Draft of a Plan for Beginning Animal Sanctuaries in Labrador

Written in 1913, this remarkable document captures a man watching the natural world vanish before his eyes and refusing to stay silent. William Wood turns his keen scientific mind to Labrador's rapidly depleting wildlife, documenting with urgent precision how reckless hunting, industrial fishing, and habitat destruction have pushed countless species to the brink. But this is not mere mourning - it is a blueprint for salvation. Wood proposes a network of protected sanctuaries, outlines specific conservation laws, and argues passionately for community involvement in safeguarding what remains. His belief that humans and wildlife can thrive together feels startlingly modern, yet here it is, voiced over a century ago. The document endures as proof that the environmental crisis was recognized long before it became mainstream, and that early voices like Wood's were already sketching the solutions we still struggle to implement. For readers interested in the roots of conservation thinking, or anyone who believes that caring for the natural world is humanity's oldest responsibility.