(Cont, from Page 4) 

 Other speakers on the convention agenda were 

 Torlief Aasheim, Director of Extension and 

 Frank Dunkle, State Fish and Game Director. 



Proceedings of the convention together with 

 copies of handouts will be mailed to all supervisors. 

 Supervisors accepted the bid of the Hill County 

 Supervisors to hold the 1965 Annual Meeting at 

 Havre, November 17-19 for the 'best-ever 

 convention". It will have to be real good to beat 

 this one. 



MASWCD LIST LEGISLATION ACTIVITY FOR 

 YEAR 



As a result of the 1964 annual meeting held in 

 Lewistown, President Kesler appointed Pete 

 Jackson of Norris, Legislative Chairman and 

 Frank Thompson and John Schroeder as assistants. 

 Pete has asked each board of supervisors to 

 meet with or otherwise contact their legislators 

 to explain the conservation needs. 



3) The employment of a Conservation Education 

 coordinator in the Department of Public Instruction. 

 Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisors 

 as well as people from other agencies spend much 

 time trying to get a good Conservation Education 

 program to the people. One of these involves 

 school children. This properly should be handled 

 through the Department of Public Instruction. 

 Legislature some years ago passed a law that 

 Conservation should be taught in the schools as 



an integrated subject and that the colleges should 

 provide training for teachers. However, except 

 for two years, this function has not been properly 

 taken care of. This would involve a budget of 

 approximately $17 , 000. 



4) Legislation to allow County Commissioners to 

 provide district funds from the County General 

 Fund. County commissioners can now levy 1/2 

 mill on agricultural lands not to exceed $1,000 

 per year per district. The added bookwork and 

 clerical help makes it too costly for the amount 

 received in many counties. Therefore, this 

 option is being sought. 



Following are some items the association are 

 concerned with: 



1) Supporting State Soil Conservation Committee 

 Budget. A modest increase is asked to increase 

 salary of Executive Secretary and allow more 

 travel funds for the secretary and committee 

 members who find themselves having to partici- 

 pate in more meetings which involve Soil and 

 Water Conservation Districts and others. High 

 on the Ust is attending to Watershed applications. 

 Also, tills committee find itself assuming the role 

 of a Conservation or Nauural Resource Agency 

 which Montana does not have. The state and 

 counties need to support districts so that not all 

 financial help is from the federal. Compared to 

 other states, Montana ranks near the bottom 



in this respect. 



2) Support of State Soil Conservation Committee 

 Watershed Planning Budget. A supplementary 

 budget of $20, 000 a year for a planning party to 

 help plan watershed projects under P. L. 566, 

 These involve flood control, irrigation, recrea- 

 tion, and industrial development. The Montana 

 Water Conservation Board has been at a stand- 

 still as far as building new projects because 

 there hasn't been demand enough to build projects 

 where the irrigator pays the total cost. P. L. 

 566 offers federal cost sharing for flood control, 

 water management, and recreation, and by so 

 doing, other beneficiaries are obliged to share 



in the cost. 



Some families can trace their 

 ancestry back 800 years, but can't 

 tell where their children were last 

 night. 



5) Amendment of Weed Law. Legislation will be 

 introduced to better control shipment of hay and 

 grain containing noxious weed seed into the state. 

 The inspection procedure being proposed is 

 similar to the way brand inspection of livestock 

 is being handled. 



6) Law pertaining to protection of Montana 

 Fishing Streams, The association feels that the 

 present law should be made permanent. This 

 allows the Fish & Game Department and the High- 

 way Commission to resolve their differences. 



7) Water Conservancy Districts. The association 

 approves a study. If a study shows that conser- 

 vancy type districts are desirable in order to- 

 accelerate Montana's water development and would 

 not be a duplication of the tools now available, 

 permissive legislation is recommended. An 

 amendment to the SWCD law is also being studied, 

 and the Executive Committee was given authority to 

 act for the association. 



XMEES 



How much thought have you ever given to trees ? 

 They help to make a beautiful view and country- 

 side, but have you ever given thought to how much 

 help they are conservationwise to the farmer, 

 rancher, and yes, even the city dweller. Shelter- 

 belts help to deter the howling winds in the winter 

 (Cont. on Page 7) 



