With regard to local control, the Department has: 



(1) Provided minimum standards and assistance where possible to Con- 

 servation Districts in the administration of the Streambed Preservation 

 Act - an example of the increasingly important part that the CD's are play- 

 ing in resource management. To help CD's meet these responsibilities, we 

 have in our budget a request for $250,000 to pass directly on to CD's over 

 the next two years. 



(2) Supported, officially and repeatedly, a provision in the BLM Org- 

 anic Act allowing delegation of land managment authority to authorized gov- 

 ernmental entities - that is, to state grazing districts. 



(5) Initiated a study in cooperation with the Lewis and Clark Conser- 

 vation District to develop a program of local regulation of sediment and 

 water quality. 



The Department of State Lands has also been active in providing assis- 

 tance by: 



(1) Working with lessees to develop range management plans which should 

 improve grazing capacity on 4 million acres of state lands. 



(2) Using 2-g^ of the rental fee for these lands to cost share or cover 

 the full cost on improvements such as range renovation, stockwater develop- 

 ment, and irrigation. 



These policies and programs evidence the belief of state government that 

 the long-range future of Montana lies with the development of an economy and 

 way of life based on renewable resources. 



But a listing of these programs should not be interpreted as complacency 

 about what has been done or about what needs to be done. Despite the popular 

 belief that the objective of most people in government is to devise ways to 

 preserve or even perpetuate their jobs, I believe that government works only 

 when it solves rather than creates problems. I also believe that solving pro- 

 blems cannot be done without making mistakes, without risking some degree of 

 public criticism. 



Above all, I believe that government cannot solve problems without the 

 continuing guidance, advice, and assistance of those for which government 

 exists. 



44 



