The Colorado statesman., 1905-06-10
FOREST RESERVE AREA
LARGE INCREASE in COLORADO
Three Reserves Consolidated into
Pixies Peak Forest Reserve
Other Large Reserves.


A considerable expansion of the for
est reserve area in the central part of
the state of Colorado has been effected
by three proclamations issued by the
President on May ~, 1905.
By this action the three reserves
heretofore known as the Pixies Peak,
South Platte and Plum Creek forest re-
serves have been consolidated into one
reserve, under the name of the Pixies
Peak forest reserve with the inclusion
therein of various additional areas and
the elimination of small tract, and
two additional adjoining reserves have
been established, under the respective
designations of the Leadville forest
reserve and the Gunnison forest re-
serve.
The Pixies Peak reserve, as 1t now
stands, embraces an area of 1851 ,667
acres; the chief expansion of the boun-
dairy having been made on the north,
to include a region around Mount
Evans of about 279,730 acres, with
view to remedying, in the interest of
the city of Denver and the South
Pate valley, the shortage of water in
the South Platte river, which has long
been an increasing trouble as the re-
gion develops. A considerable ex-
pansion was also made on the south
in the interest of the stock raising in
dustry in that region.
The Leadville forest reserve en-
braces 1.219.947 acres and includes all
of the Arkansas river water
shed lying north of the south
line of township 81 north of
the New Mexico principal meridian,
and the watersheds of Blue and Will
liams Fork rivers, in the counties of
Grand, Summit, Lake and Chaffee. 1t
contains the highest and most impor
tant mountain area in the state. In
length this general tract extends about
100 miles from the town of Buena
Vista, one the south, and extending al
most to Sulphur Springs on the north,
with an average width of about twen-
ty-five miles.
The valley of the Arkansas river, in
which Buena Vista is located, and that
of the blue river, both of which valleys
penetrate the region deeply, have,
however, been excluded from the re-
serve, in order to avoid embracing
open agricultural land.
The industry of farming, and also
that of stock raising, throughout the
widespread regions watered by the i'm
portant streams heading in this Sec
ton, will be greatly benefited by the
establishment of this reserve.
In these reserves it will be the pol
icy to allow a full utilization of the
forage products and to grant permits
to Craze the stock which are now oc-
cupying the ranges. Should the
ranges be found to be overstocked the
number of permits will be gradually
reduced each year until proper limit
is reached. By pursuing this course a
more judicious and permanent use of
the ranges will be preserved to the
| stoclkmen.
The establishment of the Leadville
reserve is also of great Importance to
the mining industry, since the need
for carefully controlled use of the re-
naming timber in that region is of
vital Importance to such mining dis
tricts as the Leadville, Breckenridge
and Montezuma, which are located
within it's limits.
The Gunnison forest reserve includes
901,271 acres of the Gunnison river wa
tershed in Gunnison, Delta and Mont
rose counties. The chief object of the
reserve is to insure the success of the
| Uncompahgre valley reclamation pro-
| ject, which has in view the irrigation
In the Uncompahgre valley of, approx
imately, 100000 acres.
| In addition to this undertaking and
the usual necessity for preserving wa
ter, range and timber for the general
adjacent population, the development
| of immense coal fields also calls for
the protection of timber supplies in
this region