John Muir Is Here. The Noted Scientist Tells About Inspection of Forests. What the Special Government Commission Is Doing-It Will Soon Be in Portland.

• Main Author: Muir, John
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1896
• Subjects: Environmentalist; naturalist; travel; conservation; national parks; John Muir; history; pamphlets; journal articles; speeches; writing; annotation; Pacific; glacier; glaciers; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmb/603; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/jmb/article/1602/viewcontent/A13.pdf

MORNING OREGONIAN, THURSDAY, JULY 23, 189ft JOHN MUIR IS. HERE. THE NOTED SCIENTIST TELLS ABOUT INSPECTION OP FOREST What the Special Government Com mission Is BoinsΓÇöIt Will Soon Be in Portland. Mr. John Muir, the noted scientist, in whose honor the great Muir glacier in Alaska was named, and who jocosely styles himself "Self-appointed Inspector of Gorges, Glaciers and Forests for the Pacific Coast," arrived in Portland yesterday. He has been traveling with the forestry commission, which is now making an inspection of national parks and forest reserves, and left them at Spokane on TSues- day, to visit his home in California, from whence he will proceed to Alaska to settle some disputed questions of a scientific nature. He hopes to get back to California in time to accompany the forestry commission in its inspection of the Sierra forest reserve. Speaking of the objects of the appointment of the forestry commission, and the results to be accomplished through its investigations, Mr. Muir said to a reporter yesterday: "There has been a good deal of volunteer work done in the line of trying to preserve our forests. In fact, about all the work done in this line heretofore has been volunteer. Those who have Interested themselves in this matter have succeeded in getting quite a number of national parks established, and forest reserves set aside. There are some 17 forest reserves altogether created by proclamation of the president, of which the largest is the Cascades reserve, containing about 5,000,000 acres, and the next the Sierras reserve, containing about 4,000,000. "Simply withdrawing timber lands from entry is only a. first step. . Something must be done to preserve and perpetuate the forests, for the timber must ultimately be used. The forest must be made to yield a perennial supply of timber, without being destroyed or injuriously affecting the rainfah^ thus securing all the benefits of a forest, and at the same time a good supply of timber. The establishment of national parks and reserves is only the ...