SCENIC ROADS AND PARKWAYS 219 



as it is to acquire property for highways. We have used it to 

 acquire some 170 miles of scenic easements along the highways 

 in our State, 111 miles of it along the Great River Road. 

 We have about 75 percent of the necessary easements on both 

 sides of that highway, which is a magnificently beautified high- 

 way. About 75 percent of what we intend to acquire has been 

 acquired. The cost was about $1,250 per mile. 



One of the advantages of easements is that many property 

 owners who do not wish to sell their land in fee are recognizing 

 the importance of preserving the beauty of the area. They are 

 willing to sell the easement in perpetuity, protecting the scenic beauty 

 of the area so whoever inherits it or subsequently purchases the 

 property may not, without consent of the State, cut down any 

 trees or build any billboards or structures of any kind. 



These easements will permanently protect the beauty of this 

 highway along the Mississippi River. In this case, the easement 

 device was used mainly for the preservation of scenic beauty. It 

 is a good device not only for this purpose, but also for acquiring 

 wetlands, springs, sources of water, and so forth. Again, these ease- 

 ments are purchased from farmers and other owners who don't wish 

 to give title to the property but recognize the importance of pro- 

 tecting it. We have found it a useful device and we shall continue to 

 use it extensively and increasingly in our State. 



Section 319 of the Highway Act for some 20 years or thereabouts 

 has provided that States may use up to 3 percent of their Federal 

 highway funds for the acquiring of easements for scenic beauty along 

 the highways. For 20 years this provision of the statute hasn't been 

 used. 



I introduced a bill last session and in this session to set up match- 

 ing funds on a 50-50 basis. I wrote all 50 governors and had a 

 response, I think, from about 45 of them. They were all for the 

 idea, but everyone asked where they would get the matching money. 

 I am satisfied that the pressures for construction of the highways 

 are such that the present Federal statute won't be used. 



I think it is time the people interested in conservation in this 

 country start talking about general fund moneys for the purpose of 

 conservation. We have attempted for far too long to survive in the 

 conservation field upon fees of various kinds : fishing licenses, hunt- 

 ing fees, the land and water conservation bill, etc. The fact of the 

 matter is that the conservation of our resources is just as important 



779-59516515 



