The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-01-05

| supervisors and rangers will be in
| structed as part of their duty to not
| only look after the preservation of the
| forests and their protection from fire
I and other depredations, but also to CO.
| operate in every reasonable way with
the state authorities in preventing the
violation in the reservation of the game
| laws of the state"
Accompanying Secretary Ryan's re-
port is a letter from Director Walcott
of the geological survey to the secre-
| tary. He says Il would not recon-
| mend that any part of the present re-
| serve be taken from it. unless it be
little of the valley land on the western
| border. Even this, under the present
law, can be settled upon and taken from
the reserve upon proof of it's agrical-
| tural character. The same is true of
| the valley land in the vicinity of Black
| Tail butte, on the southern edge of the
reserve.
1.-The extension of the reserve to the
south is very desirable, both in order
to secure natural fire limits and to
| provide a winter range for the elk,
antelope and deer which have their
| summer range in the Yellowstone Ma
tonal par6. Much of the region lying
| to the south of the reserve is noun
| famous covered with scanty growth
| of timber, but capable of supporting
heavy forest growth if protected
from fire. The only agricultural land
| within a distance of Is miles south CT
the present limits of the reserve is in
the valley of Snake river, the Little
Gros Nentre river. and the main trib-
utaries entering into it from the east,
where there is sometimes an acre or
two of agricultural land. The same
is true of the valley of Gros Ventre
river where there is some agriculture
al land for a distance of three miles
along the east base of Black Tail or
Upper Gros Ventre butte This is
of essentially the same character IS
the hay lands of the lower portion of
the Buffalo river valley"
He further recommends that if such
additions are made to the park it
would be absolutely necessary that a
strong, durable wire fence be con-
structed to run from the base of the
Teton range on the west to the canyon
of the eros Ventre river on the east,
a distance of Is miles, in order to pre-
vent. the game from following down
the Snake river valley into the settled
districts in the Jackson Hole country.
AT present the game is protected in
the Yellowstone National park, and
perfect summer range is provided for
! it, says the director. But as winter
| approaches the elk. deer, moose and
antelope seek winter range at low
| err altitude or they perish. Some of the
animals work off to the northeas. cor
ner of the park and winter there, but
the greater number descend to the
| south to the Jackson Lake basin and
| along to the hills and mountains to the
east of the lake. Later in the fall and
early in the winter heavy snow grad
| ually drives the game south down the
Snake river valley and the mountain
| slopes to the east and west,
Formerly many of the elk and deer
ranged as far down as 30 or 40 miles
| south of the Gros Ventre butte, but
with the settlement and fencing in of
the bottom land, the cropping of grass
es and pasturing of cattle and sheep,
| their winter pasture has been grad
ualy crowded to the northward. Now,
it is only question of few years
before the winter range will all have
been taken, and the game will nave
| followed the buffalo and other large
| game of Colorado and other sections
| of the Rockies and the Sierra and
| coast ranges and become extinct.
The government is now brought
face to face with the question, Shah it
protect the winer range of he game
which it has, at large annual expense,
protected in it's summer range in the
Yellowstone park? 1t owns and con-
trolls most of the lands of the winter
range. Will it continue in this control
or will it give the lands up to the pas
| turage of cattle and sheep and thus
exterminate the game? In September
and October of the present year par
ties We're camped on nearly every
creek in the large region south of the
park, waiting to shoot down the game,
which they can freely do under the
game laws of Wyoming, which license
the hunting of large game three
months each fall. Will the government
prevent the shooting of game within
the Yellowstone timber reserve and the
Teton forest reserve? If it does not
the rifle and shotgun will as surely ex-
terminate the game as will the de-
struction of their winter pasture.
THE area south of the park, extend
ing as far as Black Tail Butte, or the
southern limit of the present Teton re-
serve, should either be added to the
Yellowstone National park or consti
tuted as a separate park, to be known
as the Teton National park.
Il have personally visited most of
the points and regions in the United
States noted for their scenery, but in
my judgment there is nothing that eX-
GELS in natural beauty the valley of
Jackson lake and the Teton mountains.
! The Tetons are unequaled except in
| the higher, almost inaccessible points
| OF the sierra ana CASCADE mountains,
and Jackson lake is a beautiful sheat
of water lying directly at their base.
| 1t NAV be more truly called the Swift
Zerland of America than can any other
! spot known to me. If it were practi-
cable to obtain railroad facilities to
| the foot of Jackson lake and thus en-
able the tourist to see that beautiful
region and then go north by stage to
| the Yellowstone lake and through the
| IL he tI,n last t,-;rH 70,
one of limited extent. to be found any
where in the world.
1.-THE question of the rights of set
tiers that are always to be found with
| in the Teton reserve and the region to
| the south can probably be adjusted
under the present law, through the
general land Office without injustice to
| these settlers. If not, the action of
| congress can be invoked, inasmuch as
| the preservation of the wonderful seem
cry of this country and the great nat
| ural forest areas is a subject of impor-
| N,.t1 10