Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1901-12-26
AN EASTERN NATIONAL PARK.

Embrace Parts of Three States.
There is talk of national park ir
New England, including part of Maine
as forest reservation. The entire
area of forest reservations and parks
approximates fifty million acres. The
parks differ from the forest reserves
in that no numbering can be carried
on within them, and their game ali.
mails are protected. The mining laws
do not apply within their territory,
except in Mount RAINIER Park, and
they are in care of government troops
The forest reservations, on the Other
hand, are administered by the secre
tary of the interior, through the gen
eral land Office. Maine and New.
Hampshire already have state and
forestry commissions and it might be
practicable to secure their coopera'
ton in the control and direction OF
such a reservation as is suggested
While several states have acquired
forest reservations or have taken meas
ures to protect such areas, the Fed
eral government possesses the facili.
ties for controlling such reservations
in broad way, unaffected by local OF
private interests, upon plans that viii,
permit the use of private forests that
remain, directing with intelligence
such cutting as is proper, and promot'
ing new growth on the denuded areas
The subject is exceedingly important
in it's relation to the prosperity of the
20 i- 10
climate and rainfall; to the great
manufacturing interests, more or less
dependent on the water power furn-
nished by our rivers; to the rapidly
growing cities and towns whose water
supply is drawn from our northern
lakes, and to the health and pleasure
of thousands who annually visit the
mountains and uplands of northern
vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
The White Mountain region of New
Hampshire covers an area of more
.han 1900 square miles, between the
lake country of New Hampshire on the
south and the valleys of the Ammo
noosuc and Androscoggin on the north.
Connected with it easterly are the
great forest areas of Maine, extending
b the Canadian frontier. and on the
west are the contiguous mountain dis.
tricts of Vermont.
This whole section, including parts
of the three states named, is of the
highest scenic interest, comprising
mountain, lake and river. Dominated
by Mount Washington and the Pres-
Dental range, fanked by the Fran
coma and Sandwich ranges, it includes
also groups of lesser peaks covered
by forests, inclosing walled
lakes of SURPRISING beauty, feeding the
Connecticut and Merrmae rivers, the
Saco, the Androscoggin, the Kennebec,
the Penobscot, and many tributary
streams, the source of the water power
of hundreds of manufacturing villages
and cities, to which the growth and
prosperity of New England are so
largely due.
1t is region of great historic inter
est, closely associated with the past
and present life of New England, in
terwoven with it's romance, poetry, art
and tradition. The territory is easily
accessible from every point and avail
able to large percentage of our
urban population. The eastern Sec
ton is well stocked with fish and
game, and other parts might under
proper conditions be restocked. Each
year, however, marks the cutting for
commercial purposes of many acres OF
its forest growth, and the encroach-
ment upon its borders of the expand
ing life of the towns is constantly
more obvlous.-Lewiston Evening
Journal.