230 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



implication to cover the situations that you speak of. Certainly we 

 are interested in such donations to States and local governments as 

 well as to civic organizations. Four States now have enacted legis- 

 lation to permit not only these deductions, but also the assessment of 

 land encumbered with scenic easements, at lesser rates than those 

 which are not, for people who have donated scenic easements. 



I think there is certainly a direction here and we will be delighted 

 to follow this up with Internal Revenue to see if it is broad enough. 



Mrs. ALBERT LASKER. I am very interested to know if any addi- 

 tional large supplies of flowering trees and shrubs in nurseries are 

 provided or are going to be provided on the scenic highways. In 

 an attempt to try to plant more flowers, trees, and shrubs, I find the 

 supply is very short. If we are going to make any real impact, I 

 think we ought to have some long-range planning. 



Dr. LEVIN. We have no authority to do anything with this; we 

 have to go to the Hill and get authorization from the Congress. On 

 the going highway programs, we are expanding our activities in the 

 landscape field and I assume that the State highway departments, 

 as we learned this morning, are doing whatever is necessary to rea- 

 sonably anticipate this in connection with what they can see on 

 the horizon. 



Senator FARR. I might comment on that. This raises a good 

 point. The Bureau of Public Roads could give us some help in 

 urging the State conservation departments to grow more natural 

 shrubs that could be used on the highways. 



Dr. EDGAR WAYBURN. I have a comment and a question. Spe- 

 cifically, a highway may be charted directly where it should not go. 

 To zero in on this, I would take the beautiful, majestic 500- to 2,000- 

 year-old redwoods of northern California. In two places at the pres- 

 ent time, the State highway department is attempting to put the high- 

 ways through the State parks, through the trees, rather than go around 

 them. Both areas have been deemed worthy of national park status 

 if the Redwood National Park is to be established. A stop has been 

 put up at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park at the present time. 

 But a go signal has been given at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State 

 Park. A freeway has been routed through the National Tribute 

 Grove of that park. This is an authorized highway and only this 

 summer, while we are talking, funds are being sought to actually put 

 the highway in. 



