Total of Priest River, in Idaho and Washington 645,120
Total of Black Hills, in S. Dakota and Wyoming 1,211,680
Total of Yellowstone, in Wyoming and Montana 8,329,200
_United States Military Wood and Timber Reservations_
Kansas-- Acres.
Fort Leavenworth 939
Montana--
Fort Missoula 1,677
Nebraska--
Fort Robinson 10,240
New Mexico--
Fort Wingate 19,200
New York--
Wooded Area of West Point Mil. Res., about 1,800
Oklahoma--
Fort Sill 26,880
South Dakota--
Fort Meade 5,280
Wyoming--
Fort D.A. Russell 2,541
------
Total 68,557
_National Parks in the United States_
Montana and Wyoming-- Acres.
Yellowstone National Park 2,142,720
Arkansas--
Hot Springs Reserve and National Park 912
District of Columbia--
The National Zoological Park 170
Rock Creek Park 1,606
Georgia and Tennessee--
Chickamauga & Chattanooga Nat. Mil. Parks 6,195
Maryland--
Antietam Battlefield and Nat. Mil. Park 43
California--
Sequoia National Park 160,000
General Grant National Park 2,560
Yosemite National Park 967,680
Arizona--
The Casa Grande Ruin (Exec. Order) 480
Tennessee--
Shiloh National Military Park 3,000
Pennsylvania--
Gettysburg National Military Park 877
Mississippi--
Vicksburg National Military Park 1,233
Washington--
The Mount Rainier National Park 207,360
Oregon--
Crater Lake 159,360
Indian Territory--
Sulphur Reservation and National Park 629
South Dakota--
Wind Cave ........
----------
Total 3,654,825
Forest Reserves of North America
_State Parks, State Forest Reserves and Preserves,
State Forest Stations, and State Forest
Tracts in the United States_
CALIFORNIA. Acres.
Yosemite Valley State Park 36,000
The Big Basin Redwood Park, about 2,300
Santa Monica Forest Station 20
Chico Forest Station 29
Mt. Hamilton Tract 2,500
KANSAS.
Ogallah Forestry Station 160
Dodge Forestry Station 160
MASSACHUSETTS.
Blue Hills Reservation 4,858
Beaver Brook Reservation 53
Middlesex Fells Reservation 3,028
Stony Brook Reservation 464
Hemlock Gorge Reservation 23
Hart's Hill Reservation 23
Wachusett Mountain Reservation 1,380
Greylock Reservation 3,724
Goodwill Park 70
Rocky Narrows 21
Mount Anne Park 50
Monument Mountain Reservation 260
MICHIGAN.
Mackinac Island State Park 103
Michigan Forest Reserve 57,000
MINNESOTA.
Minnehaha Falls State Park,
or Minnesota State Park 51
Itasca State Park 20,000
St. Croix State Park,
or the Interstate Park at
the Dalles of the St. Croix 500
NEW YORK. Acres.
The State Reservation at Niagara, or Niagara
Falls Park. (Area of Queen Victoria Niagara
Falls Park in Canada--730 Acres) 107
Adirondack Forest Preserve 1,163,414
Catskill Forest Preserve 82,330
The St. Lawrence Reservation,
or International Park 181
PENNSYLVANIA.
Twenty Reserves scattered 211,776
The Hopkins Reserve 62,000
Pike County Reservation 23,000
McElhattan Reservation 8,000
WASHINGTON.
Sanitarium Lake Reservation 193
WISCONSIN.
The Interstate Park of the Dalles of the St. Croix
600
WYOMING.
The Big Horn Springs Reservation 640
Total 1,685,023
_Canadian National Parks and Timber Reserves_
The Dominion of Canada has established a large
number of public parks and forests reserves, of which
a list has been very kindly furnished by the Dominion
Secretary of the Interior, as follows:
BRITISH COLUMBIA. Acres.
Long Lake Timber Reserve 76,800
Yoho Park (a part of Rocky Mt. Park of Can) .......
Glacier Forest Park 18,720
NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Acres.
Rocky Mountain Park of Canada 2,880,000
Foot Hills Timber Reserve 2,350,000
Waterton Lakes Forest Park 34,000
Cooking Lakes Timber Reserve 109,000
Moose Mountain Timber Reserve 103,000
Beaver Hills Timber Reserve 170,000
MANITOBA.
Turtle Mountain Timber Reserve 75,000
Spruce Woods Timber Reserve 190,000
Riding Mountain Timber Reserve 1,215,000
Duck Mountain Timber Reserve 840,000
Lake Manitoba West Timber Reserve 159,460
ONTARIO.
Algonquin Park 1,109,383
Eastern Reserve 80,000
Sibley Reserve 45,000
Temagami Reserve 3,774,000
Rondeau Park ........
Missisaga Reserve 1,920,000
QUEBEC.
Laurentides National Park 1,619,840
-----------
Total 16,769,203
Besides these, there are two or three other reservations in Quebec and
New Brunswick and Manitoba that have not as yet been finally reserved,
but which are in contemplation. Many of the timber reserves are still to
be cut over under license. On the other hand, many of them find their
chief function as game preserves, as do also to still greater extent the
national parks. A large number of these parks and timber reserves are
clothed with beautiful and valuable forests, as yet untouched by the ax.
APPENDIX
In order to be in a position to make intelligent recommendations, in
case legislation authorizing the setting aside of game refuges should be
had, the Boone and Crockett Club, in the year 1901, made some inquiry
into the game conditions on certain of the forest reservations and as to
the suitability as game refuges of these reserves.
Among the reports was one on the Black Mesa Forest Reserve. Mr. Nelson
is a trained naturalist and hunter of wide experience, and possesses the
highest qualifications for investigating such a subject. He is, besides,
very familiar with the reservation reported on. His report is printed
here as giving precisely the information needed by any one who may have
occasion to deal with a forest reserve from this viewpoint, and it may
well serve as a model for others who may have occasion to report on the
reserves. The report was made to the Executive Committee of the Boone
and Crockett Club through the editor of this volume, and was printed in
_Forest and Stream_ about two years ago. It follows:
Forest Reserves as Game Preserves
THE BLACK MESA FOREST RESERVE OF ARIZONA
AND ITS AVAILABILITY AS A GAME PRESERVE.
The Black Mesa Forest Reserve lies in central-eastern Arizona, and
contains 1,658,880 acres, is about 180 miles long in a northwesterly and
southeasterly direction and a direct continuation southeasterly from the
San Francisco Mountain Forest Reserve. On the north it contains a part
of the Mogollon Mesa, which is covered with a magnificent open forest of
Arizona yellow pine (_Pinus ponderosa_) in which there is an
abundance of bunch grass and here and there are beautiful grassy
parks. To the southeast the reserve covers a large part of the White
Mountains, one of the largest areas of generally high elevation in
Arizona. The yellow pine forest, similar in character to that on the
Mogollon Mesa, is found over a large part of the reserve between 7,000
and 8,500 feet altitude, and its general character is shown in the
accompanying view.
The Black Mesa Reserve is irregular in outline. The large compact areas
at each end are joined by a long, narrow strip, very irregular in
outline and less than a township broad at various points. It lies along
the southern border of the Great Colorado Plateau, and covers the
southern and western borders of the basin of the Little Colorado
River. Taken as a whole, this reserve includes some of the wildest and
most attractive mountain scenery in the West.
Owing to the wide separation of the two main areas of the reserve, and
certain differences in physical character, they will be described
separately, beginning with the northwestern and middle areas, which are
similar in character.
THE NORTHWESTERN SECTION OP THE BLACK MESA RESERVE.
With the exception of an area in the extreme western part, which drains
into the Rio Verde, practically all of this portion of the reserve lies
along the upper border of the basin of the Little Colorado. It is a
continuation of the general easy slope which begins about 5,000 feet on
the river and extends back so gradually at first that it is frequently
almost imperceptible, but by degrees becomes more rolling and steeper
until the summit is reached at an altitude of from 6,000 to 9,000
feet. The reserve occupies the upper portion of this slope, which has
more the form of a mountainous plateau country, scored by deep and
rugged canyons, than of a typical mountain range. From the summit of
this elevated divide, with the exception of the district draining into
the Rio Verde, the southern and western slope drops away abruptly
several thousand feet into Tonto Creek Basin. The top of the huge
escarpment thus formed faces south and west, and is known as the rim of
Tonto Basin, or, locally, "The Rim." From the summit of this gigantic
rocky declivity is obtained an inspiring view of the south, where range
after range of mountains lie spread out to the distant horizon.
The rolling plateau country sloping toward the Little Colorado is
heavily scored with deep box canyons often hundreds of feet deep and
frequently inaccessible for long distances. Most of the permanent
surface water is found in these canyons, and the general drainage is
through them down to the lower plains bordering the river. The greater
part of this portion of the reserve is covered with yellow pine forests,
below which is a belt, varying greatly in width, of piñons, cedars and
junipers, interspersed with a more or less abundant growth of gramma
grass. This belt of scrubby conifers contains many open grassy areas,
and nearer the river gives way to continuous broad grassy
plains. Nowhere in this district, either among the yellow pines or in
the lower country, is there much surface water, and a large share of the
best watering places are occupied by sheep owners.
The wild and rugged slopes of Tonto Basin, with their southerly
exposure, have a more arid character than the area just described. On
these slopes yellow pines soon give way to piñons, cedars and junipers,
and many scrubby oaks and various species of hardy bushes. The watering
places are scarce until the bottom of the basin is approached. Tonto
Basin and its slopes are also occupied by numerous sheep herds,
especially in winter.
There are several small settlements of farmers, sheep and cattle growers
within the limits of the narrow strip connecting the larger parts of the
reserve, notably Show Low, Pinetop and Linden. The wagon road from
Holbrook, on the Santa Fe Pacific Railroad, to the military post at Camp
Apache, on the White Mountain Indian Reservation, passes through this
strip by way of Show Low. The old trails through Sunset Pass to Camp
Verde and across "The Rim" into Tonto Basin traverse the northern part
of the reserve, and are used by stockmen and others at short intervals,
except in midwinter.
The climate of this section of the reserve is rather arid in summer, the
rainfall being much more uncertain than in the more elevated areas about
the San Francisco Mountains to the northwest and the White Mountains to
the southeast. The summers are usually hot and dry, the temperature
being modified, however, by the altitude. Rains sometimes occur during
July and August, but are more common in the autumn, when they are often
followed by abundant snowfall. During some seasons snow falls to a depth
of three or more feet on a level in the yellow pine forests, and remains
until spring. During other seasons, however, the snowfall is
insignificant, and much of the ground remains bare during the winter,
especially on southern exposures. As a matter of course, the lower slope
of the piñon belt and the grassy plains of the Little Colorado, both of
which lie outside of the reserve, have less and less snow, according to
the altitude, and it never remains for any very considerable time. On
the southern exposure, facing Tonto Basin, the snow is still less
permanent. The winter in the yellow pine belt extends from November to
April.
LARGE GAME IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE BLACK MESA RESERVE.
Black-tailed deer, antelope, black and silver tipped bears and mountain
lions are the larger game animals which frequent the yellow pine forests
in summer. Wild turkeys are also common.
The black-tailed deer are still common and generally distributed. In
winter the heavy snow drives them to a lower range in the piñon belt
toward the Little Colorado and also down the slope of Tonto Basin, both
of these areas lying outside the reserve. The Arizona white-tailed deer
is resident throughout the year in comparatively small numbers on the
brushy slopes of Tonto Basin, and sometimes strays up in summer into the
border of the pine forest. Antelope were once plentiful on the plains
of the Little Colorado, and in summer ranged through the open yellow
pine forest now included in the reserve. They still occur, in very
limited numbers, in this forest during the summer, and at the first
snowfall descend to the lower border of the piñon belt and adjacent
grassy plains. Both species of bears occur throughout the pine forests
in summer, often following sheep herds. As winter approaches and the
sheep are moved out of the higher ranges, many of the bears go over "The
Rim" to the slopes of Tonto Basin, where they find acorns, juniper
berries and other food, until cold weather causes them to hibernate.
The mountain lions are always most numerous on the rugged slopes of
Tonto Basin, especially during winter, when sheep and game have left the
elevated forest.
From the foregoing notes it is apparent that the northwestern and middle
portions of the Black Mesa Reserve are without proper winter range for
game within its limits, and that the conditions are otherwise
unfavorable for their use as game preserves.
THE SOUTHEASTERN SECTION OF THE BLACK MESA RESERVE.
The southeastern portion of the reserve remains to be considered. The
map shows this to be a rectangular area, about thirty by fifty miles in
extent, lying between the White Mountain Indian Reservation and the
western border of New Mexico, and covering the adjacent parts of Apache
and Graham counties. It includes the eastern part of the White
Mountains, which culminate in Ord and Thomas peaks, rising respectively
to 10,266 feet and to 11,496 feet, on the White Mountain Indian
Reservation, just off the western border of the Forest Reserve. This
section of the reserve is strikingly more varied in physical conditions
than the northern portion, as will be shown by the following
description:
The northwestern part of this section, next to the peaks just mentioned,
is an elevated mountainous plateau country forming the watershed between
the extreme headwaters of the Little Colorado on the north and the Black
and San Francisco rivers, tributaries of the Gila, on the south. The
divide between the heads of these streams is so low that in the midst of
the undulating country, where they rise, it is often difficult to
determine at first sight to which drainage some of the small tributaries
belong. This district is largely of volcanic formation, and beds of lava
cover large tracts, usually overlaid with soil, on which the forest
flourishes.
The entire northern side of this section is bordered by the sloping
grassy plains of the Little Colorado, which at their upper border have
an elevation of 6,500 to 7,500 feet, and are covered here and there with
piñons, cedars and junipers, especially along the sides of the canyons
and similar slopes. At the upper border of this belt the general slope
becomes abruptly mountainous, and rises to 8,000 or 8,500 feet to a
broad bench-like summit, from which extends back the elevated plateau
country already mentioned. This outer slope of the plateau is covered
with a fine belt of yellow pine forests, similar in character to that
found in the northern part of the reserve. Owing to the more abrupt
character of the northerly slope of this belt, and its greater humidity,
the forest is more varied by firs and aspens, especially along the
canyons, than is the case further north. Here and there along the upper
tributaries of the Little Colorado, small valleys open out, which are
frequently wooded and contain beautiful mountain parks.
The summit of the elevated plateau country about the headwaters of the
Little Colorado and Black rivers (which is known locally as the "Big
Mesa"), is an extended area of rolling grassy plain, entirely surrounded
by forests and varied irregularly by wooded ridges and points of
timber. This open plain extends in a long sweep from a point a few miles
south of Springerville westward for about fifteen miles along the top of
the divide to the bases of Ord and Thomas peaks. These elevated plains
are separated from those of the Little Colorado to the north by the belt
of forests already described as covering the abrupt northern wall of the
plateau. On the other sides of the "Big Mesa" an unbroken forest
extends away over the undulating mountainous country as far as the eye
can reach. The northerly slopes of the higher elevations in this section
are covered with spruce forest.
The most varied and beautiful part of the entire Black Mesa Reserve lies
in the country extending southeasterly from Ord and Thomas peaks and
immediately south of the "Big Mesa." This is the extreme upper part of
the basin of Black River, which is formed by numerous little streams
rising from springs and wet meadows at an elevation of from 8,500 to
9,500 feet. The little meadows form attractive grassy openings in the
forest, covered in summer with a multitude of wild flowers and
surrounded by the varied foliage of different trees and shrubs. The
little streams flow down gently sloping courses, which gradually deepen
to form shallow side canyons leading into the main river. Black River is
a clear, sparkling trout stream at the bottom of a deep, rugged box
canyon, cut through a lava bed and forming a series of wildly picturesque
views. The sides of Black River Canyon and its small tributaries are well
forested. On the cool northerly slope the forest is made up of a heavy
growth of pines, firs, aspens and alder bushes, which give way on the
southerly slope, where the full force of the sun is felt, to a thin
growth of pines, grass and a little underbrush.
At the head of Black River, between 8,000 and 9,000 feet, there are many
nearly level or gently sloping areas, sometimes of considerable extent.
These are covered with open yellow pine forests, with many white-barked
aspens scattered here and there, and an abundance of grasses and low
bushes. This was once a favorite summer country for elk, and I have
seen there many bushes and small saplings which had been twisted and
barked by bull elk while rubbing the velvet from their horns.
Immediately south and east of Black River lies the Prieto Plateau, a
well wooded mountain mass rising steeply from Black River Canyon to a
broad summit about 9,000 feet in altitude. The northerly slopes of this
plateau, facing the river, are heavily forested with pines, firs, aspens
and brushy undergrowth, and are good elk country. The summit is cold and
damp, with areas of spruce thickets and attractive wet meadows scattered
here and there. Beyond the summit of the plateau, to the south and east,
the country descends abruptly several thousand feet, in a series of
rocky declivities and sharp spur-like ridges, to the canyon of Blue
River, a tributary of the San Francisco River. This slope, near the
summit, is overgrown with firs, aspens and pines, which give way as the
descent is made, to piñons, cedar and scrubby oak trees and a more or
less abundant growth of chaparral. Small streams and springs are found
in the larger canyons on this slope, while far below, at an altitude of
about 5,000 feet, lies Blue River.
The country at the extreme head of Blue River forms a great mountain
amphitheater, with one side so near the upper course of Black River that
one can traverse the distance between the basins of the two streams in a
short ride. The descent into the drainage of Blue River is very abrupt,
and is known locally as the "breaks" of Blue River. The scenery of these
breaks nearly, if not quite, equals that on "The Rim" of Tonto Basin in
its wild magnificence. The vegetation on the breaks shows at a glance
the milder character of the climate, as compared with that of the more
elevated area about the head of Black River. In the midst of the
shrubbery growth on the breaks there is a fine growth of nutritious
grasses, which forms excellent winter forage.
The entire southern part of the reserve lying beyond the Prieto Plateau
is an excessively broken mountainous country, with abrupt changes in
altitude from the hot canyons, where cottonwoods flourish, to the high
ridges, where pines and firs abound.
The northeastern part of the section of the reserve under consideration
is cut off from the rest by the valley of Nutrioso Creek, a tributary of
the Little Colorado, and by the headwaters of the San Francisco
River. It is a limited district, mainly occupied by Escudilla Mountain,
rising to 10,691 feet, and its foothills. Escudilla Mountain slopes
abruptly to a long truncated summit, and is heavily forested from base
to summit by pines, aspens and spruces. On the south the foothills merge
into the generally mountainous area. On the north, at an altitude of
about 8,000 feet, they merge into the plains of the Little Colorado,
varied by grassy prairies and irregular belts of piñon timber.
The upper parts of the Little Colorado and Black Rivers, above 7,500
feet, are clear and cold, and well stocked with a native species of
small brook trout.
Owing to the generally elevated character of the southeastern section of
the Black Mesa Reserve, containing three mountain peaks rising above
10,000 feet, the annual precipitation is decidedly greater than
elsewhere on the reserve. The summer rains are irregular in character,
being abundant in some seasons and very scanty in others; but there is
always enough rainfall about the extreme head of Black River to make
grass, although there is always much hot, dry weather between May and
October. The fall and winter storms are more certain than those of
summer, and the parts of the reserve lying above 8,000 feet are usually
buried in snow before spring--frequently with several feet of snow on a
level. The amount of snow increases steadily with increase of
altitude. Some of the winter storms are severe, and on one occasion,
while living at an altitude of 7,500 feet, I witnessed a storm during
which snow fell continuously for nearly two days. The weather was
perfectly calm at the time, and after the first day the pine trees
became so loaded that an almost continual succession of reports were
heard from the breaking of large branches. At the close of the storm
there was a measured depth of 26 inches of snow on a level at an
altitude of 7,500 feet. A thousand feet lower, on the plains of the
Little Colorado, a few miles to the north, only a foot of snow fell,
while at higher altitudes the amount was much greater than that
measured.
The summer temperatures are never excessive in this section, and the
winters are mild, although at times reaching from 15 to 20 degrees below
zero. Above 7,500 feet, except on sheltered south slopes, snow
ordinarily remains on the ground from four to five months in sufficient
quantity to practically close this area from winter grazing. Cattle, and
the antelope which once frequented the "Big Mesa" in considerable
numbers, appeared to have premonitions of the coming of the first snow
in fall. On one occasion, while stopping at a ranch on the plains of the
Little Colorado, just below the border of the Big Mesa country, in
November, I was surprised to see hundreds of cattle in an almost endless
line coming down from the Mesa, intermingled with occasional bands of
antelope. They were following one of the main trails leading from the
mountain out on the plains of the Little Colorado. Although the sun was
shining at the time, there was a slight haziness in the atmosphere, and
the ranchmen assured me that this movement of the stock always foretold
the approach of a snowstorm. The following morning the plains around the
ranch where I was stopping were covered with six inches of snow, while
over a foot of snow covered the mountains. Bands of half-wild horses
ranging on the Big Mesa show more indifference to snow, as they can dig
down to the grass; but the depth of snow sometimes increases so rapidly
that the horses become "yarded," and their owners have much difficulty
in extricating them.