DISTRICT SUPERVISORS ELECT BOB ANDERSON PRESIDENT 



Robert Anderson, Fort Benton, was ele- 

 vated to president of the Montana Associa- 

 tion of Soil & Water Conservation Districts 

 during concluding sessions of the 29th 

 annual convention of the statewide asso- 

 ciation of conservationists In Great Falls 

 November 6. 



Other officers elected for 1971 in- 

 clude A. G. S lattery, Hardin, vice pres- 

 ident; Wendell Martinell, Butte, treasurer; 

 and Mrs. William Baluka, Helena, secretary. 



Women's auxiliary officers were elect- 

 ed for next year include Mrs. Harm Uhlrich, 

 Lewistown, president; Mrs. Raymond Patrick, 

 Havre vice-president; and Mrs James McCann, 

 Chinook, secretary. 



Mrs. Uhlrich, S lattery, Anderson, Baluka 



The theme of the Convention was "Co- 

 ordination and Cooperation for a Quality 

 Envi ronment." 



Conservation Leadership Urged 



The present search for a solution to 

 environmental problems through organiza- 

 tion should alert conservation districts 

 to move now i f they 

 want to see local 

 control of the con- 

 servation and devel- 

 opment of natural 

 resources survive. 

 This was the con- 

 clusion of Howard 



Geers, executive „ 



1 . ., Geers 



secretary of the 



South Dakota State Conservation Commission 

 in an address to the 29th annual conven- 



tion of the Montana Association of Soil 4 

 Water Conservation Districts. 



Geers said the conservation districts 

 have the authority and they have devel- 

 oped the organization, leadership, ability 

 and know-how to be the natural resource 

 or environmental departments of each 

 county, each state and the nation. 



"The decision is yours," he said. 

 "Improvement of our environment Is up for 

 grabs. Conservation districts don't have 

 to grab for a part in improving the en- 

 vironment. They have been working at It 

 for many years." ' 



All the districts need to do, he said 

 is to up date their present long-range 

 programs, tell people what they are plan- 

 ning to do now and In the future and of- 

 fer their services to legislatures, state 

 planning areas, counties and others. 



Geers remarked that the majority of 

 the people of this nation need to under- 

 stand that the land is the basis of their 

 total existence. 



"This majority of our people need to 

 understand and our children must be taught 

 that the earth can support just so many 

 people. Our present concept that we will 

 have an ever- increasing gross nation pro- 

 duct that wi I I suppo^^ an endless increase 

 in population isn't possible. We have 

 just so much oxygen, so much water and 

 land to support plants, animals and man." 

 Geers said. 



Zaidiicz, Mclntyre, Shubat, Marxer Jackson, 

 Aldrlch,and Wenban 

 In an afternoon panel discussion 



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