18 Circular 211, Dept. of Agriculture 



allowing the land to be overcrowded with stocl^. 

 Under regulation overgrazed range is improved, 

 instead of being further run down or denuded, as has 

 been the case with many of the outside public lands. 



MINING 



Mineral deposits within national forests, except sucP 

 forests as were purchased under the act of March 

 1, 1911, are open to development exactly as on un- 

 reserved public land. A prospector can go anywhere 

 he chooses and stake a claim wherever he finds any 

 evidence of valuable minerals. The only restriction 

 is that mining claims must be bona fide and not 

 taken up for the purpose of acquiring valuable tim- 

 ber, or for a town or power site, or to monopo- 

 lize the water supply on stock ranges. Bona fide 

 mining men do not wish to take up claims for an un- - 

 lawful purpose, and the national forests are open to 

 them at all times. Prospectors may obtain a certain 

 amount of national forest timber free of charge to 

 be used in developing their claims, and in other ways 

 the Forest Service gives the mining man all the help ' 

 it can. As to deposits of coal, oil, and gas, permits 

 to prospect for and leases to develop must be secured 

 through the Department of the Interior. 



WATER POWER 



Along the streams within the national forests are 

 many sites suitable for power development. These 

 are open to occupancy for such purposes and have the 

 advantage of being on streams whose headwaters are 

 protected. The Government does not permit the mo- 

 nopolization of power in any region or allow power 

 sites to be held without prompt development. Utiliza- 

 tion and development of water powers in the national- 

 forests are encouraged. The Federal Power Com- 

 mission is by law permitted to issue licenses for peri- 

 ods of not to exceed 50 years, and such licenses may 

 be renewed under certain conditions. A prelimi 



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