The Seattle Rod and Gun Club 
                                1644 HARBOR AVE. S. W. 
                                  SEATLE, U.S.A. 
                                                       December 2, 1930 
 
     Mr. Aldo Leopold, 
     Madison, 'eisconsin. 
 
     Dear Sir: 
              Mr. Earl A. Fry has handed me a copy of his night letter to
you 
     under date of November 27. 
 
              I am forwarding you duplicate of the resolution of the Seattle

     Rod and Gun Club, referred to in Mlr. Fry's telegram. I regret that
this 
     could not have been forwarded to you at an earlier date due to the 
     impossibility of getting our committee together for drafting of the

     resolution. The original resolution will be forwarded direct to the

     United States Biological Survey, Washington, D. C. 
              We have reason to believe that the Bureau is not unacquainted
with 
     the deplorable situation now being brought to their attention.  ,e believe

     that the Bureau has not been active in this matter because of the antagonism,

     possibly of the Audubon Societyand the public, who classify all gulls
as 
     "seagulls" and think of them only as oe-# harmless, ornamental
and useful 
k/6, 4hIt is to be noted that the depredations complained of are confined

     largely to two particular species. We earnestly believe that the real

     source of the depletion of duck life, particularly on the Pacific Coast
and 
     in the western states is the wholesale destruction of eggs and young
duck- 
     lings by the species of gulls referred to. 
 
              "dhiJile we know that irrigation projects, droughts and
guns of 
     sportsmen take a large toll, yet we are satisfied that the destruction
on 
     the breeding grounds is ten-fold that of the other causes combined.
Cold 
     logic leads us to the conclusion that the first place to concentrate
our 
     attention upon is the source of the supply of our waterfowl. 
 
              We see evidence every day of controversy based largely upon

     speculation as to the remedy for the rapid disappearance of our waterfowl.

     Much vague reference has been made to the "fdisturbance of the
balance of 
     nature." With our waterfowl, man is responsible for disturbing
the balance 
     and it is up to man to restore the balance of nature by giving the ducks

     and other waterfowl some protection on the breeding grounds. 
 
              ,;e fail to see', where these species of gulls are a necessity
as 
     scavengers in Alaska and the Arctic. TVe most that could happen by a

     reduction of their numbers would be a remote possibility of some increase

     in the numbers of mice and lemmings in an uninhabited country and we
feel 
     that such increase in the numbers of these rodents would be easily taken

     care of by the carnivora. 
 
 
Vj/