National Park Notes 



371 



GRAZING 



Shortly after the declaration of war in April, 1917, with its accompany- 

 ing propaganda on the conservation of food supplies, the question of 

 opening the park to grazing was taken up on a large scale. All possible 

 injfluence was brought to bear by the stockmen operating in the regions 

 around the park. Their arguments in favor of such action by the ser- 

 vice were based upon the alleged shortage of feed in the foothills and 

 their alleged patriotic desire to do all possible in assisting in carrying 

 out the policy of conservation of food supplies. Although there was no 

 objection on the part of this office to opening certain areas of the park 

 during the period of emergency, it was evident, however, that upon nei- 

 ther of these principles was based the real reason for the insistence on 

 the part of the stockmen that the park be opened; but, rather, it was 

 evident that advantage was taken of the emergency to open up the ques- 

 tion with the hope of getting a permanent footing on the park lands, 

 feeling that the acquisition of permits for this year would strengthen 

 the claim for similar privileges in years to come. 



When, in 1891, the park was created, grazing was already established 

 throughout the area without Government regulation or authorization. 

 It took more than 20 years of constant effort to eliminate it, and it was 

 only by the rigorous application of force and more or less arbitrary rul- 

 ing by the Army that the task was accomplished, and in the end the park 

 lost several hundred square miles of territory through the readjustment 

 of its boundaries. Even then the fight was continued on a small scale, 

 with the result that in 1913 permission was given to certain persons to 

 allow cattle to graze upon the park lands when being driven from one 

 private holding to another, or from the park boundary to private hold- 

 ings. This privilege was given contingent upon action by Congress on 

 certain bills pending at that time, the object of which was the purchase 

 by the Government of private holdings within the park. Although this 

 legislation was never passed, these individuals have assumed these priv- 

 ileges to be sufficient authorization for the continuation of grazing over 

 some 40,000 acres of park lands in the western portion of the park up 

 until the present time. It is very evident that none other than these few 

 individuals have benefited by the use of these lands. It might also be 

 pertinent to state that in any arrangement the service may make permit- 

 ting grazing on this portion of the park, these men and no one else will 

 reap the benefit. 



In view of the strong demands made the service saw fit to open cer- 

 tain portions of the park to grazing, and during the spring of 1917 per- 

 mits were issued for the grazing of some 5000 head of cattle. The bulk 

 of the area upon which grazing was allowed lies in the western and 

 northwestern portion of the park, north and south of the Tuolumne 

 River. In addition to this a small area in the southeastern portion of 

 the park was opened to grazing. 



When this question comes up another year, as it undoubtedly will, I 



