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STATE DGCUMEMTS_ 



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mXBSWI OF MOKIANA 



PEESIIENT WILLIAM KESLER SEZ : 



In the House and Senate to date on 1966 appro- 

 priations bills for programs affecting the work 

 of Conservation Districts, there have been no 

 significant reductions below 1965 levels. Most 

 conservation items are either being maintained 

 at current amounts, or are being raised. 



The House Appropriations Committee declared 

 that, "Expenditures for soil and water conserva- 

 tion and related research are an investment in 

 our future natural resources, which benefits the 

 entire Nation rather than fanners alone." 



I would like at this time to thank each and 

 every one who wrote or wired their "Itepresenta- 

 tives" concerning the revolving fund and the 

 proposed cuts in Conservation Operations. 



Our Director's Meeting will be in Lewistown 

 on June 30 with Mr. D. A. Williams, Soil Conser- 

 vation Service Administrator, Washington, 15. C. 

 as the guest speaker. Anyone wishing to attend 

 this meeting, please feel free to do so. It will 

 be held at the Yogo Inn from 10:00 A. M. to 

 U:00 P. M. 



Summer is here, and I know everyone is busy, 

 including me, but just a thought in closing. 

 "U. S. Geological Survey measurements show that 

 floods this spring on the upper Mississippi 

 River pushed 600 billion gallons of water and 

 3U0,000 tons of sediment past St. Paul, Minnesota 

 in one ten-day period - the greatest on record."" 







MASWCD DIRECTOR'S MEETING 



The Montana Association of Soil & Water Con- 

 seiTration Districts Directors and Committee 

 Chairmen will meet Wednesday, June 30 at the 

 Yogo Inn in Lewistown, 



Do A, Williams, Soil Conservation Service Ad- 

 ministrator, is scheduled to meet with the group 

 at a noon limcheon after which he will partici- 

 pate in a "Question and Answer"' period. Typical 

 of the questions that will be asked are: 



1) What is the long time outlook for federally 

 financed technical assistance to SWCD's? 



2) What is the status of the proposed revolv- 

 ing fund? 



3) Are Districts and SCS getting into too 

 many things? First, it was direct soil, water, 

 and planting conservation. Now, it is Fish and 

 Wildlife, Recreation, Resource Conservation and 

 Development projects. Rural Area Development, 

 Roadside Beautification, etc. It is spreading 

 the few people we have too thin. Unless we get 

 more technical assistance, shouldn't we get back 

 to doing the basic soil and water conservation 

 job? 



k) We believe conservation education of our 

 youth is important. Our efforts to get the 

 Montana Legislature to provide funds for a Con- 

 servation Education Supervisor in the State 

 Superintendent's Office have failed. What other 

 approach can be taken to get this job done? 

 What are other states doing? 



5) In past discussions, several ways have 

 been considered to set up multi-puipose Districts 

 such as Conservancy Districts, One way is to 

 give SWCD's authority to assess all beneficiaries 

 and the power of eminent domain in order to build 

 a project. Is this a good thing to do or are 

 there other ways that would be better? 



Bob McClelland, Western Program Advisor for 

 NACD, will also be at the meeting to help in 

 setting up the Great Plains Area Meeting, which 

 Montana will host in Lewistown, September 13 - 

 15. 



The Directors and Committee Chairmen will give 

 reports and make decisions on carrying out the 

 MASWCD Program, 



