an alternative should not be required on non- federal land. 



6. When federal lands are exchanged, they should be transferred along 

 ■with all accompanying rights and privileges. Future legislation in this 

 area should recognize the inherent value of the rights and privileges 

 which accompany land ownership and should encourage the treatment of 

 these rights and privileges as commodities to be exchanged along with 

 the title of a tract of land. 



I suggest only one addition to the policy statement adopted by the Fed- 

 eration of Rocky Mountain States governors. I submit that any BLM organic 

 act should include the following provision: "The secretary shall delegate 

 management authority to state or local natural resoirrce management agencies 

 and entities where state statutes provide for such agencies and entities and 

 such agencies and entities demonstrate a willingness and capability to mana- 

 ge in the national interest consistent with provisions of the act." 



In Montana the principle of local control in the area of range manage- 

 ment has proven itself to be the only one workable. Our statewide Rangeland 

 Resource Program works through counties to promote range management improve- 

 ment. A rancher in each county is designated range leader and he establishes 

 various programs to improve the range resource in his area. The Montana 

 program is run entirely by volunteers although some money at the state level 

 has been appropriated by the legislature for administration purposes. The 

 people who know the range best are the ranchers themselves, and if proper 

 economic stimulants are provided and the best rangeland management tech- 

 niques are made known to them, they will do the job. 



As fiercely independent as our ranchers are, they have been willing 

 since 1879 when the Montana Stockgrowers Association was organized to promote 

 and protect their common interests. 



I am hopeful that this Governor's Conference on Montana Rangeland will 

 launch a new cooperative effort to correct past abuses and maximize the ben- 

 efits of rangeland. We must work hard if we are to maintain Montana's ag- 

 ricultural economy and rural way of life. 



I will support you in any way that I can. But I must disclose to you 

 one bias. I will support only those programs which are locally controlled. 



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