AREA MEETINGS ARE WELL ATTENDED 



r 



The six Area Meetings of the Montana Assoc- 

 iation of Conservation Districts which 

 v/ere held at Tliree Forks, Poison, Cut Bank, 

 Malta, Wibaux, and Billings were very well 

 attended. A major topic of discussion was 

 land use planning. 



Typical of the many speakers was a pre- 

 sentation at Billings by V7ally McRae, a 

 rancher from Colstrip and Director of the 

 Montana Stock Growers Association. He 

 spoke constructively that it is inevitable 

 that we are going to get changes in land 

 use that we don't like, but good planning 

 V7ill lessen the bad effects. He used to 

 fight strip miners but has changed his 

 opinion that it is better to work with 

 them to get as much good accomplished as 

 possible. McRae issued challenges to the 

 fact that we are going to have more land 

 use planning and don't have any other 

 good choice. 



Helmer Holje, Director of the Montana 

 Joint University Water Research Center, 

 speaking at Malta told of the need by 

 water users to establish rights. "Legal 

 water rights are not really very sound", 

 he said. There won't be definite proof 

 of use which means it is very important 

 to keep a record of use to substantiate 

 even decreed rights if someone really 

 wanted to contest beneficial use. 



Ave Linford and Amos Garrison in relating 

 the Soil Conservation Service report, 

 told of budgets that are suffij^ient to 

 hire more people, but can't be done 



because of the current freeze on wages 

 and prices. The subject of revenue shar- 

 ing is temporarily suspended but is a 

 probability in the future. District 

 contributions for technical services for 

 last year amounted to $89,000, and $120,000 

 is planned for next year. They emphasized 

 that districts need to get involved in 

 county-wide land use planning. Many 

 districts have been involved. The SCS now 

 has a Type IV Study authorized for the 

 Clark Fork of the Columbia in addition to 

 the Clark Fork of the Yellowstone. SCS 

 has recently begun a Flood Plain Study 

 of the Bozeman area in cooperation with 

 the Montana Water Resources Board. 



Bob Anderson, Association President, and 

 A. G. Slattery, Association Vice President, 

 told of the purchase of a building from 

 the Carbon Conservation District for the 

 Plant Materials Center and suggested an 

 $80 assessment per district to pay for 

 this. Association legislative activity 

 Included meetings with the Montana delega- 

 tion in Washington, D. C. ' 



Amos Garrison told of SCS involvement 

 changing their role from planning exclusive- 

 ly with individuals to groups and units 

 of government. Broad planning serves 

 more people, has far reaching effects and 

 considers environment. Only 4*2% of the 

 population is actively engaged in agri- 

 culture. By giving service to all of 

 society, this has the effect of strength- 

 ening agriculture. 



# // // // // // // // 



Me need to be more imaginative and more far-thinking if we are to 

 achieve our objectives; to provide more natural resources to meet 

 society's needs; to protect man's health, safety and welfare, and 

 to preserve and improve the environment. The balance between 

 these thre<? goals is delicate; the relationship intricate; the 

 needs ever-changing. That is the nature of our challenge. 



John G. McLean, President 

 Continental Oil Company 



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