, 1899-03-25
FOREST RESERVES.

Approved February 21st, A. D. 1899.
FOREST RESERVES.
Fifth Legislature of the State of Wyoming)
Joint Memorial No. 1, Senate of the State of Wyoming.
In relation to the pasturing of sheep and other live stock
upon the Forest Reserves within the State
of Wyoming.
Be it Resolved bv the Senate and House of REPRESENTATIVES
of the State of Wyoming, that the Honorable the Secretary
of the interior of the United States of America be Memori-
dlised as fOlOWs:
WHEREAS, The present rules of the Department of
the Interior relative to Forest Reserves prohibit the grazing
of sheep and other live stock on the Forest Reserves in the
Rocky Mountain Districts of the country, and,
WHEREAS, There is great danger that heavy pecuni-
airy loss will fall upon the residents, settlers and flock mas
tiers residing in the vicinity of the various Forest Reserves.
in the State of Wyoming, by reason of such regulations of
the Department of the Interior, and, by reason of the en-
forcement thereof; and
WHEREAS, The purpose for which the said Forest
Reserves were established will not be any more successfully
accomplished by the enforcement of the said regulations of
the Department of the Interior, nor will the objects and pur-
poses for which the said Reserves were established be
thwarted and defeated by the abrogation of the said regula-
tons, and
WHEREAS. A large portion of the area covered by the
Forest Reserves is above timber line and therefore grass
bearing land without trees, and such portions as are below
timber line are frequently interspersed with grass bearing
parks of various areas, and,
WHEREAS, Grazing of live stock upon such lands is
the best possible protection from danger to the forests by
fire by reason of the feeding down of the luxuriant grasses
of the mountain meadows, SO that fires originating in one
portion of the Reserve cannot spread with rapidity across
the grassy areas from one bunch of timber to anOther; and,
WHEREAS, The sheep and other live stock are not
"bedded down. or held in punches of timber above referred
to, but upon the grassy parks and meadows and therefore
do no damage to the young shoots starting up in the forests,
and,
WHEREAS, Fires very rarely start in said Reserves
from the camps of sheep men or cattle men for the reason,
that the camp fires of cattle men and sheep men are univer-
sally made in stoves carried with them for that purpose, by
the use of which there is no danger whatever of fires start
ing, and,
WHEREAS, The people of the State of Wyoming are
greatly interested in the preservation of the forests
of the State and desire to cooperate with the general
Government to the fullest extent in maintaining and in
creasing the forest area, for the reason that our present
and future prosperity depends largely upon the continual
supply of moisture in the mountains to supply the streams
which irrigate our farms and ranges, and,
WHEREAS, The enforcement of the aforesaid regula-
tons of the Department of the Interior will deprive the
people of the State of Wyoming of the use of a vary large
area of the best pasture lands and leave the grasses thereon
to go to waste, thereby reducing very materially the amount
of live stock that can be carried upon the open range OF our
State, and
WHEREAS, The reduction of the live stock of the open
range deprives that portion of our people who are engaged
in farming and grain raising of the best market which they
now have for the sale of their produce among the sheep and
stock men whose hOcks and herds Craze these pastures, and,
WHEREAS, This great loss to the people of our State
will be incurred without. in any manner directly or indirect
ly guaranteeing a better protection for our forests, and,
WHEREAS, No sheep or other live stock are ranged
upon the Teton Forest Reserve, and, from the nature OF the
country, no sheep or other live stock, from this State, can be
moved off and on said Reserve and the grasses thereon are
fed down by the wild game from the National Park IN the
summer as is done by the live stock upon the other RESERVES
in this State,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Honora-
BILE, the Secretary of the Interior of the United States of
America, be, and he is hereby respectfully requested to so
modify the rules and regulations governing the Forest he.
serves in the State of Wyoming, as to allow the unrestricted
grazing of all sheep and other live stock in such Reserves,
in the future as in the past, except the Teton Forest Re-
serves, for which no modification is asked, and,
BE 1T FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of
the State be, and he is hereby instructed to forthwith trans
nit copies of this Memorial, properly authenticated, to the
Honorable, the Secretary of the Interior, of the United
States of America, and, to Hon. Clarence d. Clark and Hon.
Francis f. Warren, Senators in Congress from the State OF
Wyoming.
JOHN McGILL,
President of Senate.
LEVI r. DAVIS,
Speaker of House.
Approved February 18th, 1899.
DEFOREST richards
Governor.