The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-03
DENIAL FROM Mr. MO80ELL
HIS STAND REGARDING GRAZ
ING ON FOREST RESERVES.
Claims to Have Been Misrepresented
as to the Purpose Of a Call On
Secretary Hitchcock.
lspecial TO The Herald.l

Cheyenne. Wyo., Jan. Congressman
Mondell of Wyoming has written a letter
to a number Of the state papers in which
he denies as false the report sent out
from Washington on Dec. IA to the SAT-
Lake Tribune, which stated that Mr..
Warren and himself had called upon Sec
rotary Hitchcock and recommended that
permits be issued To Craze sheep on for
est reserves. Mr.. MOndell says he called
on the secretary at the time, but his in
terVleW was with relation to Indian reSer-
VauOns. III his letter, Mr.. MOndell takes
the following stand with reference to the
grazing Of sheep on forest reserves
The entire question of grazing on for
est reserves is one that should be passed
upon and settled by the interior depart
ment after careful and thorough inyesu-
cation and inquiry as TO the conditions
existing on each and every reserve No
general rule can or should be laid down.
Inere IS no doubt reserves from Wnlcn
sheep should be entirely excluded, over
which they We're never grazed, as, Tor III
stance. the Teton and Yellowstone Ma
uonal park reserves in Wyoming.
There are other reserves, which have
been more or less graZed over by sheep
IN the past, where the grazing Of sheep
under proper restrictions IS benencial
rather than injurious, Some portions or
reserves may quite properly be SraZeQ,
where it would not be proper to Craze
other portions 1t is almost universally
conceded by the owners of nOckS, as well
as others. that all grazing on reserves
may quite properly be under certain reg
ul9uOns, as to the number allowed to
Craze, districts in which they may Craze,
etc. The opposition to grazing in forest
reserves IS by no means made by those
opposed TO Sneep grazing alone as in some
parts Of the country the department is
discussing the advisabih1y of greatly if
not entirely prohibiting grazing by ami
mails of all kinds
What is needed is a cOmmOn-sense pol
Tra+ IfaTs. ffrer7
past uses of the reserves, the wishes of
serves character Of the soil and kind of
timber. whether deciduOus or evergreen,
and the effect of past grazing. A knowl-
edge OF these facts with relation to each
reserve will enable the department to
make IJies that are best calculated to
produce on each reserve the conditions
necessary to accomplish the results for
which the reserves are established.
A narrow policy which blindly prOhib-
its the grazing Of sheep under any cir
cumstances or 20 the most limited extent
on any land which has been. or may be,
included in a forest reserve without in
YestiGatlOn Of the local conditions. is a
policy Of such apparent and StupendOus
lmbeciHty that ii cannot otherwise than
fail; whereas, If after cateful inVestiga-
ton and study of the conditions in any
particular reserve by those charged with
that duty. it shah be decided that grazing
by any particular kind Of domestic ami
mas greatly Injuries the growth of the
forest and the conservation of needed
waters, I am satisfied public sentiment
would uphold q decision to that effect"