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<br />iM.:iI. ...:
<br />
<br />'"~-
<br />
<br />Vide Ir7eater PI'\>
<br />vater (indUdingJ
<br />J fish and wildlit
<br />J W e
<br />ater Colllllliss'
<br />the Ji'uture 271 (197
<br />,era] Assembly' 3.
<br />. R' h DlI97a
<br />Ig t Deterrnins'
<br />,Act of 1969 .tiq,
<br />973 & 1986 S ~
<br />io Water Co upp.), 10
<br />.' lI8eF'iBtiaa
<br />.,. rrghts for m' .
<br />s UlUn"",
<br />er\'e the DBtural .
<br />~92-102(3), 15 CJlen;
<br />Other western .ta""
<br />Montana, Utah .
<br />!IO n~ . 8Ild
<br />:",oPted legislalio
<br />ection of minimum' ·
<br />"-tion and WiJdJi/:
<br />1.. CaI.Pub.Re..Code
<br />,I); MOnlCode Ann
<br />tah Code Ann. , 7~
<br />lh.Rev.Code , 90.22..
<br />
<br />tplicit legislative pro-
<br />Congre.. and 80m.
<br />, levels and instream
<br />~sts were reserved
<br />PO.e. which did not
<br />preser\'ation of in.
<br />~eliberation on the
<br />!llonaJ concern re-
<br />)reservation of for.
<br />'lVIllelt and reduoe
<br />:y to protect uni.
<br />e the fore.t Iandt;.
<br />ArkaDllas, a chief
<br />'ct, declared:
<br />
<br />earti/y with thos.
<br />region to protect
<br />'e the water for
<br />rpose.. .. .
<br />leience, I think.
<br />l eover will hold
<br />elting anow, 80
<br />. atreams in tor.
<br />early summer.
<br />, tDell-timbend
<br />lOre /lTOd1UJ1/1I
<br />""" a aUad;er
<br />· and Iea8 Iou'
<br />
<br />U.s. v. JESSE
<br />OIe..'44 PM 491 (ColD. ItI7)
<br />As long as the forests .tand, the .ity, as it is for the production of the
<br />branehes, fallen leaves, and roots will crops of tlle great San Joaquin Valley.
<br />bold mueh of the rain and .now until
<br />lummer, and thus furnish water not only
<br />for the navigation of our rivers, but also
<br />for the irrigation of the deserts. With-
<br />ont forests we may expect our rivers to
<br />br ....ollen as they ~ no.. in the .pring-
<br />lime, but .hallow or dry in the .ummer
<br />and autumn.
<br />
<br />~706
<br />
<br />-~
<br />
<br />". --
<br />
<br />
<br />The objects for which the forest reser-
<br />..lion~ ahould be made are the protec-
<br />lion of the forest growth again.t de.truc-
<br />lion by fire and ax, and pre.ervation of
<br />fore.t oonditions upon which water eondi-
<br />lions and water flow are dependent The
<br />purpose, thenfore, of this bill is to
<br />"",in14in fa'llOTable forest conditions.
<br />ntJunlt euluding 1M ...e of th..e res-
<br />""",lions for other purpoaes. They are
<br />not parks set aside for nonuse, but have
<br />been established for economic reasons.
<br />
<br />&:! Cong.Ree. 966 (1897) (emphasis added).
<br />Th. legislative history of the Organie Act
<br />is replete with expres./ODll of a ooneern for
<br />the reservation of the national forest>; as a
<br />means of protecting the forest lands in
<br />th.ir role as natural regulators of down-
<br />ltre&m flow.' The following statements of
<br />_tern eongretl8men are illustrative:
<br />[T]he only object of the fore.t reserv.. in
<br />the State of California is to retain the
<br />.nows upon tlle monntains, .0 that the
<br />.nows and rains of the .pring .hall not
<br />bring down all at once the full flood upon
<br />our valleys, where irrigation is ...Tried on
<br />to a great extent and where it is a neco..
<br />
<br />t. The AffKlovil of HihDll 1.. Silvey. submitted by
<br />the United Stales. demonstrates a similar con-
<br />eern. S<< _ n. 6.
<br />
<br />10. Two Colorado CODtP..,.-1,UI;1l added 10 lhe de-
<br />bate on the Orpnic Act: with the following con.
<br />"""'"
<br />The objccI (of the [89[ Ad) was 10 flU 10 Ibe
<br />head waters of the While RivC'J', 10 go to the
<br />bead wa..... of !he other _, su.ams, and
<br />!here layoff. pial of limber where .he mow
<br />feU '" . ...... depIh. and to provide tha,
<br />Iimbu obouId no! be mole&led the... not be-
<br />cause we wanted to save il for fut\1n commer.
<br />cW puI"PCl5e5. but that we wanted to save it
<br />for the purpose of comenlDg the water "'I"
<br />
<br />
<br />---
<br />
<br />~..."""'-
<br />
<br />-
<br />
<br />-....... '"~~&...o ...__
<br />
<br />Colo. 501
<br />
<br />[T]he more fully you keep the fore.t in
<br />its natural oondition with a large amount
<br />of undergrowth and decayed timber, the
<br />more effectually do you attain the object
<br />of keeping the snow. upon the mOlln-
<br />taina.
<br />
<br />30 Cong.Ree. 1399 (1897) (.tatement of
<br />CongreBllman Loud from California)"
<br />
<br />During the deh'beratione on the Organie
<br />Act, the National Academy of Sciences .ub-
<br />mitted a report to Congretl8 which ampli-
<br />fied the importance of the forests in oollect-
<br />ing heavy snow. and regulating .tream
<br />flow:
<br />[The] forests ser\'e to collect and in a
<br />measure regulate the flow of atreams,
<br />the waters of whieh, carefully eoDllerved
<br />and dis!:libuted artificially. would render
<br />posllible the reclamation of vast areas of
<br />IlO-Called desert lands. Irrigation sys-
<br />tems have been undertaken in many 10-
<br />calitie. under State or eorporate control
<br />and have been prosecuted until their val-
<br />ue has been amply demon~trated. al.
<br />though the one essential condition of
<br />their permanent .uee..., the preserva-
<br />tion of the forests on high mountain
<br />.Iopes, has been entirely neglected.
<br />S.Doe. No. 105, 55th Cong., 1st Scs.. 18
<br />(1897). The United Statee recognizes a
<br />similar purpose for the national foresta.
<br />The affidavit of Hilton L. Silvey .tates:
<br />"One of the primary purpo.e. of a National
<br />Fore.t is to provide water for beneficial
<br />tIlle by private and public users. The provi-
<br />.ion of ...ater for benefieial use from s
<br />
<br />ply of tbde'" riven for the use of the valkys
<br />below.
<br />30 Coua.Rec. 985 (1897) (1Iatemen1 of eo"...ess.
<br />man Bell hom Colorado).
<br />",. orisinal purpose of the enoetment of the
<br />law of [891 which .ulhorizcd the Presiden' by
<br />proclamation to tef aside portions of the pub..
<br />lic land as forest rescl"\'lltions was 10 conserve
<br />the waterS for irription, 10 thai the SDOW
<br />which Calls in that rqion during the winter
<br />will bave oIuuIe 10 protect It from meltiDg
<br />IIntj) mid..summcr, wnillater in the summer,
<br />until water is mcc needed for i.rription, . . .
<br />30 Cong.Rec. 982 (1897) (statement of Congress..
<br />1I\Itn Shafrolh hom ColoJ'lldo).
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