The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-02-03
NORTH ALABAMA FOREST RESERVE
 BEING BUILT UP Over 100000 Acres AL
 ready Acquired In Mountains GAME PRESERVE IS ALSO
 PLAN OF GOVERNMENT Judge FOrney Looking After
 Acquisition Of More Property
TENNESSEE VALLEY BUKEAI)

(TENNESSEE VALLEY BUKEAID . ALBANY-DECATUR. Ala. Feb ?
 The federal government is gradually building up forest reservoir north Alabama. which may, some day, be come the greatest government park and one of the greatest game preserves in the south
 It is declared here that the govern ment is buying land adjoining the for est tract as rapidly as owners are willing to sell. Uncle Sam now is said to have something more than 10000 acres in the forest reserve in Lawrence, Winston mad Franklin counties, and is adding acreage to the tract almost every week. When owners are found who do not care to sell, the disadvan- tages of living so near the forest reser vatiOn are pointed out. As tracts are added to the reservation, owners are surrounded almost by government property. and, since few like to live entirely alone, without schools or other evidences of civilization. they usually decide to sell their property also and use the proceeds to buy land in other parts of the county. Most of the land being bought by the government is said to be up in the mountains of the county, and not sufficiently productive for ordinary farming purposes, but splendid for forest preserve or for natural park.
 $B Acre Paid
 E. E. Downing, Moulton attor- pey. who was here during the week, told of the work of purchase now being carried forward by the government. and said it twas understood around .Moulton that about $6- an acre was offered for most of the property sought as acquisitions to the forest reserve.
 Mr. Downing declared that up to a compar ars lively short time ago federal agents found it rather difficult to ac- quire the mountain land in any large quantities, because of the disposition of the owners to hold on to it. As the reserve gradually increased in size, however. it made these mountain loca- tions more and more inaccessible to the comforts of civilization, and own CTS now are more ready to dispose of their property and permit it to be added to the> great reserve.
 B. F. Fufborrow is chief of the Lawrence county reserve. having ac- tive charge of it, while Judge John c. pOrney, IOrmeriy OI DirnluSudiu, looks after the legal end of the acqui- sition of further acreage.
 Game Preserve Planned
 I According to announcement of l. T Qaiun game and fish commissioner ol Alabama, an agreement has almos been reached with the government whereby the nation will transform tn, gigantic forest reservation into a game preserve. Under the plan as outlined by him the state is to have charge of the work of stocking the forest reser- Yation' with deer, quail. wild turkey and other game The forest rangers would be deputized as game wardens to watch after this wild life. The streams in the reservation would be stocked, with fish
 Mir. Quinn intimated that he had heard reports that the government will add something like 100000 acres to the forest reservation. 1t can readily be seen that if these two plans, the one by the state and the other by the ma ton, are carried out, Alabama will have one of the greatest recreation centers in Dixie