American Forest Congress ^45 



formerly? So gaugings of the streams have shown, 

 as does the testimony of old settlers. Two factors 

 have been important in bringing about these changed 

 conditions. First, an unusually large part of the re- 

 serve has been burned over. Prior to 1879 small 

 patches had been burned over by the Indians and 

 trappers. L,arge areas were burned by the Indians in 

 1879. Since then there have been many destructive 

 fires, burning many thousand acres. During the early 

 settlement of the country some of these fires were 

 started with the idea of making better grazing, but 

 experience has taught owners of sheep and cattle that 

 the burning of forests does not improve the range. 

 Fires in this reserve, as elsewhere, are started care- 

 lessly. Sheep herders have been given the credit for 

 starting these fires, but I believe they should not be 

 held responsible. More fires are started by hunting and 

 fishing parties than by cattle and sheepmen. 



Bitter controversy has prevailed for years among 

 cattle and sheepmen and those who use the water for 

 irrigation purposes. The latter nearly always agree 

 with the cattlemen in regard to the destructive work 

 of the sheep in the reserve. In some cases the criti- 

 cisms are justifiable. A few illustrations may be cited. 

 During the winter of 1899-1900 there was an unusually 

 light fall of snow in the mountains with a light rain- 

 fall in the summer of 1900. Forage was scarce, so 

 short that the meadows at high altitudes were stripped 

 of their plants, and the forests were denuded of 

 their undergrowth as much as the meadows. Lower 

 down in the reserves the valleys of all the streams 

 looked like sheep trails with dust rising in clouds even 

 in the woods. The sheep had to resort to willows, 

 potentilla fruticosa, betula glandulosa, quercus, prunus 

 demissa and aspen for their forage. These w-ere 



