first four national game preserves and the first 24 reclamation, or federal irrigation, projects; the national forests alone consisted of of land by the end of his term in 1909. Because of the nature of the timing of the proclamations, and from President Roosevelt`s own comment, these forest preserves/national forests created in March of 1907 are sometimes referred to as the "midnight forests". References Further reading Hines, Gary. (2005). Midnight Forests: A Story Of Gifford Pinchot And Our National Forests. McCarthy, Michael. (1992). The First Sagebrush Rebellion: Forest Reserves and States Rights in Colorado and the West, 1891-1907 Morris, Edmund. (2001). Theodore Rex. Rakestraw, Lawrence. (1973). A History of Forest Conservation in the Pacific Northwest 1891-1913 Williams, Gerald W. (2009). The U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest: A History Williams, Gerald W. and Mark, Stephen R. (1995). Establishing and Defending the Cascade Range Forest Reserve from 1885 to 1912 Forests of the United States United States federal public land legislation Forest reserves