Salt Lake Herald | 1901-12-04 | Page 12 | Forests Should be Protected and Arid Lands of the West Reclaimed

FORESTS SHOULD BE PROTECTED AND ARID ARI LANDS OF THE WEST RECLAIMED The department of agriculture during the past fifteen years ye has steadily broadened its it work on economic lines and has accomplished results of ot real value in domestic and for foreign foreign eign trade tra e It has baa gone into new nosy newfields fields until it is now ROW in touch with nfl aft sections of our country and with two of the island groups that have lately come under our jurisdiction jurl whose people must look to agriculture as a it livelihood It is searching the world roe tor grains grasses fruits and vegetables vegetables stables specially fitted for tor introduction intro uc tion into localities in the several states and territories where they may add materially to our resources By fly scientific I tide attention to 18 soil survey and pos poe sible albie new crops cr p to breeding breading of new i varieties of plants pante to experimental 1 shipments to animal industry and ap applied j plied chemistry very practical aid has i been given our our farming and stock growing interests The products of the Uta farm fann have taken an unprecedented place in our export trade during the they j I year y r that has just closed clos d I Public opinion throughout the Unit una United ed ott States has moved steadily toward a ajust ajust I just appreciation of the value alue of for forest est eats whether planted or of natural growth The great rat part played by them in the creation and maintenance of the national wealth is now nie fully tully realized than ever before Wise forest protection does not mean me n the withdrawal of forest resources whether of or wood w od water or grass from Tom contributing their full share to the I welfare of the people but on the con contrary contrary Wiry gives the assurance of larger and ani more certain supplies The fund funda fundamental mental idea of o forestry is the perpetuation nation of forests by use ise Forest pro protection protection protection is not an end of itself it Is a means to increase and sustain the re resources resources sources of our country and the Industries Indus ndue tries which depend upon them The preservation of our forests Is an im imperative imperative business necessity We Ve have come to see clearly that whatever de destroys the forest for except to make way for fer agriculture threatens our well being Mining Grazing and nud Irrigation 4 The practical usefulness of the 4 f f 4 national forest reserves to the 4 4 mining grazing irrigation and 4 I 4 other interests of the regions In ln I 4 w whIch the reserves erves re lie He has ha ht led to toa toa 4 4 a widespread demand by the peo 4 4 pie of the west for their pro prot tec c 4 4 1 tion and extension The forest re reserves 4 serves will m inevitably be of still 4 4 greater use in the future than in 4 4 1 the past Additions should be 4 4 made to theta them whenever r practicable 4 able and their usefulness should 4 4 be increased by a thoroughly 4 4 businesslike management At present the protection pr of the t e for forest forest forset est set reserves rests res with the general land office the mapping and description tion of or their timber Umber with the United States geological survey surrey and the prop prep of plans for their conserva conservative conservative tive tire use with the bureau of forestry which is also allo charged with the general advancement of practical forestry In Inthe inthe Inthe the United States These various functions should be united in the bu bureau bureau bureau reau of forestry to which they prop properly properly erly en belong The present diffusion of responsibility is bad from fr m every stand standpoint standpoint standpoint point It prevents that effective co en cooperation cooperation operation between the government and the men who utilize the resources of the reserves erves re without t which the inter interests interests Interests ests of both must suffer The tine bureaus generally should be put under the department of agriculture The president should have by law the tile power of transferring lands for use as forest reserves to the department of agriculture He already has such power in ili the Ote case ClUte of lands needed by bythe BYthe bythe the departments of war and the navy The wise t e administration of the for forest forest est eat reserves reserve will win be not less helpful to the interests which depend on water than to those tholie which depend in an wood and grass The water supply itself de depends depends ponds upon the forest In the arid re region glen gion it is water not land hand which moos moan ures urea production The western half of the United States would sustain a population greater than that of our whole country today if the waters that now run ran to waste were saved and used for irrigation The forest and water problems are perhaps the most moet vital internal questions of the United States Preserves for Wild Creatures Certain of the forest reserves should also be made preserves pre for the wild forest fore t creatures All of the reserves should be better protected from fires Many of them need special protection because becu e of the great injury done by livestock above all by sheep The in increase Increase Increase crease in deer elk and other animals in the Yellowstone park shows what may be expected when other mountain forests fore are properly protected by law lawand lawand lawand and properly guarded Some of these areas have been ben so 80 denuded of surface vegetation by overgrazing that the ground breeding birds including grouse and quail and many mammals including deer have been exterminated or driven away At the same time the capacity of the sur ncr surface surface face has been decreased or destroyed thus promoting flood in times of rain and diminishing the flow of streams between rains In cases where natural conditions have been restored for a 3 a tew ew ew years vegetation has again carpeted the ground birds and deer are re coming back and hundreds of persons persona espe esp especially dally daIly from the immediate neighbor neighborhood neighborhood neighborhood hood come each summer to enjoy the privilege of camping Some at least of the forest reserves should afford per perpetual perpetual perpetual protection to 10 the native fauna and flora safe havens of refuge to our rapidly diminishing wild animals of the larger kinds and free tree camping grounds for the num nuns numbers numbers bers here of men and women who have learned to find rest health and recreation recreation a tion in the splendid forests and flower clad meadows of our mountains The forest reserves erve re should be set apart for forever forer or ever yer er for the use u and benefit of bUr people pl as H a whole and ana not ot to t th i 6 shortsighted gr O a few The TW forests alone cannot however fully fUn full ret regulate tt and a fl conserve t the e wat waters ers erg of ol the arid region rent I t storage works are necessary 7 to equalize the tow ow of streams HI and to rave ave ve the th flood God floodwaters floodwaters waters Their construction has been conclusively shown to be an under undertaking undertaking taking too vast for private effort Nor can it be bust best accomplished by the Individual states acting alone Far reaching interstate problems are in involved Involved voWed and the resources of ot single singles states s tes would often otten be inadequate It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is properly property a national function at least in some of its features f It is as right fur for the national government to make the streams and rivers of the arid re region re region gion glon useful u by hy engineering works for water storage as to make useful the rivers and harbors of the humid re region region gion glen by engineering works wo ks jot pJ another kind The storing of the o fn res re reservoirs at the headwaters headwater of ot our riv nv rivers rivers ers era ers ie Is but an aD enlargement t of our pros pre eat policy of or rive tire control under which levees are hullt on the lower reaches of ot the nant streams stream 4 The government should con construct construct 4 and maintain these reser 4 4 volts as an it does r c ther thor public works 4 4 Where their e ie is to regu regulate regulate 4 4 late the flow of t I the water 4 4 should be freely into the 4 4 channels in the dry ry season to take 4 4 the s same ime course under the same 4 laws as the natural flow 4 Water for Settlers The reclamation r of or the unsettled arid arM public lands nde presents 1 a different problem problem lem Iem Here Bere it IK is not DOt enough e ough to regu regulate regulate regulate late the flow of streams The object of oC the government to Is to dispose of the Use theland I Iland land to settlers Ulers S who will build homes homB upon it To accomplish this object water must be brought within their reach The pioneer seWers settlers on OR the arid pub public public lic lie domain chose eho e their homes along streams from front which they ey could them themselves themselves selves divert the water to reclaim their holdings ho lAn Such S eh opportunities are practically gone gene gone Then t T remain how however however ever vast areas iress S f of public land which can be he made available for homestead settlement but only OIW by reservoirs re and mainline canals d for private private vate rate enterprise these thee Irrigation works should be built by bI the th national gov government government The lands land reclaimed by them should be reserved by the government for actual settlers the cost of construction should u tM so far fU as possible be repaid by the th rland reclaimed The distribution of the water the division of the streams among irrigators should be left lett to the th settlers them themselves selves in Conformity with state laws I and Bud without interference with those I laws or with vested estep rights The I of the national government should fee be beto e eto to aid irrigation n in the th several states tates and territories in such manner as will enable the people Pl in the th local com corn communities communities to belp Ip themselves and lid as 8 aswill aswill will stimulate needed reforms in the state laws I os and aDd regulations governing irrigation Will Enrich the Country 4 The reclamation and settlement 4 4 of the arid asid lands tends will enrich 4 every portion of ot our country Just justas justa 4 4 as a the settlement of the Ohio and 4 4 4 Mississippi valleys val Ys brought pros prosperity 4 4 to the tle stales The 4 4 increased demand for manufactured 4 4 articles will stimulate indus indue industrial 4 4 trial production while wider home borne 4 4 markets and ad the trade of Asia will 4 4 4 consume ume con the t e larger food foo supplies 4 4 and effectually err t aIlY prevent western 4 4 competition with eastern 4 4 tUft ture Indeed the products prod ts of ir 4 4 will be consumed chiefly 4 4 in local centers of min mm 4 4 tog iDS and other industries which 4 4 would otherwise e not come into ex cx 4 4 at all Our people ople as a 4 4 whole will profit for successful 4 4 homemaking Is but another anether name 4 4 for the of the nation 4 The necessary foundation has haa al already ready leady bee been laid for the inauguration of the policy Just described d It would be unwise to begin bin by doing doln too much for tor a great deal will doubtless be learned both Nth as an to what can and what cannot be safely afeW rely attempted by the early efforts which must of necessity be partly experimental in character At the very beginning the government should make clear beyond shadow of doubt its intention to pursue this pol policy polIcy polIcy icy on lines of at the broadest public in interest int Interest terest t rest No reservoir r or canal should sh uld ever be built to satisfy selfish personal or local interests but only in accord accordance accordance accordance ance with the advice of trained experts sifter long investigation has shown the Ule locality where all the conditions combine to make the work most needed and fraught with th the greatest useful usefulness usefulness ness fleas to the community as a whole There should be no extravagance and the believers in the need of Irrigation win will most benefit their cause by seeing to it that it 1 i free from the least taint of excessive or reckless expenditure of the public pubic moneys Better Batter laws Lawz wS Needed Whatever the nation does for the ex extension x tension tendon of irrigation should harmonize with and tend teed to Improve the condi contU condition condition tion lion of those now living on irrigated land We W are not at the starting point of this development Over two hundred millions of private capital has already alread been expended in the construction of or ir irrigation works and many million acres of arid land reclaimed A high hl h hd degree d of ot enterprise and ability has been shown in the work itself but hut butas as IUS much cannot be said mid in reference to the laws relating thereto Tile The e security ity it and aRd value of the homes created de do depend depend pend pond largely on the stability of titles to water but the majority of these the e rest reston reston reston on the uncertain foundation of court decisions rendered in ordinary suits at law sw With a few creditable exceptions exceptions exceptions the arid states have failed to pro provide provIde vide ride for the certain and just division dil lon of stresses streams in times of scarcity ear ity Lax and uncertain laws have made it possible to establish rights to water in excess s of 01 actual uses UM or necessities ittes and many streams have already passed into VWe ownership or a control equivalent to ownership Whoever r controls eon trois a stream practically cally controls the land it renders pro productive productive and the doctrine d of private ownership of water wat r apart from land cannot prevail without causing endur enduring endurIng enduring ing wrong The recognition re of or such ownership which las been permitted to grow up in the arid regions should give ghe way to ii a ft more enlightened and larger recognition of the rights of the public in the control and disposal d of the public water supplies Laws found founded ed upon conditions obtaining in humid regions where when water is I too abundant to justify hoarding it have ha e no pron r application in a i iry j o z In the arid states the only right to water which should Mould be recognised is 18 that of use In irrigation this right should attach attack to the land reclaimed and IK be inseparable parable IR Grant Granting Granting GrantIng ing perpetual water rights to others than users user without compensation c to the public p is ia open to all the objections which apply to giving d away awa perpetual e to te the public pubic utilities of or cities A few of the western states have already recognized this and have hae incorporated in their constitutions the doctrine of ut perpetual state ownership owner tp of or water More Yet The benefits which have followed the unaided development of the put pest jus Jpe justify lu the nations nation aid and cooperation in the more difficult and important werk work yet to I be Laws so 90 vitally affecting g homer home as those t ose control ee the Ute meter ter supply will only b be effective when w they have haTe the sanction of O r the t e irrigators reforms can ca n only be fl f final and s ry when ben they come through h the lt of or the peg peo people p pie most concerned The larger devel deed development development which national aid insures should Sh however awaken in every arid state the determination to tg make its Ir Irrigation I system equal la in Justice and anti effectiveness that of any country in the 1 civilised world Nothing could be more unwise than for or Isolated communities comm to continue to learn everything e instead of profiting by b at atIs is already known