RECLAMATION OF THE LANDSCAPE 331 



1. To persuade all operators to follow the examples of these pio- 

 neering companies. 



2. To point out to the planning profession the economic necessity 

 for the extraction of sand and gravel and to help them provide con- 

 trols for operation and reclamation which will protect the public 

 interest and with which the industry can live. 



We believe we have achieved a measure of success on both counts. 

 We believe that the continuance of this program will make a con- 

 tribution to the objectives of this conference. 



Representative OTTINGER. Anyone who has ever tackled the job 

 of selling conservation concepts to people on a practical level, 

 knows that you have one very difficult problem to overcome. The 

 average person tends to regard conservation as a laudable, but 

 not very practical battle of the poets and the dreamers against busi- 

 nessmen and engineers. Like the golden rule, they feel that every- 

 body's for it, but nobody can afford it. 



As a very practical politician, a former attorney for businessmen 

 and an aspiring conservationist, I find this very frustrating. Worse, 

 it is a clear indication that the important first steps toward the "new" 

 conservation so eloquently advocated by the President have little 

 chance of winning broad support unless we can counter this patron- 

 izing attitude with facts and figures. I am convinced that the facts 

 and figures can be developed and that they will support the "new" 

 conservation overwhelmingly. 



I urge, therefore, that the first responsibility of each panel of this 

 conference is to call for practical economic definitions. We are 

 here to seek action to conserve, restore, and develop very valuable 

 resources. Before we get too far along the road discussing what we 

 hope to see accomplished, we had better be prepared to explain 

 clearly and succinctly why it needs doing and how it will enrich the 

 life and economy of the Nation. 



It is a commonplace of conservation to refer to the values of 

 scenic conservation as an intangible, and impossible to measure in 

 dollars and cents. I submit that this is nonsense. We simply have 

 never really tried. 



For many years, planners and potential exploiters sought to use 

 the land reserved in Central Park for a variety of purposes. They 

 lamented the lost revenue to the city. They complained that the 

 land was useless and not contributing. I would very much like 

 to see the real estate values and tax revenues around Central Park 



779-595 65 ,22 



