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Ninety-seven persons joined in the Treasure 

 County Soil and Water Conservation District sponsor- 

 ed school conservation tour for 6th, 7th, and 8th 

 graders this past Friday. 



Pollution control, streambank protection, water 

 management, and improvement of saline soils were 

 features of the field trip. 



The group saw severe erosion along the Yellow- 

 stone River above the Yellowstone Irrigation Ditch 

 diversion dsim. About 40 acres of land have been 

 lost along the Mrs. Art Boehm and Wart Fenton shore 

 line. Many more acres are endangered including the 

 future use of the YID diversion dam if the Yellowstone 

 River should change course and by-pass the dam. 



At the Bob Bell farm the group saw how stream- 

 bank erosion can be controlled by sloping the banks 

 and placing rock rip rap. 



The importance of stockwater for better grass- 

 land management was illustrated at the Cole Brothers 

 stockwater dam. 



The need for water conservation and improved 

 irrigation practices were discussed while observing 

 Dan Deveny's new sprinkler irrigation system, 

 Harold Zent's land levelling project, the concrete 

 drop sturctures at Deweese Lackey's, and the Hysham 

 Water Osers' Assoc, concrete ditch lining. 



During the noon lunch stop it was pointed out that 

 our total environment is being threatened by air and 

 water pollution, indiscriminate burning, and the 

 littering of our roads and countryside with junk. 



The improvement of saline land and the prevention 

 of salinity with deep tile drains were discussed at the 

 site of the Kolb Brothers, E. Verle Cole, and May- 

 nard Simmerman group tile drain. This deep tile was 

 installed in 1963 and has operated successfully ever 

 since. 



(conf nexf co/u m n. Top J 



On the tour were 81 Hysham students, teachers 

 Mrs. Ray Kimball and Glen Kimball, Ward Fenton ^^ 

 and Leslie Criswell of the SWCD board of supervlsora^P 

 County Extension Agent Eldon Rice, Montana Wildlife 

 Federation President Harold Miller, Bureau of Land 

 Management State Director Ed Zaidliez and assist- 

 ants Dana Bible and Birr ell Hershey, Montana Fish 

 and Game Department Game Manager Charles Eustace, 

 Mrs. Ramsey Adair and Agnes Engle of the Agricult- 

 ural Conservation and Stabilization Service, bus 

 drivers Lupe Lopez and Willis Rexford, and Jake 

 Patterson and Orville Zeeh of the Soil Conservation 

 Service. 



STATE SOIL CONSERVATION COMMITTEE 

 RECEIVES MORE WATERSHED APPLICATIONS 



Whitefish Lake - Residents of Whitefish and vicinity 

 met with the State Soil Conservation Committee at 

 its April meeting to present an application for works 

 of improvement to control the water levels of White- 

 fish lake from extreme highs of flooding and extreme 

 lows. Benefits would include recreation, pollution, 

 abatement, supplemental irrigation water supply, 

 flood protection. 



South Boulder - At this same meeting ranchers in 

 the South Boulder of Jefferson County representing 

 the South Boulder Water Users County Water District 

 applied for assistance in consolidating several irri- 

 gation canals to prevent erosion and seepage, and 

 conserve water for irrigation water management. 

 Town of Denton - Residents of the town of Denton 

 appeared before the SSCC June 3 to tell of flooding 

 problems in their town over the years and of damage 

 to adjacent croplands and wildlife habitat. They plan 

 to submit an application for P. L. 566 assistance. 

 Fiscal 1970 Program - The State Committee outlined 

 the following to receive continued or additional atten- 

 tion in the coming year: 1) Dissemination of pollution 

 control information 2) Addition of towns & cities to 

 districts 3) Conservation Education Coordinator 

 4) State Range program 5) SWCD Leadership work- 

 shops 6) Public Relations - (Correct misquotes) 

 7) Design long range programs and plans toward 

 total resource planning and development 9) Imple- 

 ment HB 179 in assisting districts to set up project 

 areas, etc. 



Governor's Coordinator for Council of Natural 

 Resources and Development George McGaffick made 

 a tour of the Big Spring Creek Watershed proposed 

 project in Fergus County with the State Soil Con- 

 servation Committee, City officials, an'^ SWCD 

 district officers on June 3. Mr. McGafiick express- 

 ed great satisfaction with this projeC. v filch consists 

 of five dams together with watershed management, 

 for flood prevention for the city of Lewistown, ex- 

 tensive recreation development, and r. A property 

 tax base improvement. The city has vot?d in favor 

 of a bond issue for their funds. 



