Senate on February 23 by Senator Johnson. On March 3, 10 days after its introduction in the House, the legislation received the approval of the President. NEW ARCHES NATIONAL MONUMENT The thirty-third national monument of the system administered by the National Park Service was established last April when President Hoover signed the proclamation creating the Arches National Monument, in Grand County, Utah. The new monument has an area of 4,520 acres. In it are extraordinary examples of the work of wind erosion in the form of gigantic arches, natural bridges, window openings, balanced rocks, and other unique wind-worn formations, which it is desired to preserve because of their educational and scenic value. With the addition of this new monument the total area of the national monuments administered by the National Park Service is 3,728 square miles. PROPOSED PARK BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENTS Studies continued to be made of certain existing national parks to ascertain the desirability, from either a scenic or an administrative standpoint, of adjusting their boundaries. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK The most important boundary survey undertaken during 1928-29 was that made by the new Yellowstone Boundary Commission appointed by President Hoover under congressional authorization to determine the advisability of further changing park boundary lines, with particular reference to the southwestern and southeastern sections. The addition of the Upper Yellowstone region, long proposed by park authorities for addition on the southeast, would give a natural boundary to this portion of the park and at the same time would add some exceedingly interesting rugged wilderness country which possesses national-park characteristics. In the bottoms along the rivers and creeks in this section the moose native to the region find their most favored feeding grounds, and the addition of the region to the Yellowstone could be justified on the ground of protecting the moose, were it not for its scenic quality. The Upper Yellowstone country, with the adjacent portion of the present park, constitutes one of the largest wilderness areas remaining in America, and it is proposed to keep it in its wild state if added to the park, never permitting the construction of roads, hotels, or other such modern structures. The Bechler River Basin, in the southwestern corner of the park, has long been desired by irrigation interests in eastern Idaho for use as a reservoir site. This has been consistently opposed by the National Park Service. These differences of opinion culminated in referring the entire question to the boundary commission for an impartial opinion. The members of the President's commission carefully investigated both these areas during the summer, and it was my privilege to accompany them through the Upper Yellowstone country. Repre was actually appropriated, these funds to be matched by equal amounts of private contributions, was the financial structure set up to carry out the plan. A friend of the service immediately agreed to match as much of the funds as might be necessary to acquire the magnificent stands of sugar and yellow pine on private lands in Yosemite National Park which were in imminent danger of destruction. The high lights of our educational activities for the year were the report of the informal educational committee, the appointment of an educational advisory board, headed by Dr. J. C. Merriam, president of the Carnegie Institution, and the continuation of trailside and branch museum development in Yellowstone National Park, all of these achievements being made possible by grants of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial. Notable progress was also made in educational division planning, extension of lecture and guide service, compilation of scientific data, and publication of Nature Notes, our little magazine issuing from various parks in mimeograph form. Park visitors benefited by the road improvements which it has been possible to make during the past several years under enlarged appropriations. With the passing of jurisdiction over Rocky Mountain National Park to the Federal Government, our first major road construction project has been initiated in that park through the letting of a contract for the construction of the first section of the Trail Ridge Road to cross the Continental Divide. The establishment of the Grand Teton National Park, through congressional act approved last February, ended a 31-year effort to give this outstanding area park status. I believe this new park, which is located about 11 miles south of the Yellowstone in the heart of the picturesque "dude ranch" country, is destined to become one of the most popular of the system. RESIGNATION OF STEPHEN T. MATHER Early in this report I record the resignation of Stephen T. Mather, the first director and founder, in more than one sense, of the National Park Service. Coming into Government service in 1915, before there was a park bureau, Mr. Mather gave all his time and thoughts and energy to the furtherance of the park work during the next 14 years. Through his earnest efforts the National Park Service emerged from a desired ideal to an accomplished fact, and great strides forward were made along all lines of park endeavor. Especially noteworthy were the results he obtained in attracting an unusually high class of men to positions of responsibility in the Park Service and in interesting capital in the development of public utilities in the parks themselves. Mr. Mather was personally beloved by every member of his organization, and for this reason alone his resignation caused each and every one of us poignant sorrow and regret. When he was forced to retire last January on account of ill health, brought on largely through his steadfast devotion to his work. Secretary West, in accepting his resignation, paid high tribute to him when he said: Under your splendid leadership the people of the Nation have been awakened to the beauties and possibilities of the national parks and the necessity of conserving these areas for all time. So firmly have you built the foundations of the National Park Service that it is now bound to move firmly onward along the lines of greatest service to the people. * * * Taken all in all, you have achieved results that I believe no other man could have accomplished in the early days of organization and administration during the trying period of the World War and its aftermath. Newspaper and magazine tributes to Mr. Mather's character and public achievements appeared in all sections of the country. A fine appreciation of his work was voiced by Congressman Louis C. Cramton, of Michigan, in an address in the House of Representatives, and this in turn was widely quoted and commended by the press. The Pugsley gold medal was awarded to Mr. Mather by the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society this past year, and the gold medal of the National Institute of Social Sciences in 1926 for his service to the Nation in the development and administration of the national parks. He was awarded the degree of doctor of laws by George Washington University in 1921 and by the University of California in 1924 for his conspicuous service to the country in the fields of conservation and education. Briefly summing up national park affairs under his administration, when Mr. Mather entered Government service as assistant to the Secretary in 1915 there were 14 national parks and 18 national monuments, with a combined area of 7,426 square miles, and $253,646.80 was appropriated to maintain them. In addition the War Department was allowed $245,000 for road work and maintenance in several of the parks during 1915. At the present time there are 21 national parks and 33 national monuments, with a total area of 15,846 square miles. For the 1929 fiscal year $4,754,015 was appropriated for the administration and maintenance of the national parks and monuments, and in addition $4,000,000 was authorized for construction of roads and trails. NATIONAL PARK AND MONUMENT SYSTEM ENLARGED Since the submission of the 1928 annual report of the National Park Service, the total area of the national parks has been increased from 11,846 to 12,118 square miles and that of the national monuments from 3,723.7 to 3,728 square miles. These changes were caused through the establishment of new reservations and by boundary revisions, as indicated below. GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK ESTABLISHED The creation of the Grand Teton National Park in the State of Wyoming, by act of Congress approved February 26, 1929, added the twenty-first national park to the system and brought to a successful termination a 31-year effort to give parkhood to the most spectacular portion of the Teton Mountain Range. The new park, located about 11 miles south of the southern boundary of Yellowstone National Park, has an area of approximately 150 square miles. The Grand Teton Mountain group, within the park area, is one of the noblest and most spectacular in the world, probably being more comparable with the Swiss Alps than other American mountain sentatives of the Forest Service also were with them during the greater part of the trip. The commission is now engaged in collecting further data. No report has as yet been submitted. On the commission are Dr. E. E. Brownell, of San Francisco, and Dr. T. Gilbert Pearson, president of the National Association of Audubon Societies, both conservation experts; Dr. Arthur Morgan, president of Antioch College, an outstanding engineer; C. H. Ramsdell, of Minneapolis, a landscape architect of high rank; and Arthur Ringland, a forest expert. The submission of their report is looked forward to with great interest. ZION NATIONAL PARK During the past year, and previously, approximately 25 sections of land adjacent to the east and south boundaries of Zion National Park have been withdrawn from settlement by Executive order in order that the area contained therein might be given consideration for addition to the park. Part of the withdrawn lands contains scenery of unusual magnificence, while a portion of it contains typical cliffdweller ruins in excellent condition. The extension proposed would also bring into the park an area which is ideally suited for a game preserve and in which the native animals could roam unmolested. I sincerely trust that a bill for this boundary revision may be introduced in Congress during the winter and receive speedy favorable action. BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK Considerable study also was made of a possible adjustment of the Bryce Canyon National Park boundary lines. The breaks in the pink cliffs which form the main Bryce Canyon extend for a distance of about 25 miles in a southerly direction from the present park boundary. At least 12 miles of these scenic breaks should be included in the park. The main problem confronting us is the question of finding the logical point for the park boundary, considering the scenic values and topographic features. EASTERN NATIONAL PARK PROJECTS As discussed in previous annual reports, the establishment of three new eastern national parks upon certain conditions was provided for by acts of Congress in 1926. These were the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, in the States of North Carolina and Tennessee; the Shenandoah National Park, in the State of Virginia; and the Mammoth Cave National Park, in the State of Kentucky. All three areas had been inspected and reported on favorably by the Appalachian National Park Commission appointed by the Secretary of the Interior. Subsequent to the rendering of its reports to the Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the National Park Service, at the request of the Secretary, reviewed on the ground the findings of the commission in the case of the proposed Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains Parks and informed the Secretary they measured up to national-park standards. The Director of the National Park Service did not have the opportunity to inspect the Mammoth Cave area before the authorization bill passed Congress. Interesting progress has been made in all three projects during the year. As |