152 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



When you consider that the Land and Water Conservation Fund, 

 in which we have taken so much comfort, will make available on an 

 average $200 million a year, of which $80 million a year will be 

 available to the Federal Government, we can appreciate the bind we 

 will shortly be in if our shoreline acquisitions are going to run at $40 

 to $50 million each. 



Those of us on the panel were asked to avoid a recitation of the 

 problem, and to move to recommendations for action. 



1 . Clearly my first recommendation and I hope, as the sponsor of 

 both the Sleeping Bear and Pictured Rocks proposals, I am not being 

 too self-serving would be that the Congress act as promptly as 

 possible to save as many of the remaining areas as possible. 



2. Second, we need to take a very good look at land presently under 

 Federal ownership to be sure we don't turn loose any that might serve 

 for recreation. 



3. Third, we will probably have to develop soon less expensive 

 means of acquisition. These might include : 



(a) Reviving the good old-fashioned custom of people giving 

 land to the Federal Government, such as was done in the Great 

 Smokies National Park. Here, very real tax incentives might be 

 devised ; 



(b) Developing a combination of smaller Federal acreage sur- 

 rounded by a "buffer zone" where either scenic easements or con- 

 trolled use, such as we have evolved at Pictured Rocks, could preserve 

 the scenic and recreation values; 



(c) Permitting the National Park Service to acquire option on 

 tracts pending Congressional action on the authorizing legislation; 



(d) Encouraging the private conservation foundations to use 

 their funds to take option on tracts when the first steps are taken 

 toward Federal acquisition, thus holding the cost within bounds; 



(e) And finally, of course, urging the States to move as rapidly 

 as they are able, particularly where this would result in lower cost. 



Perhaps one or more of these steps, combined with more vigorous 

 land use planning and zoning, will help us preserve some of the 

 beauty we have inherited. 



Particularly will this be necessary, in my opinion, as we move ahead 

 with a national system of scenic roads and parkways. We must not 

 permit ribbons of concrete to be strung along our presently remote 

 shorelines, destroying the very scenery we seek to enjoy. And more 



