'From the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, 



San Francisco Office) 



CONGRESS ADDS TO 

 KiTIONAL FOREST 



Nearly 17,000 acres have just been added by act of congress 

 to the Caribou national forest, Idaho. This is one of the first of 

 such additions through congressional action, and is the largest so f .:."; 

 made by direct legislation. 



Those who have followed the national forest movement in this 

 country will r ecall that most of the forests have been created throug 1 

 presidential proclamation, which set aside for timber growing or for 

 -ter protection certain areas of the public domain. In March, 1907, 

 however, congress passed a law that no further additions should be matt; 

 to the national forest areas in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, 

 Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming, except through congressional action. 



Since July, 1909, residents of the city of Montpelier, Idaho, 

 have been petitioning to have this 17,000 acres added to the Caribou 

 national forest, because the area includes the watershed of the stream 

 which furnishes the city's water supply. Not being within a national 

 forest, the tract was given over to unregulated grazing and other us^gt 

 which resulted in stream pollution and became a serious menace to heal 

 The citizens of Montpelier at several times subsequent to their first 

 .efforts in 1909 renewed their petition; and the act just passed repre- 

 sents the successful outcome of their efforts. 



140-F 



