FOREST RECREATION DEPARTMENT 



223 



lively turn to forested areas for play. It is inbred in hu- 

 manity. It now produces in our National Forests values 

 which are far beyond the cash return realized from other 

 utilization of the lands. True, large monies do not g'^ 

 into the treasury of the United States but treasures more 

 precious than money go into the souls, minds and bodies 

 of citizens using forest areas for play. Recreation can- 

 not be kept out of forest areas if it were desirable to do 

 so. This is illustrated in the west, where it is necessary 

 to place an armed guard on city watersheds to keep out 

 recreational users. Even with this restriction present 

 people come to play on the slopes of timbered mountains 

 thus protected. It is impossible to keep them out. It is 

 impossible because our desire for recreation in forest 



on service to human forest uses. It should have develop- 

 ment to produce the best as surely as timber activities 

 are now receiving large funds to aid in lumber produc- 

 tion. Recreation should have road funds and trail funds 

 to develop the best values along existing traffic lines and 

 to build new truly recreational roads. This is as just as 

 allotting funds, as has been done, to furnish traffic lines 

 in the mountains serving settlers, timber operators and 

 stock men, for the roads built for this recreational use 

 are universally used. Ten recreationists to one economic 

 user is a low estimate of the division of forest road use. 



But recreation is not receiving the necessary support 

 in the vast majority of our forest areas. Few trained 

 men are employed to plan and direct while other activ- 



THE EVANS REST CABIN 



;^*'*i'^''.' 



This cabin, roomy enough to take care of quite a crowd, was built by the Colorado Mountaift Clnb cooperating with the Forest 

 Service. It is equipped to take care of a dozen people. Pots, pans, tools and table service are left here permanently with the 

 cabin unlocked. All are welcome. All may use the cabin. So far no one has abused it. It is near timberline on Mount Evans 

 and designed to serve those people who are climbing the peak. It is this class of development that is needed beyond simple pro- 

 tective needs to produce the most of the best recreation from our Forests. 



areas is a part of us and being a ))art of us we must se- 

 cure recreation in the out-of-doors for our own good and 

 growth as surely as we must ])rocure ourselves shelter 

 and physical food. 



If recreation is a fundamental use of forest lands and 

 does so universally produce values of high worth it 

 should have equal recognition with other forest products. 



It should have a trained force planning and adminis- 

 tering the use. It should have improvements serving the 

 people who use the areas. If it is sound policy to build 

 fences to serve the stock eating the forage on the range, 

 and no one questions this, it is as logical to spend money 



ities of forests are more adequately manned. Funds are 

 supplied for recreational development to meet the mini- 

 mum protective needs only in a few of the forest areas of 

 the country and in the National Forests, because Con- 

 gress had not specifically set aside funds for such use, 

 they are almost completely lacking. The production of 

 recreation, an essential of human existence, is provided 

 for adequately only on a few forest lands. In the Na- 

 tional Forests there is hardly a point where real produc- 

 tion features have been made for the same reason that 

 the forest campgrounds are allowed to remain danger- 

 ous Congress has not provided for this great forest use 



