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Show FOREST RESERVES AND GRAZING. An Important meeting Is to be held In Denver on Augu3t 3rd to Cth, inclusive, to which the attontlon of livestock men Id especially directed by a circular just issued from the headquarters of the National Na-tional Live Stock Association over the signatures 'of F, J, Ilagcnbarth, president, presi-dent, and C. F. Martin, eeorctary. And livestock men all over the mountain country are especially enjoined to give It their personal attention, and to be present on the dateo named. The purpose la to meet the Hon. W. A. Richards, Commissioner of the General Gen-eral Land Office, the Hon. Gifford Pln-chot, Pln-chot, Chief Forester, and the Hon. Fi H. Newell, chief of the Irrigation work now doing In tho arid region, who were appointed by President Roosevelt, on the request of the National Live Stock, Association, a commission for the purpose pur-pose of IhveBtlgatlng conditions existing exist-ing in arid and semi-arid States, in eo far as grazing lands and forest reserves are concerned; and to report their llnd-ing llnd-ing and conclusions to the President before be-fore the convening of Congress next December. De-cember. Secretaries Hitchcock and Wilson may aleo attend thlB meeting In Denver. Tho regulations upon grazing on the forest reserves have been serldusly restrictive re-strictive of the range, and the question of feed for tho. sheep, especially In Utah, has become a perplexing one, so much so that the sheepmen report a considerable consider-able falling off In the number of sheep grazed In this State, and owned by the flockmastcrs. ' There Is a conflicting Interest, however, how-ever, which asks that the restrictions be not In any way lessened, and that would rather see the forest reserves extended than decreased. That is the sentiment of the residents In the settlements, which get their whole water supply from the streams whose headwaters are supposed to be covered by the reserves. The Inhabitants claim that without the restrictions, their water supply is contaminated con-taminated and Its quantity diminished. Therefore, they oppose any more freedom free-dom of grazing than Is already enjoyed, and Instead want that to be gradually curtailed. It Is manifest that both Interests need to be fully represented at that Denver meeting, to the end that each shall present pre-sent Its case, and so that an accommodation accommo-dation of claims and needs may be FUg-gested. FUg-gested. That meeting will evidently be one of great and permanent Importance to all the arid regions', and its results will be awaited by the public with an Interest even keener and more Intense than is had In the political conventions. |
