NACD CONVENTION REPORT 



Carl Johnson, Councilman and 

 State Conservation Commission 



It would be impossible to con- 

 dence a highly successful NACD 

 Convention report into a few 

 short paragraphs, so I will only 

 attempt to "hit" some of the hi- 

 spots . 



There were over 2,000 people 

 in attendance. All 50 states 

 were represented as well as 

 Puerto Rico and the Virgin 

 Islands. I did not get an 

 accurate head count of Montana 

 but did count upwards of 25 

 persons. I'm sure there were 

 more. 



This was the busiest session 

 of NACD's Council that I have 

 attended. It took the better 

 part of three days to act on 

 and dispose of thirteen reso- 

 lutions from NACD's Resolution 

 Committee as well as sixty-six 

 general resolutions. It was 

 truly democracy in action I 



Basically, NACD's program 

 calls for the following: 



Greater federal commitment to 

 natural resource programs. 



Disagreement with low ranking 

 within the scale of national 

 priorities for agricultural and 

 rural development as well as for 

 natural resources and environment. 



In strict opposition to termin- 

 ation of REAP and Water Bank Pro- 

 grams . Urge that these programs 

 be returned to status of FY 1973 

 at least. 



Need more, not less, attention 

 to soil and water conservation, 

 forestry, public land management, 

 sediment control, and related 

 resource efforts on which the 

 future wealth and well being of 

 our country depends. 



NACD's Council also approved 

 action on the following reso- 

 lutions : 



Research to develop new tech- 

 niques for cleaner use of high 

 sulfur fossil fuels and perfection 

 of safe fusion reactors, and devel- 

 opment of energy from magnetohydro- 

 dynamic, geothermal, and solar 

 energy processes. 



Funds for the Soil Conservation 

 Service for an Urban Environmental 

 Conservation Program to accelerate 

 work in resource data collection 

 and interpretation, sediment con- 

 trol, storm water management plan- 

 ning, and environmental enhance- 

 ment. 



Early funding and implementation 

 of the Rural Development Act of 

 1972. 



Opposition to granting public 

 access to all single purpose P.L. 

 566 and RC&D reservoirs. 



Release of impounded funds for 

 staffing and operating soil and 

 water conservation research facili- 

 ties already constructed. 



Treatment of pollution from 

 normal farm and ranch operations 

 under non-point source provisions 

 of the Federal Water Pollution Con- 

 trol Act amendments of 1972. 



Authority for the Dept. of Agri- 

 culture to provide technical and 

 financial assistance for land 

 treatment in RC&D Projects on 

 the basis of long term contracts. 



Passage by Congress of A Na- 

 tional Resource Lands Management 

 Act, to provide explicit autho- 

 rity for the Secretary of the 

 Interior, and the ELM to manage 

 the lands under ELM jurisdiction 

 under the principles of multiple 

 use, sustained yield, maintenance 

 (Continued - Page 8) 



