Below is an editorial from the May 1922 issue of Field and Stream Magazine by Le Grand T. Meyer. His closing line speaking of western federal lands exposed to public lands grazing was: MAKE THESE PLAYGROUNDS OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, INSTEAD OF STINKING DESERTS.
This editorial was in defense of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and argued on behalf of the hunting community and others. He was defending the agency against attacks from the livestock industry–particularly the sheep growers. He recognized that the interests of the livestock industry are markedly different than those of wildlife conservation. So what would Mr. Meyer say today about the trophy hunting community's tight ties to the livestock industry, the agency’s acquiescence to the desires of the ranchers (including those that use public lands), and elements of the hunting community’s willingness to re-activate the livestock industry’s anti-wolf campaign (see 1, 2)?
It is important for us to take time to see where we were to understand where we are.