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Show CAMPER8 USE UP PASTURAGE Tho number of persons who spond their summer vacations within tho national forests Is growing so rapidly s-i) s tho forest service, that tho ques-t.on ques-t.on of providing suitable pastuiagu for their saddle and pack animals Is becoming a problem. Campers naturally nat-urally seek tho spots whero watov Is C.C30 at hand and whoro horso feed Is abundant, In tho hopo that their stock will not bo tempted to steal away In tho night In search of Moro tempting pasturage In order to pro-vldo pro-vldo such spots tho forest iiirvico must set asldo limited areas from which sheep and cattle aro excluded In many Instances, particularly in the stato of California, the forest scr- vico nnu tno siocKgrowora nave c-operated c-operated in constructing small pastures pas-tures for tho uso of tourists who ) thus been enabled to hold their stock on cholco feed within enclosures without with-out any cost of inconvenience. The aggregato acrcago of forest land set asldo for tho uso of campers is considerable, con-siderable, and It appreciably reduces the amount of land nvatlablo for tho paBturago of sheep and cattle, but presumably tho loss Is moro than offset by tho added enjoyment of tho visitors to tho forests. Thero Is this difference, however; stockgrow-ers stockgrow-ers pa)' a feo for grazing their sheep or cattle, whllo the campers uucuro freo pasturage. But with tho construction of pastures pas-tures for campers uso a now difficulty has risen. Tho campers display n tendency to concentrato In the neigh borhood of tho pastures and to held tholr stock within tho fenced arcts until tho enclosures are entirely denuded de-nuded of vegetation. In some Instances Instan-ces It Is pointed out that largo parties par-ties occupy cholco meadow pastures and remain there until tho feed Is completely exhausted, thus depriving later visitors of opportunity to uso tho pastures. While the forest service ser-vice is reluctant to Impose any unnecessary un-necessary restrictions upon tho freo use of tho pastures, forest officers aro beginning to think that somo form of regulation will havo to be required. |
