Our Forest Reservations 
vation means a new game refuge, a record of what 
has been done for public forests is a record of 
what has been done for game protection; and the 
review is one which affords abundant cause for satis- 
faction to all who are interested in the perpetuation 
of the large game of the continent. 
A bill passed by Congress, March 3, 1891, con- 
tained a provision authorizing the President of the 
United States to set apart and reserve from time to 
time government lands wholly or in part covered 
with timber or undergrowth, as public reservations, 
and to declare by public proclamation the estab- 
lishment of such reservations and their limits. 
The passage of this law, while an essential step 
toward forest preservation, would have availed little 
unless acted on. Fortunately, General John W. 
Noble, who was Secretary of the Interior when 
the measure became a law, took a broad view of 
the importance of forest preservation. Early in his 
term of office he had recognized the great economic 
value of the Yellowstone Park as a source of water 
supply, and had given much attention to the protec- 
tion of this reservation. The Yosemite Park also 
owes a great deal to his fostering care, and it was 
through him that the Grant and Sequoia Parks were 
set aside. When the enabling act of 1891 presented 
the opportunity, General Noble at once recom- 
mended the establishment of a number of forest res- 
ervations, and from time to time they have been set 
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