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CuivlENTS 



'ESI lENT WILLIAM KESLER SEZ : 



I have before me two quotations: the first is 

 rem a peom by John Greenleaf Whittier and says, 

 3f all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest 

 re these, 'it might have been' •*, The second 

 from a textbook I have and says, "the welfare 

 a nation depends to a large extent on its nat- 

 ral resources. The greater these resources, th« 

 reater should be the prosperity of the people, 

 specially when a large measure of this poten- 

 Lal wealth lies in the millions of acres of licl' 

 arm land," 



These last words were written in 19U8j and, 

 ince that time, America has gained approximate- 

 US million new citizens and lost millions of 

 cres of rich tillable farm land. According to 



recent Federal Land Bank report, we are losing 

 ,000 acres per day to housing, highways, factor- 

 es, schools, etc. Project this continued loss 

 in farm acreage to the 3rear 2000 when the U, S. 

 opulation will have increased to an estimated 

 62 million people and see what happens to our 

 reat prosperity. 



I know the year 2000 seems quite far in the 

 juture, but my 10 year old daughter will then be 

 5 years old; about the average age of most of 

 s now working in Soil & Water Conservation Dis- 

 ricts. Will their generation in the year 2000 

 e grumbling about food surpluses or will they 

 e concerned with food shortages? 



Today the greatest percentage of our popula- 

 ion has little or no thought of where the food 

 omes from. We have become a nation with little 

 ontact with the soil, yet never before in his- 

 ory has there been such a variety of food or so 

 (Continued on Page 2) 1, 



L to R: SSCC Members Lowell Purdy, Torlief 

 Aasheim, John Schroeder, Herschell Kurd, Carl 

 Hunter, Wn, D'Ewart, and Dean Hanson. Absent 

 was Joe Asleson, 



SSCC APPROVES APPLICATION FOR BEAVER CREEK 

 WATERSHED IN HILL COUNTY 



The State Soil Conservation Committee met 

 March 26 in Helena. The Mayor of Havre, the 

 County Commissioners, service club members and 

 wildlife representatives, members of the Irriga- 

 tion iffi. strict, appeared before the Committee in 

 support of the Beaver Creek Watershed project 

 they hoped could be built under P. L, 566 Water- 

 shed Program. The main feature of the project 

 would be a dam that would provide flood control, 

 recreation, and irrigation benefits. 



There is strong support and it looks like a 

 very feasible project. The SSCC gave approval 

 for planning. No date was set. As with other 

 projects, the priority will be reviewed period- 

 ically depending on time of application, interest 

 shown, need, and amount of planning help avail- 

 able. 



The SSCC considered the Pollution Problem as 

 reported by the Little Beaver SWCD, 



James Neely, Oil & Gas Conservation Commission, 

 Dr. Sid Groff, Montana Bureau of Mines, Everett 

 Darlinton, State Engineer, reported on their 

 contacts and efforts. 



Bob Cooney, who heads up the Governor's Advi- 

 sory Committee on Recreation, met with the SSCC 

 and reviewed the recreation situation as to its 

 growth and planning. The SSCC reviewed a pro- 

 posed Inventory of Recreation. Businesses and 

 (Continued on Page U) 



