon.

“There are other places facing the same danger. Even in Alaska, there is repeated comment that there is a plan for a high dam on the famous Yukon river for hydroelectricity, which would flood about 7000 square miles of interior Alaska, putting under water wonderful ranges for fur bearers, moose, beaver, waterfowl, birch and spruce forest and so much else that goes with that interesting out-of-doors.

“And it is going on elsewhere. In Sweden many people are trying to save a beautiful valley. “There is now much attention being focused on a similar problem in Africa, where a big dam has gone in with flooding of extensive game habitat.”

Some time ago the International Union for the Conservation of Nature published a pamphlet giving the comments of many people “on this world drive to put more of this earth under water,” Dr. Murie said. “In 1948-49 some of us had the privilege of spending some time in New Zealand with the New Zealand-American Fiordland expedition. We were so impressed with the culture of New Zealand. We could see how the stalkers really did hunting, not merely target shooting. People were familiar with the wild flowers and birds, and enjoyed being among them. “There were no elaborate roads or trails, no elaborate glamorous developments to draw attention from the natural scene. People went on their own two feet. As the New Zealanders would say, such people were ‘fit.’ The homes had large flower gardens, and in the outskirts of Wellington was native bush with only simple trails.

“It was evident to us that in general there was a sincere love of that beautiful land, and people were physically able. I have so often spoken here of the genuine culture of great promise that we found among the people of New Zealand.”