Forestry Notes. 



69 



FORESTRY NOTES. 



Edited by Professor William R. Dudley. 



„ The last Congress took no formal action ac- 



The yosemite. , ^ r 



ceptmg the responsibihty and management of 



the tracts known as the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big 



Tree Grove, which were returned to the United States by the 



action of the late California Legislature. President Roosevelt 



and the Forestry Service have been thoroughly in sympathy with 



this movement to consolidate the management of the lands in 



the vicinity of the Yosemite. The former, therefore, in his 



annual message to the present Congress in December, made the 



following recommendations : — 



'T call your attention to the generous act of the State of Cali- 

 fornia in conferring upon the United States Government the 

 ownership of the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree 

 Grove. There should be no delay in accepting the gift, and ap- 

 propriations should be made for the including thereof in the 

 Yosemite National Park, and for the care and policing of the 

 park. California has acted most wisely as well as with great 

 magnanimity in the matter. There are certain mighty natural 

 features of our land which should be preserved in perpetuity for 

 our children and our children's children. In my judgment the 

 Grand Canon of the Colorado should be made into a national 

 park. 



"It is greatly to be wished that the State of New York should 

 copy as regards Niagara what the State of California has done 

 as regards the Yosemite. Nothing should be allowed to interfere 

 with the preservation of Niagara Falls in all their beauty and 

 majesty. If the State cannot see to this, then it is earnestly to 

 be wished that she should be willing to turn it over to the Na- 

 tional Government, which should in such case (if possible, in 

 conjunction with the Canadian Government) assume the burden 

 and responsibility of preserving unharmed Niagara Falls; just 

 as it should gladly assume a similar burden and responsibility 

 for the Yosemite National Park, and as it has already assumed 

 them for the Yellowstone National Park. Adequate provision 

 should be made by the Congress for the proper care and super- 

 vision of all these national parks. The boundaries of the Yel- 

 lowstone National Park should be extended to the south and 

 east to take in such portions of the abutting forest reservation 

 as will enable the Government to protect the elk on their winter 

 range." 



The Secretary of the Interior in his report also strongly rec- 

 ommends the acceptance of the retroceded tracts as follows : — 



■'Aside from the objections which are inseparable from a dis- 

 puted and divided jurisdiction over an area which naturally 



