I 



By 

 Robert 

 iderson 



Montana can certainly be proud of the 

 delegation which traveled to Washington, 

 DC to attend the National Association of 

 Conservation Districts* convention. Some 

 40 people from all parts of the state were 

 present at what was the largest conven- 

 tion in NACD history 



Montana's delegation made double use 

 of this trip as we spent considerable time 

 visiting our Congressional delegation and 

 the various Federal agencies that we work 

 with We were also very active at the Con- 

 vention in supporting and passing our ma- 

 jor resolutions We shall also follow these 

 resolutions and press for action. I am sure 

 you are all aware that it is one thing to 

 sell an idea and yet another to gain the de- 

 sired results. 



I know that you have all had the oppor- 

 tunity to evaluate the new format of TREA- 

 SURE ACRES. Our circulation is being in- 

 creased and. hopefully, we will be able to 

 do a better job of keeping you and all 

 Montanans informed of our activities in 

 the future. 



Your board of directors has reviewed 

 all the resolutions passed at the last state 

 convention, and we believe we have ini- 

 tiated action in all cases If there is some- 

 thing in particular that you think needs fur- 

 ther attention, please feel free to write 

 me We need help and guidance from the 

 grass roots and. with it, I am sure we can 

 look forward to a successful year 



As I close this column. I would like to 

 remind all districts that their dues and 

 other special assessments are needed bad- 

 ly now. Your association does not have an 

 operating reserve. Bills come m to me reg- 

 ularly and I find it very embarrassing to 

 have to hold them until funds come in, so 

 please cooperate and get these commit- 

 ments taken care of 



Thank you! 



r\ 



HAVRE s 4 H CAMP THIS YEAR will bp held at the Beaver 

 Creek Recreation camp, the week of June 26-30, Roger Wilson 

 and Roy Lmn of the Extension Service will co-chairman the pro- 

 gram, to include environment, recreation management, wildlife, 

 soils and range. Groups interested in this year's program may 

 make arrangements with the local county agent. 



ANNUAL MEETING for the Montana Conservation 

 Council has been set for April 28-29 at the Holiday Inn in 

 Great Falls, according to Don Bosley, president. A special 

 invitation to participate has been extended members of the 

 MACD. with President Bob Anderson scheduled to partici- 

 pate on a panel for "Inventory Techniques and Implementa- 

 tion." 



A SER/SS OF 12 SUPERVISOR workshops, held throughout 

 Montana during February and March, has been completed, ac- 

 cording to Ole Ueland. chief of the Soil Conservation Bureau 

 Main topic of discussion was a review of legislation of concern 

 to conservation districts and new legislation related to land use 

 planning. 



THE LEAGUE OF CITIES AND TOWNS plans to hold a series 

 of meetings in June on the general topic of "Land Use Plan- 

 ning." County commissioners and conservation district supervis- 

 ors will be invited to participate in discussions on legislation being 

 proposed nationally as well as additional needed legislation for 

 Montana. 



AT A REORGANIZATION MEETING of the Montana Con- 

 servation Commission, held in February, Carl Johnson of 

 Livingston was elected chairman with Leo Hackley, Culbert- 

 son, vice chairman. A new member of the Commission, rep- 

 resenting Montana's Cooperative Grazing Districts, is Frank 

 Cimrhakl. Other members of the Commission include John 

 Vanisko, George Lackman, Torlief Aasheim, Joe Asleson and 

 A. B. Linford. The February meeting was the first the Com- 

 mission held as an advisory group to the Department of 

 Natural Resources and Conservation, as reorganized. 



THE STEERING COMMITTEE of the Headwaters Resource 

 Conservation and Development Project is working presently to 

 inform the public of the potential of an RC&D project. The Head- 

 waters RC&D has been expanded to include, in addition to the 

 original sponsors from Mile High, Jefferson and Deer Lodge CDs. 

 the Madison. Ruby and Beaverhead CDs— all of the six counties 

 involved- Typical of the projects being promoted by the Head- 

 waters group are. the Boulder Watershed project, the George- 

 town Lake Study, a town sewer project and several recreational 

 developments and soil surveys for countywide planning. 



THE LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY Conservation District has 



accepted responsibility for establishing zoning ordinances for 

 the protection of agriculture in the county The action was taken 

 at the request of the City-County Planning Board 



DEER LODGE VALLEY Conservation District reports the 

 hiring of Daniel McElderry as an employee made available 

 through the Emergency Employment Act. 



WITH THE FORMATION OF THE Regional Planning Associa- 

 tion of Western Montana, land use planning is becoming an active 

 issue in Granite County. The county commissioners and the Gran- 

 ite Conservation District has asked that local people become ac- 

 tive participants in this program which plans for the future of 

 Granite County. 



TWO YOUNG PEOPLE WILL BE INVITED to serve as Asso- 

 ciate Supervisors of the McCone County Conservation District, 

 according to action taken by the board Present plans call for two 

 high school students to be selected 



THE PUBLIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE on Soil and Water 

 Conservation has urged the USDA to redouble its efforts to 

 inform the public of agricultural contributions to environ- 

 mental improvement. Specific areas, felt in need of addition- 

 al attention, included agricultural related sediment control 

 and animal-waste disposal; watershed activity and resource 

 conservation and development projects, and public access 

 to water resource projects. 



TRAVEL AMERICA AND WHEREVER YOU GO you are apt 

 to find whole communities caught up in an effort to shape up their 

 surroundings. Resource conservation, with an accent on wise 

 use. is playing a part The activity, according to SCS. is especially 

 evident in Georgia, where the Georgia Electric Membership Cor- 

 poration, a statewide organization of rural electric cooperatives, 

 and the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts are urging 

 resource conservation in a Beautification through Conservation 

 Awards Program. The program rewards with cash and glory those 

 counties and communities making exceptional progress in conser- 

 vation and beautification. It is now in its fourth year. 



QUOTED FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: "Cities are 

 filthy. Farms are dean. That's the way it seems to most people- 

 While the battle over insecticides may have marred the farm's 

 wholesome, bucolic image, the American farmer has managed to 

 stay aloof from much of the national furor over pollution. But all 

 this is changing. Pollution controllers increasingly conclude that 

 farms account for a surprising amount of the nation's pollution 

 in several categories— even in cities. For instance, many cities 

 draw their drinking water from rural areas, where contamination 

 from livestock feedlots, and fertilizer-soaked fields, is heavy. The 

 National Wildlife Federation estimates that 15 per cent of all U.S. 

 water pollution eminates from agricultural sources . . ." 



BEGINNING IN LATE JUNE, some 3,000 boys and girls 

 around the nation will begin 8-week tours of conservation 

 work in the country's national forests, parks and other fed- 

 erally administered land areas. Budgeted at $3.5-million, the 

 1972 Youth Conservation Camp program has plans to oper- 

 ate 95 camps that will draw participants from all the states, 

 the District of Columbia and American Samoa. 



In Proposed MACD/OSPI Projecf . . . 



Treasure Acres' Broadens Role 



(Continued from Page 1 ) 



trict supervisors throughout the state 

 to develop a closer liaison between 

 conservation teaching theory and in- 

 field conservation practices— with the 

 various District Supervisors expected 

 to play a major role tn working with 

 teachers in providing experience and 

 expertise in conservation education 

 (field trips, farm/ranch tours, slide 



presentations, in-class demonstrations, 



etc). 



Here, again, we need your support and 

 cooperation. While the initial application 

 was drawn up and submitted at the state 

 level without local district support there 

 can be no hope of federal financing. As 

 might be imagined there is a tremendous 

 competition among all of the states for the 



Dream House or... 



NIGHTMARE? 



City folks wax romantic at the idea of a weekend retreat in the country. 



They know just what it should be like; a spacious, handsomely rustic dwelling sur- 

 rounded by just enough lovely trees and within easy view of a stream . . . yet not too 

 far from the city! 



And some get their dream house — a fraction of one per cent, that is — mostly those 

 with lots of luck. 



Too often, however, you buy or build your dream house with everything you think 

 you need, move in and then — 



The basement floods, the septic tank doesn't work, the foundation slips or cracks, 

 a hillside slides into your living room ... or your split level house really does split) 



Your dream house turns into an expensive nightmare. 



To help prospective homeowners avoid such nightmares, the Cascade County Con- 

 servation District has published a booklet — "Dream House or Nightmare?" — intended 

 to help homeowners evaluate that most basic part of any home . . . the soil it sits on. 



And if you'd like a copy, address your request to Dream House, c/o 4930 9th Avenue 

 South. Great Falls, Montana. 



available funds and while Montana's Con- 

 gressional delegation have promised every 

 assistance, their strength in pushing for 

 the project can only be provided by you — 

 the individual conservationists. 



Elsewhere in this issue of TREASURE 

 ACRES is a copy of a letter sent to Sen. 

 Mike Mansfield in support of the project. 

 Hopefully you, individually and as a dis- 

 trict, wilt see fit to write, telephone or wire 

 similar comments to Montana's Congres- 

 sional delegation And the time is now. 

 According to the Office of Education, the 

 grant awards will be announced "in early 

 spring" which means that any support we 

 can muster for the program must go out 

 immediately. Can you, will you pick up the 

 ball . and help win support for what 

 has to be one of the most innovative pro- 

 grams ever proposed for conservation ed- 

 ucation/information? 



A small sample of what the "new" 

 TREASURE ACRES will look like eventual- 

 ly is evidenced in this (and the convention 

 issue) publication. If you like the general 

 direction of its appearance and content 

 —and would like to see it continued and 

 expanded— then, as they used to say in 

 the beginning typing exercise, now is 

 the time to come to the aid of your coun- 

 try. (Incidentally, we'd like your comments 

 on these last two issues of TREASURE 

 ACRES, too let us know what you 



like, don't like, areas where you would like 

 to see more information and coverage — 

 in short, let us hear from you so we'll 

 know if we're heading in the right direc- 

 tion ) 



73 



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