642 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



rapher of the United States Geological 

 Survey, said in his report to the De- 

 partment of the Interior : 



"This region as a whole is as beauti- 

 ful as any to be found in the United 

 States or, indeed, in the whole world." 



The Rocky Mountain National Park 

 abounds in natural scenic attractions 

 and in the things of interest in the out- 

 door world. There are forty moun- 

 tain peaks rising over 12.000 feet above 

 the level of the sea and ten peaks of 

 over 13,000 feet, while Longs Peak, 

 "King of the Rockies," towers above 

 them all to the height of 14,255 feet. 

 There are glaciers and snow fields, 

 hundreds of mountain streams, water- 

 falls and cascades, 150 mountain lakes, 

 forests, mountain meadows, canyons 

 and gorges. One thousand five hundred 

 varieties of wild flowers are to be found 

 in this area and over 100 species of 

 birds. There are many kinds of wild 

 life, including mountain sheep, grizzlv 

 and black bears, elk, deer and beaver. 

 Nowhere in the world today is there so 

 great a mountain sheep range ; nowhere 

 are there more interesting colonies of 

 beaver. 



The new park, therefore, appeals to 

 the tourist who is desirous of seeing: 

 scenery and is limited in time. It has 

 even a stronger attraction for those who 

 desire a longer stay and a more inti- 

 mate acquaintance with its natural beau- 

 ties. The climate is mild, the air in- 

 vigorating and in summer there is no 

 snow to make even the highest peaks 

 inaccessible. 



It seems especially fitting that this 

 splendid scenic area should have been 



created a national park. Practically all 

 of the land w^ithin its boundaries was 

 already a part of the public domain — 

 the Arapahoe and Colorado National 

 Forests. This land has little commer- 

 cial value, but is fitted by nature to the 

 needs of the people for a public recrea- 

 tion ground and as such will serve its 

 highest purpose. Many of the attrac- 

 tions of the park are of a perishable 

 nature and need the protection of a 

 national park management. As a na- 

 tional park this area becomes sanctuary 

 for wild animal life, of which enough 

 is left to insure its perpetuation and 

 increase under protection. Under na- 

 tional park management an adecjuate 

 system of trails and roads will be built, 

 thus afl:"ording easy access to the natural 

 scenic beauties. 



The accessibility of this new national 

 park is one of its strongest merits. It 

 is within easy reach of the people of 

 the great Mississippi Vallev and much 

 nearer the center of population than 

 anv other scenic national park. 



This region is already comparatively 

 well known. For several years people 

 have been visiting it from every part of 

 the United States. Last summer alone 

 there were more than 55.000 visitors 

 and most of these were from outside 

 the State of Colorado. 



It was because of the nation-wide 

 interest in this region and the especial 

 fitness of the area for park purposes 

 that the Conservation Department of 

 the General Federation gave the meas- 

 ure its earnest support and we are 

 highly gratified with our first work for 

 the conservation of natural scenery. 



