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<br />no means IS unmindful of the visitors' convenience, j\1easures have been
<br />taken for the comfort and protection of the visitors. Bureau of Heclarnation
<br />rangers are on duty 24 hours a day to direct traffic and otherwise assist the
<br />travelers. And guide service facilities are available for tours through the
<br />great dam and power plant.
<br />Hoover Dam is open to the public every day in the year. During the
<br />months of May through September, visitors' hours are from 7 :30 a. m. to
<br />9 ::30 p. m. From October 1 through April 30, the dam closes at 7 :30 p. m.
<br />A total of 424,201 persons took the guided tour of the dam and power plant
<br />during 1947.
<br />In addition to the guided tours, an exhibit building, housing a topographic
<br />model of the entire Colorado River Basin, and an operating scale-model of
<br />a generating unit, is available for the public.
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<br />Aside from the purely aquatic animals there is much other wildlife that
<br />flourishes in the Lake Mead recreational area. This-the formation of a
<br />wildlife and waterfowl refuge-is the seventh beneficial result of constructing
<br />Hoover Dam.
<br />The area has been designated officially as a wildlife refuge, with hunting
<br />forbidden. Nearly 650,000 acres of mountain and mesa surrounding Lake
<br />Mead, offer haven to animals and birds. Here, they are fostered and pro-
<br />tected. Mountain sheep and the Gamhel quail thrive in the uplands.
<br />Lake Mead and Lake Havasu offer sanctuaries of considerable value in
<br />waterfowl conservation. The pintail and the mallard, the Canadian goose,
<br />the snowy egret, the sandpiper, and other birds frequent the refuge, Nor,
<br />is the area solely a refuge for waterfowl, for more than 230 varieties of
<br />birds have been checked within the boundaries of the area,
<br />Lake Havasu is located on the main flyv,"ay of migratory waterfowl and
<br />is an ideal haven for the migratory birds. And the lake to be created behind
<br />Davis Dam will have much of the same attraction for ducks, geese, and other
<br />birds on their long annual migrations.
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<br />Power and the Strength of tlte West
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<br />The eighth benefit, and one of the most important to the Southwest from
<br />the construction of Hoover Dam, is the generation of low-cost electric energy.
<br />From earliest days the West has been the elbow room of our expanding
<br />Nation. Population increase has been faster, development has been surer
<br />than in any other part of the country. Nowhere has this trend been more
<br />pronounced than in the southern California coastal region. Los Angeles
<br />offers an excellent example.
<br />Los Angeles enjoyed its greatest expansion in the decade 1920-30, when
<br />its population rose from 500,000 to 1,200,000. But its growth continued
<br />
<br />At 'Willow Beach and EI Dorado Canyon, 14 and 27 miles, respectively,
<br />below Hoover Dam, excellent accomodations are available for those who are
<br />particularly fond of casting for trout. In these areas the river water flows
<br />fresh and invigorating as a mountain rill.
<br />Even though the National Park Service has been designated as the respon-
<br />sible agency for developing visitors facilities, the Bureau of Reclamation by
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<br />46
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<br />4.
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