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acres were cooperating with their local districts at the end of fiscal 1966. Many of them had developed long-term conservation plans for their lands— recording their decisions about future land use and treatment needs, and combinations of practices needed for conservation, protection, and improvement. Such practices included contour farming, conservation cropping systems, stripcropping, and covercropping on croplands; pasture planting, range seeding, and proper use of grazing lands; and tree planting, selective cutting and other improvements on woodlands. Terraces, farm ponds, grassed waterways, water management or structural works may also be a part of conservation plans. More than a hundred different resource conservation practices are applicable in various ways in different parts of the country. Many landowners received assistance in establishing recreation enterprises on their land to supplement their income or to serve as their primary source of income.

During 1964-66 about 313,157 landowners and operators were assisted by the USDA's Soil Conservation Service (SCS) in developing new conservation plans on 108 million acres. In addition, technical assistance was provided to more than 1 million district cooperators each year in applying their planned practices to the land. This included review of plans, making revisions where desired, detail designs, layout, or supervision of construction work when necessary to meet technical standards.

TECHNICAL OPERATIONS

Technical and other assistance to soil and water conservation districts, communities and groups included conducting soil surveys to determine land-use capabilities and treatment needs, publishing the survey data and maps, and helping landowners and operators develop and apply conservation plans.

During 1964-66, field mapping of 178 million acres of soil surveys was completed. Some 903 million acres have been surveyed in sufficient detail for use in conservation planning of farms, ranches, watersheds, and many nonagricultural purposes. During this period, use of and requests for soil surveys by State, city, and town planning groups increased substantially. HELP TO FOREIGN NATIONALS AND COUNTRIES

As a means of improving resources and developing agriculture to increase food production, SCS greatly increased its technical assistance and training to other nations during 1964-66.

In fiscal year 1966 alone, SCS had 27 conservation technicians on longterm assignment to resource projects in Tunisia, Thailand, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Brazil, and Algeria. Some 30 SCS technicians were in 17 foreign countries on short-term assignments.

New programs were started in India and Ecuador in 1966, and arrangements were made to station a 5-man technical team in Vietnam, for an 18-month assignment.

In 1966, SCS provided training in the United States for 429 visitors from 52 countries throughout the world, who spent a total of about 5,000 man-days at field locations and in the Washington headquarters. They received training in such fields as soils, geology, hydrology, engineering, biology, cartography, management, and others related to soil and water conservation. Training periods ranged from a few days to several months.

RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

PROJECTS

Under the Food and Agriculture Act of 1962, Congress authorized the Department of Agriculture to give special attention and help to local community areas to improve their economy. In Resource Conservation and De

velopment (RC&D) projects devised to meet this need, local citizens and groups work together with USDA help to speed improvement of an area's natural resources as a base for economic growth.

Twenty RC&D projects were in operation by the end of 1966, and six others were being planned. Nearly 50 applications for RC&D project assistance had been received by SCS.

In the projects in operation, more than 1,000 project measures had been activated. They covered a wide range of activities to develop natural resources, expand employment, improve community facilities including those for recreation, and provide a better environment.

Resource improvement already has attracted 16 new industries to the first ten RC&D project areas, providing several hundred new jobs for area residents.

AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM

The Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP) shares with farmers (includ ing ranchers and woodland owners) the costs of authorized soil, water, woodland, wildlife, and beautification conservation work on farms. The program, initiated in 1936, is operated on a conservation-with-use basis as a farmerGovernment partnership. It is administered locally by elected community and county committees of farmers.

Program trends during 1964-66 included continued emphasis on water conservation practices and those that help to establish permanent vegetative cover (grass, legumes, and trees), measures primarily to benefit wildlife, the addition of beautification conservation practices, growing correlation with soil and water conservation districts, small watershed conservation, and resource conservation and development programs.

During 1964-66 ACP helped:

2 million farmers plant or improve stands of 0.8 million acres of trees, establish 8.7 million acres of permanent-type vegetative cover,

increase the extent of grasses and legumes in regular crop rotation by 3.5 million acres,

⚫ stripcrop 0.8 million acres,

terrace 1.5 million acres,

level 0.7 million acres of irrigable land,

line 3,000 miles of irrigation ditches to control erosion and conserve irrigation water,

⚫ perform conservation drainage for 2.5 million acres,

control competitive shrubs on 3.7 million acres,

construct 121,000 water storage reservoirs,

and install many other conservation practices.

Many of these measures make secondary, but important, contributions to outdoor recreation, and most of them add to the beauty of the countryside. ACP bears about half the cost and farmers the remainder, of this approved conservation work. The total amount of ACP funds and farmers' contributions invested in this work in the 3 years was about $1 billion. A substantial part of the farmer's share may consist of his own and family labor and the use of his farm equipment.

ACP funds helped about 200,000 farm owners and operators in 1,400 authorized and organized watershed program areas (flood control, watershed protection, water conservancy district, and tributary or community watersheds) accelerate their farm and watershed conservation programs. They also helped about 50,000 farmers in 20 resource conservation and development project areas and 12 rural renewal counties establish conservation measures.

Special funds for emergency conservation measures in disaster areas were appropriated by Congress to share costs of approved emergency measures to control wind erosion on farmlands or to rehabilitate farmlands damaged by wind erosion, floods, hurricanes, or other natural disasters. During 1964-66, $22 million of these emergency conservation funds were used, principally due to flood, drought, and windstorm damage, in designated counties of 35 States to assist with farmland protection and restoration measures. Among these were removal of debris, shaping and grading eroded areas, restoring erosion control and water-storage structures such as terraces, diversions, and ponds, repairing damaged drainage and irrigation systems, cleaning and stabilizing drainage channels, and installing wind-erosion control and water-saving measures.

County committees transferred about $25 million of ACP funds to other agencies which provided service for soil, water, woodland, and wildlife conservation measures requiring engineering or other technical guidance to farmers, ranchers, and woodland owners.

In some areas having special economic problems, ACP cost-sharing and operating procedures were adjusted under ACP special projects to help meet the rural areas development needs of farmers with underused labor, land, water, or woodland resources. State and county committees, with other agency representatives and farmers, determined the most needed conservation practices which would help the farmers better use their resources and increase their income, such as the establishment of improved pastures or improved management and harvesting in woodland areas. In some counties, higher rates of costsharing were offered to farmers, especially low-income farmers, to carry out a specified amount of the selected practice.

Community committeemen encouraged farmers, ranchers, and woodland owners who had been doing little or no conservation work to undertake a significant new conservation project. From 1964-66, more than 500,000 such persons began conservation practices.

APPALACHIAN LAND STABILIZATION AND

CONSERVATION PROGRAM

The regional Appalachian Land Stabilization and Conservation Program authorized in 1965, offers three 10-year cost-sharing agreements to landholders -with preference to needy persons-in designated counties of that region which extends to 373 counties in 12 States. The program provides for land stabilization erosion and sediment control, reclamation through changes in land use, and the establishment of measures for the conservation and development of soil, water, woodland, wildlife, and recreation resources.

The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service has administrative leadership of the program which is developed in cooperation with the State governments and the Appalachian Regional Commission. The Soil Conservation Service help participating landholders prepare conservation and development farm plans. The Soil Conservation Service and the Forest Service (the latter through State forestry agencies) provide technical assistance for practice installation. The Farmers Home Administration provides credit services. During 1966, agreements were entered into on 164,000 acres of 7,100 farms in 137 counties of the 12 States.

LAND USE FOR RECREATION

Public recreation facilities cannot be established fast enough to keep up with rapidly growing demand. This can be done, however, on privately owned rural lands. Abundant resources of land and water hold the answer to the consumer's need for more outdoor recreation. Hills, fields, woods, streams, lakes,

farm ponds-these are the setting of outings and vacations enjoyed or sought by increasing millions.

To develop such areas, skillful management of soil, water, plants, and wildlife is necessary. The Food and Agriculture Acts of 1962 and 1965 authorize assistance to farmers and other landowners and operators in the proper development of recreation resources for profit. Private recreation can be the primary use of land in certain areas, but it is more likely to be part of a multiple-use system for rural land.

Technical help, cost-sharing, and long-term loans are now offered to individuals and groups in establishing recreation facilities. From 1964-66, the Department of Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service, through soil conservation districts, helped nearly 17,500 landowners and operators in establishing recreation enterprises. Since 1962, the Soil Conservation Service has helped 3,290 landowners and operators establish recreation as a primary source of income on 1.2 million acres of land.

The Farmers Home Administration made loans to individuals and groups for recreation development. The Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service has long-term adjustment and cost-sharing agreements, 1964-66, for changing cropland to outdoor recreation (public access) uses, which include about 500,000 acres on about 6,000 farms under the Cropland Adjustment, Cropland Conversion, and Appalachian Land Stabilization and Conservation Programs. Also great amounts of the conservation practices performed by farmers under the Agricultural Conservation Program and on land under the annual acreage diversion programs have important secondary benefits to outdoor recreation.

Recreation development is a worthy land use. It provides many farmers and ranchers an opportunity to increase their incomes and help meet recreation needs of rural and urban people.

Of major significance are efforts to coordinate Federal recreation programs through the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation of the Department of the Interior, and to promote cooperation and provide assistance to States, local governments, and private interests in planning and developing outdoor recreation.

Coordination is directed toward harmony and economy in Federal recreation programs. These include the soil and water management, land use adjustment, loan and grant, small watershed and resource conservation and development programs of the Department of Agriculture; the flood control, navigation, and shoreline programs of the Corps of Engineers; the irrigation, wildlife, fisheries, reclamation, power, and water programs of the Department of the Interior; water pollution control, public health and sanitation programs of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; urban renewal and public facility programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the area redevelopment and accelerated public works programs of the Department of Commerce; loan programs of the Small Business Administration; and the resource management programs of the Tennessee Valley Authority, among others.

WATERSHED PROGRAMS

The Small Watershed Program furnishes an effective means of dealing with land use and water problems in upstream watersheds. The program, created by the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (Public Law 83-566), has been repeatedly broadened by Congress in an effort to stimulate economic growth in rural areas. Through the program, rural and urban people can deal with land use and water problems in watershed areas up to 250,000

acres.

Through watershed projects, rural and urban people have shown they can

halt unchecked soil erosion and excessive water runoff, stop destructive floods, improve drainage, provide more efficient irrigation, supply water for growing municipal and industrial needs, attract new industries, enhance fish and wildlife resources, and provide recreation facilities.

Projects are planned and carried out jointly by local, State, and Federal agencies with the full understanding and support of a large majority of the land-owners and citizens of the community. Local people must initiate the projects, build them, and help pay for them. The Department of Agriculture offers technical, engineering, cost-sharing help, and long-term loans. The Soil Conservation Service administers the program.

During 1964-66, 438 applications were made for assistance in watershed development, 280 projects were approved for planning, and 232 projects were approved for construction. By the end of 1966, a total of 2,575 applications had been made covering some 188 million acres of land. A total of 1,282 projects had been approved for planning assistance, of which 801 were in construction or completed.

RIVER BASIN STUDIES

The Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with other Federal, State, and local agencies, makes investigations and surveys of the watersheds of rivers and other waterways as a basis for the formulation of coordinated programs for water and related land resources development.

The Department completed such surveys on 15 river basins or portions of basins during 1964-66. The nature and objective of the surveys varied widely -but in general they covered upstream water and related land resource problems and development needs and provided information about opportunities to meet those needs.

FISH AND WILDLIFE

The Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Department of Interior, carries out the responsibilities of the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (48 Stat. 401, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq.) and Section 12 of the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (68 Stat. 666, as amended; 16 U.S.C. 1008). Certain of its responsibilities are also related to Section 18 of the Federal Power Act. Other legislation includes the Federal Water Project Recreation Act (79 Stat. 213) and the Water Resources Planning Act (79 Stat. 244). General planning practices for all of the Federal agencies in the field are described in "Policies, Standards, Procedures in the Formulation, Evaluation, and Review of Plans for Use and Development of Water and Related Land Resources," Senate Document No. 97, 87th Congress, 2nd Session and its Supplement No. 1, “Evaluation Standards for Primary Outdoor Recreation Benefits."

In carrying out these responsibilities, the Bureau investigates water resource. development projects of the Bureau of Reclamation, the Corps of Engineers, and small watershed projects under the program of the Soil Conservation Service. It also studies non-Federal projects which require Federal permits or licenses from the Federal Power Commission, the Corps of Engineers, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Atomic Energy Commission. During these investigations, the Bureau works closely with the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and with State fish and game agencies. The Bureau determines the probable effects of proposed water-use projects on fish and wildlife resources and develops plans for the protection and improvement of these resources as an integral part of the project. These plans are recommended to the Federal construction or licensing agency. The Bureau investi

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