LuGean Mickelson, age 12, of Priest River, Idaho, for her question:

What are we doing to protect animal species from extinction?

There was a time when only a few devoted nature lovers bothered about this problem. Nowadays almost everybody is concerned, especially our thoughtful young generation. 'People who love the northwestern streams are sad to see fewer busy beavers. Even city folks notice fewer songbirds in the parks.

There is no doubt about it. We have been careless and even cruel. As we remodel this rich planet to suit ourselves, we are dumping our industrial wastes in nature's clean water, polluting the air and choking the foliage with our smoggy fumes. As our population increases, we are dispossessing many of the earth's animals from their ancestral homes. Thoughtless hunters have taken merciless toll of many species. Many other species are threatened with extinction because we have upset certain factors in the complex balance of nature necessary for their survival.

All of us regret the extinction of so many species in modern times and want to put a*stop to this tragic annihilation. But the job of preserving a threatened species is a big one and we are not always successful. When numbers are reduced to a precious few, a species may reach a critical state where there is insufficient opportunity for matings to take place and offspring to be produced and survival is impossible.

But some threatened species can be saved and a great deal is being done to help them. The first step is a complete understanding of a species and all the interrelated items of his natural environment. This groundwork involves nature study and sharp eyed teams of nature lovers are needed to observe,, count and keep accurate notes. Amateur nature lovers can do much of this basic groundwork and share their findings with various conservation and nature clubs. Meantime more professional data is gathered by biology teams, by the Wildlife Department and other governement agencies. Every detail helps to put together an overall picture of a species in his own world with the environmental factors it needs to survive.

When experts have the evidence to prove a species is in danger of extinction, clubs and associations of concerned citizens are ready to help. The government is persuaded to pass protective laws, as was done with the trumpeter swan. Refuges are set aside to provide the dwindling animals with their natural, uncontaminated surroundings. The small herds of remaining bison, for instance, were taken to isolated parklands and gradually coaxed back from the brink of doom. The strictest measures of preservation are hunting and game laws. International wildlife organizations cooperate to enforce laws forbidding the slaughter of the sea otter and restrict the killing of many other marine animals.

We can be of no help unless we first understand the complex balance of nature arid agree to work along with the laws of nature. A threatened species often survives when we provide a natural, unhampered refuge. As a rule, small scale makeshift operations do more harm than good. Some experts discourage us from giving free food to the birds lest they depend on us and get lazy. Nature knows best and we who wish to preserve her animal species must copy her methods.