Little is known today of these early adventurers. A few written accounts have been printed, meager records of their catches have been noted, and here and there crude initials and dates carved on isolated canyon walls attest their passing. Their conquest of the West has faded into oblivion but it must be regarded as the opening wedge of American progress into the Southwest. _Mountains as Wildlife Reservoirs_ Today’s traveler spans in hours distances across these same routes that took weary weeks of heartbreaking toil a century ago. As he rides in cushioned ease he seldom pauses to reflect on the changes that have taken place since those early days. The great herds of bison with their attendant packs of wolves have vanished and in their place white-faced cattle graze on the level prairies. In the foothills the pronghorns have taken their last stand. Cities have sprung up on the camping sites of nomadic tribes that roamed the whole area between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains. Only the mountains seem the same. In winter these massive ranges form a barrier against the storms that sweep in from the northwest. More important—these great storehouses of our natural resources that in early days meant only gold and furs, and perhaps sudden death to the pioneers, have now been unlocked by their descendants. The glitter of gold and the glamour of furs pales when contrasted with the untold values that have since been taken out in the baser metals and lumber. This phase too is now coming to an end. It is becoming evident that in the face of our ever increasing population these natural playgrounds are destined to become a buffer against the tensions that we, as one of the most highly civilized peoples of the world, undergo in our daily life. Within another century they will represent one of the few remaining opportunities for many millions of Americans to get close to nature. As such the proper development and preservation of mountainous areas and their values is of vital importance to our Nation.