530 CONFERENCE ON NATURAL BEAUTY 



agers and planners, with whom lies and will lie the major responsi- 

 bility for making the decisions that will or will not accomplish the 

 natural beauty we all want. Such a task force should first analyze 

 what effect this recent emphasis on natural beauty will have on our 

 action programs. It will then have to determine how our educa- 

 tional programs can be amended and reorganized to meet the new 

 problem. 



It became obvious at the conference that these managers, engineers, 

 and other professionals in natural resource fields are in many cases the 

 deterrent in affirming natural beauty. In some cases they are the 

 enemy. On the other hand, it also became obvious that natural 

 beauty is not going to be protected and enhanced until these same 

 people in public agencies at all levels, in private industries and con- 

 sulting offices, and in all other positions where they are charged with 

 resource-use decisions have an understanding and appreciation of 

 the effects of their decisions on natural beauty, and act accordingly. 



Some of these people do have some understanding of the situation, 

 and a considerable number are now in agencies responsible for pro- 

 tecting, managing, and developing landscape for public enjoyment, 

 such as in national, state, and local parks, national and state forests, 

 game preserves, water projects, and Indian reservations. But even in 

 their case, reorientation will be necessary. 



In effect, we have now placed a greater value on natural beauty 

 than ever before. This means that we have changed the relative 

 importance of other values and therefore the policies and programs 

 or implementation of values of public and private organizations 

 must be reexamined in a new context. 



It seems to me that the first conference of such a task force should 

 be devoted to the decision-making process in issues that affect natural 

 beauty. It is here where all aspects of the problem would be drawn 

 together. First, the ecology of the physical area should be studied in 

 order to learn and appreciate the natural forces involved, the effects 

 of possible action and use, and the limitations imposed by the natural 

 environment. Second, the group should examine the social-political- 

 economic factors at work, including the institutional areas (laws, 

 regulations, customs, attitudes) that might restrict attainment of the 

 desired goal of natural beauty, either by their presence or their 

 absence. Finally, an optimum decision should evolve from a con- 

 sideration of possible alternative actions and their consequences. 



Education has too often lagged behind our needs in regard to con- 



