Rodent control is one of the most popular projects with E.C.W.
enrollees themselves as well as with the local people benefited. In
many cases, crew foremen supplied by the Survey took boys who would not
work satisfactorily on any other type of project and made real hands of
them on rodent-control crews. The boys liked to work in these crews, as
it afforded them opportunity to become acquainted not only with methods
of rodent control but with the various habits of wildlife as well.
In order to employ proper methods and place all possible safeguards
around poisoning operations for the protection of beneficial and
harmless species, the Biological Survey has insisted upon approving the
appointments of all men employed on the supervision of rodent-control
work for its various cooperating agencies. This is for the reason that
when poisoning campaigns are properly handled and carefully supervised,
there is little danger of the accidental poisoning of other animals.
The records indicate that there have been practically no cases of
destruction of other forms of life through the E.C.W. rodent-control
program. Naturally, the supervisors not only must know rodent control
but also must be acquainted with the habits and status of wildlife in
general, and in handling the crews they have imparted knowledge to the
beys that will be of permanent benefit to them and to the Nation.
Educational programs were provided as regularly as possible, in
order to tell the C.C.C. enrollees of various wildlife problems. The
entire personnel of E.C.W. camps were shown films depicting the work
of beavers, showing measures for the protection of elk, deer, and
other big-game animals, and portraying the need of sane, sensible
conservation methods, in order that the remnants of our fast-vanishing
forms of valuable wildlife might be preserved. Mimeographed leaflets
on wildlife management studies were made up by district agents of
the Survey for the boys in order that they might be given as broad
instructions as possible in the protection and preservation of species
that are an asset rather than a liability to man's interest. It has
been the attempt of the Biological Survey to make the rodent-control
project a field laboratory for the education of the enrollees in
natural history and wildlife management, and the popularity of the
project among the boys attests to the wisdom of this course. In many
camps more applications for places on rodent-control crews were
received than there were places to fill.