CITIZEN ACTION 589 



latter is constitutionally restricted to helping the county government 

 to implement its 2 3 -mile-long, 5,000-acre, American River Parkway 

 Plan. It is as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of 

 SARA that I received my invitation to this conference. I need not 

 dwell on the details of SARA's "Operation Star." They have been 

 well documented in Sunset Magazine's October 1964 issue, pages 

 30-39, and also in "County Action for Outdoor Recreation," first 

 edition, 1963, page 24, pages 37-39 published by CORC and the 

 National Association of Counties early in 1965, and Action for Out- 

 door Recreation For America, first edition, 1963, page 24 and the 

 1964 edition, page 25, both published by CORC. 



I need only point out here that one man's dissatisfaction and ac- 

 tion in February 1961 resulted in the formation of SARA which on 

 May 21, 1965, had 3,152 life members and 108 cosponsoring organi- 

 zations. The organization won a citation from the National Rec- 

 reation Association in 1964, among other honors, and has been pub- 

 licly credited by the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors as 

 having effectively saved, and won, their American River Parkway 

 Plan. 



This was a case where a private group did recognize the value of 

 their water resource (as was called for by Mr. Caulfield) and very 

 effectively did something about it. Thus, it strikes me as being a 

 choice example to illustrate what a citizens' group can do when they 

 set their mind to the task and proceed intelligently. The techniques 

 used by SARA should work anywhere. 



Citizen action groups should serve as the second party in a two- 

 party system, the first automatically being private owners, develop- 

 ers, and sometimes paid public employees. When the voice of the 

 citizen action group becomes equal or greater than their opposition, 

 elected officials will normally respond positively to the dedicated de- 

 mand. Citizen action groups can serve as a check and balance 

 system between government and despoilers. 



Mrs. RALPH CURTIS SMITH. The Green Bay, Wisconsin League 

 of Women Voters procured an Air Pollution Ordinance in 1950 after 

 five years of work. We have continued and enlarged the program 

 in the last six years through the formation of the Mayor's Committee, 

 a voluntary organization made up of representatives from service 

 organizations, labor, and volunteers, with the advice of our depart- 

 ment heads in city government. 



We have reduced our dust count from 75 tons per square mile per 



