county range leader was appointed in each coxmty. The range leader, in 

 turn, selected a committee to help him acquaint the public with the impor- 

 tance of rangelands to the state and local economy. The committee is not 

 necessarily composed of agricultural members, but includes bankers, merch- 

 ants, teachers, and others who were not necessarily aware of the importance 

 and value of rangeland. The program is not essentially a physical kind of 

 program. Generally speak:ing, there are no new practices that the SCS, ex- 

 tension and other agencies are not already assisting with. The program is 

 basically concerned with coordinating the activities of all agencies involv- 

 ed in rangeland problems and keeping the public aware of the value of our 

 rangeland resources and improving and preserving them for future use. 



In closing, I would say that we are presently in the process of updat- 

 ing the information in the 1973 edition of the Montana Rangeland Resource 

 Program. This should be out later this year. New state and federal legis- 

 lation and programs will be included as they affect the program. Continued 

 support of the program will be requested of the upcoming legislature to in- 

 sure the future of this important part of the state resource program. 



Dick Kurth 



In January of 1972, after much preliminary work was done by our dis- 

 trict conservationist, a meeting was called of all the ranchers in our con- 

 servation district that were interested in rangeland improvement. At this 

 meeting, we discussed ways in which we could improve our rangeland and our 

 community by using the guidelines of the Montana Rangeland Resource Program. 



It was decided to form a Rangeland Improvement Council which would act 

 as an arm of the District Conservation Board. Being from Choteau County and 

 in the heart of some of Montana's extensive dryland farming, we felt that 

 we needed more representation for the grass rancher. 



To start our Rangeland Improvement Council, we divided our district 

 into three geographical areas. Each area is represented by three council 

 members. A tenth ex-officio member representes the District Conservation 

 Board. The original nine members drew straws to see who would serve one, 

 two and three year terms. Each year at the Annual Conservation District 

 Meeting, three board members are elected for three year terms. 



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