LANDSCAPE ACTION PROGRAM 485 



varying degrees of slope in Wisconsin, slopes of 12 percent or greater, 

 hopefully being protected through good soil conservation surface 

 practices protecting the water below. 



We also said there was another pattern formed by the rims which 

 enclose these various slopes. It is from these rims that we could 

 look down upon the flat surface patterns and see the beauty of the 

 pattern. We found these rims were important when it came to 

 laying out the hiking and bicycling trails and the scenic highway 

 systems. 



In Wisconsin, we looked at these various patterns of water wet 

 land and steep topography, recognizing that they combined into a 

 linear system that intertwines and connects the various parts of the 

 State. 



To point out the importance of this contrasting pattern of diver- 

 sity, we located the other meaningful resource elements within the 

 landscape. We created symbols to portray these resources water- 

 falls, chasms, bathing beaches, natural springs, natural bridges, caves, 

 etc. We then identified the many cultural, historical items battle- 

 fields, theaters, pioneer churches. We identified the wildlife habitat 

 and indicated this by the silhouette of the animal. 



We identified 260 elements that were meaningful to some part 

 of our society. Supposedly on the whole national scale we could 

 add to this list. But these were the meaningful elements in Wiscon- 

 sin. I might say that to identify what those meaningful elements 

 are, means getting in the landscape on a county-by-county scale 

 to see where they exist. 



We next turned to the highway department, which has very fine 

 camera equipment. We had maps blown up to scale of 1 inch to 

 2,000 feet. We ran blue line prints of all the counties and provided 

 these blue line prints to the field people of the cooperating agencies. 



On going to the Conservation Department, the Agricultural Ex- 

 tension Service, the State historical society, and the U.S. Soil Con- 

 servation Service, we found their field people knew the counties like 

 the back of their hands and within three days they could identify on 

 the maps these 260 values for us. 



The Agricultural Extension people also were concerned with the 

 negative values in the landscape. 



In other words, on a county-by-county scale, we identified all 

 the water, all the wet land, the 12-percent slope, the sandy soils and 

 the timber patterns. We blocked out the patterns on a county-by- 



