Forest Reserves as Game Preserves 



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 sea- 

 sons 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 con- 

 tinuously 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. 



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