The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-11-28
FOUR NEW FOREST
RESERVES IN IDAHO
President, by Proclamation,
Recognizes Need of Consery-
ing Great Water Supply.
WILL GREATLY AID THE
BIG IRRIGATION SCHEMES
Land EalueleSS for Other Pur-
poses Can Thus Pay Tribute
to Fertile Valleys.
Special TO The Tribune.

Special TO The Tribune.
WASHINGTON, D. c., Nov. 27.-
| Four new forest reserves. lying who'll,
or in part in Idaho, have recently beer
| created by Presidential proclamation
and additions have been made TO thrc,
others, The new ones are the Lemhi
the Occur d'Alene, the Raft River auc
the Salmon River forest reserves; tho
additions are made to the Keotenai. tn,
Sawtooth and the Priest River. Al
OF the proclamatiops were made OF
November 5 and 6.
In the main these reserves were
created TO conserve the stream flow
chilly of the Snake river and its tribu
tarles, for the Minldoka and Boise-Pay
cite irrigation projects, and for u new
one to be known as the Dubois project
The Lemhi, the Sawtooth addition. the
Raft River, and the Salmon River, arc
all for the preservation of stream flow
to insure steady supply of water for
the great storage reservoirs contem-
plated or now in course of construction
under the reclamation service. Not only
are they to preserve n steady flow of
water III the streams at whose head
waters they are located, but in prevent
ing too rapid run-off In precipitous re.
glons. They will also prevent the fill
ing Of the completed reservoirs with silt
brought down from the mountains in
rapid flow and released as soon as it
strikes the quiet waters of the reser-
voirs.
Location of L,emhi Reserve.
The Lemhi forest reserve, which in
sures protection TO three mountain
areas, lies in the east central port of
Idaho, One Of these areas takes the
form of n narrow strip of country in
Lemhi county, skirting along the Mon
tana boundary line, extending from n
point three miles east OF the town of
Shoup to the north boundary of the
Lemhi Indian reservation. The second
area embraces strip about 90 miles
long, containing the Lemhi range and
affecting the draining of Big and Little
Lost rivers. The arid area, lying di-
rectly west of the Little Lost and Pah-
simcroi rivers, covers narrower tract
about 60 miles in length and containing
the Lost River mountains. In these
reserves the value of the forest cover
lies primarily in its protection to the
many streams heading in three noun
tain ranges. The waters of these
streams are depended upon by various
farming communities in adjacent val.
leys. The total area of the reserve is
1,344 500 acres.
The Occur d'Alene reserve. in the
northern part of Idaho, extends equally
TO the north and south of the town of
Wallace The southern portion CON
tains the area which was originally con
templated in reserve to be known as
the Shoshone
Extends Over Three Counties.
The reserve lies in Nez Perccs, Sho-
shone and Kootenai counties, between
Lake Pend d'Oreille on the north and
the Bitter Root forest reserve on the
south. The value of the region lies
wholly IN its timber, water and mineral
resources. Fires arc making serious in
roads In the forest area. and have re-
Gently destroyed millions Of feet Of tim
Der. Unless effective measures are at
once taken to prevent such fires, a great
portion OF Nez Perces and Shoshone
counties will in time become barren
waste. In this reserve the future
mineral development, which will nm,
doubtedly be great, depends upon suf-
hclent supply of timber TO meet the de-
mands OF prospecting and mining. AL
ready nre has destroyed practically all
OF the timber contiguous to the Occur
d d>Alene mining district, which alone
consumes annually more than 80 900 900
feet of timber. Further. the mining in
dustry In the very heart of the forest
area is beginning to suffer from the
decreased flow in tho Occur d'Alene
river, caused by forest destruction at
its headwaters. Also a regular and
sure steam flow from the mountains i'm
the reserve benefits the reclamation pro-
Jects In the State of Washington, since
the st. Joseph and Occur d'Alene are
important branches of the Spokane
river, to be utilized in the Big Bend
project in central Washington. In
short, the Government S efforts are to
insure in every way possible the fullest
development and use OF the enormous
wealth of this region, represented in its
wood, water, mineral and other re-
sources The total area OF the Occur
d 'Alene forest reserve is 2,2l9,600
acres.
Large Area for Utah.
The Raft River forest reserve lies
In Idaho and Utah, and consists of
group OF four areas, the largest one con-
tanning ll7,S00 acres in Box Elder coun-
ty, Utah, and including the greater por.
ton Of tho Raft River mountains. The
three smaller areas, aggregating 5000
acres, lie in Cassia county, Idaho.
The Salmon River Forest reserve,
tract of mountain land,
unfit for cultivation, containing about
Stanley Basin, at tho head of Sal.
mon river, in Custer county, north.
ward to the great bend made west
ward by the river, in Lemhi county, and
is bounded on the east by Salmon
river valley, and on the west by the
Middle Fork. This whole area, which
is exceedingly mountainous and CON
tains the broad, wild mass Of peaks
known as the Salmon mountains, and
also the Yellow Jacket range, consti-
tutes plateau, varying in elevation
from 5000 to more than 00O0 feet, with
a number of peaks rising above 10000
feet, While portion of the water
flowing from this tract is employed in
irrigating noar-by valley lands, much
Of it goes to maintain Snake river,
which but for the Salmon and Clear,
water rivers would be nearly dry in
the summer. The irrigation possibil
tiles Of this steam in connection with
the low plains Of eastern Washington
are great Tho need for timber in
tho development of the enormous min
eral wealth Of this region makes the
protection Of the remaining stands
from fire and waste OF every kind
matter of the utmost Importance to
4 ha mining ipJuctry