532 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION November 



ada, but there are at least twelve small 15 feet, and a reservoir of this capac- 

 tributaries, which discharge consider- ity would probably flood as much lane- 

 able water during the high stages of as it is intended to reclaim, 

 the Kootenai. Considering the per- There are two other possible ways 

 vious nature of the soil and the numer- of relieving this valley of its excess 

 ous streams which would also have of water, but in both cases the regulat- 

 to be dyked, it is not believed that ing would have to be done in Canada, 

 dyking the banks is feasible or practi- There are between 20,000 and 30,000 

 cable. acres of land in Canada north of Port- 

 The fall of the river between Bon- hill, Idaho, which would also be re- 

 ners' Ferry and Lake Kootenai is not claimed. One plan is to divert the 

 over 10 feet, while the difference in excess water through a canal into the 

 elevation of Lake Kootenai between Columbia, providing the lands along 

 high and low stages is at least 25 feet, the latter river would not be damaged 

 therefore enlarging or straightening thereby, and the other is to enlarge 

 the channel of the river would not the outlet of Lake Kootenai below 

 improve matters, because it is consid- Nelson. Further investigation in Can- 

 ered that the stage of the lake is the ada, however, would be necessary in 

 chief controlling factor governing the order to determine the practicability 

 stage of the river. As Kootenai Lake of these schemes. While it will be 

 has an area of at least 40 square miles necessary in some way to lower the 

 and rises 25 feet each year in spite of water in the lake from 12 to 15 feet, 

 the fact that it has a continuous out- yet some controlling structure wouM 

 flow, a storage reservoir above Bon- probably have to be put in below Nel- 

 ners' Ferry would have to hold at son in order to prevent the lake from 

 least 500,000 acre-feet in order to re- falling to a stage which would hindei 

 duce the high stage of the lake 10 or navigation. 



Forest Fires 



Record of Fires During the Month of October 



Damage in any considerable amount Despite a rainfall which extinguished 

 from forest fires during the month most of the fires in the Bitter Root 

 just past has been principally confined Forest Reserve mentioned in the last 

 to Alontana, although California has number of FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION, 

 suffered some loss. Soaking rains on September 29 a forest first was re- 

 have effectually quenched the disas- ported as inflicting damage ; in one 

 trous fires in Oregon and Washington, case burning clear a strip of land ten 

 which have done immense damage for miles long and a quarter of a mile 

 over a month. Several small fires wide in one night. Game was driven 

 are reported in Eastern States, owing from the forests, and in many cases 

 to an unusually dry autumnal season, burned, in forest fires in the Clear- 



Montana: A change of wind fan- water country, and the Lo Lo district 

 ned a smouldering blaze in Warm has suffered similarly. 

 Springs Canon into life and swept it California: Near Rainbow, on Ed- 

 in a destructive pathway toward the dy Mountain, a forest fire which start- 

 Twin Lakes country. This occurred ed on September 22 was checked in 

 about the middle of September, and its northernly course by Wagon Creek 

 at about the same time as another after consuming several acres of val- 

 blaze west of Aanconda, which trav- liable timber land. Power plants and 

 eled eastward along the mountain side, much valuable timber land was threat- 



