SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 81 



FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



Beyoud the protection iadicated there will be little call for active ^ 

 measures of management within this reserve during the next few years. 



BOUNDARIES. 



In the absence of specific descriptions of this reserve and of accurate 

 maps of its area, no changes in the boundaries can be recommended at 

 present. I desire, however, to reiterate here the recommendation of 

 the JS^ational Forest Commission that a part of the reserve be converted 

 into a national park. r^/ 



LEWIS AND CLAEK FOREST RESEE'\"E. 

 SUMMARY. 



Situatiou : Northwestern Montana. Acres. 



Area -within present lines 2, 926, 080 



Adverse holdings, railroad lands 664, 320 



Per cent of 

 total area. 



Area of forest land (?) 85 



Area marked by tire (?) 50 



Area badly burned (?) 15 



Revised lines can not be drawn without further study and an accurate map. 



Force recommended: Part of the attention of 1 ranger and 1 guard, and the whole 



time of 1 guard and 5 fire watchers. 

 Sources of information: Personal examination, June 18 to July 8, 1896; October 



4-16, 1897. 



A broken and comparatively little known mountain region, with valuable forests 

 of varied character. 



Fires have done and are still doing serious injury. 



Danger from floods and from the lack of water for irrigation both demand the 

 preservation of these forests. 



Mining is nuimportant now, and shows little promise. 



Agriculture is almost altogether forbidden by the climate. 



Grazing may be permitted for a time in carefully restricted localities. 



Some provision is required to meet probable local demands for timber and fuel, 

 especially on the eastern slope. 



The Lewis and Clark Eeserve occupies both slopes of the continental 

 divide in northwestern Montana for some distance south of the Great 

 Northern Eailroad, together with the Kootenai Eange and part of the 

 Mission Eange to the west, and a portion of the watershed of the Big 

 Blackfoot and other streams tributary to Clark's Pork of the Colum- 

 bia. Its boundaries include 2,926,080 acres, of which 664,320 are within 

 the primary and indemnity limits of the Northern Pacific Eailway 

 Company. For descriptive purposes this reserve may conveniently be 

 divided by the crest of the Eocky Mountains. 



EASTERN SLOPE. 



That portion of the Lewis and Clark Eeserve which drains into the 

 Missouri comprises the headwaters of the Marias and Sun rivers, and a 

 portion of those of Dearborn Creek, all of which streams empty directly 

 into the Missouri. Bounded on the west by the main range of the Eocky 

 Mountains, its eastward slope is interrupted for a considerable distance 

 by a transverse range, west of which the North Fork of Sun Eiver 

 flows from north to south. Except in the broad valleys of the north- 

 ern and middle forks of this stream, nearly the whole area is broken 

 S. Doc. 189 6 



