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Show basic resources. The Federal Government may be required to take the lead in indicating such areas, and perhaps in determining the lines along which cooperation could most usefully be adopted. RECOMMENDATIONS On the basis of the preceding analyses, indi- cating the crucial importance of watershed man- agement and the various problems which must be dealt with, the Commission recommends that: 1. Soil and forest conservation should occupy a place of major importance in the planning and carrying out of river basin programs. Work on the watershed management aspects of these pro- grams should be accelerated so as to proceed in a reasonable relationship with the construction of major basin projects for water storage and use. 2. The farm and water resources policies of the Federal Government should be revised so that they support, rather than conflict with, the fundamental purpose of arresting further deterio- ration of the land. Farm policies which hamper the progress of soil conservation should be revised promptly. 3. The work of the various agencies responsible for watershed management activities should be coordinated into a single effective program for each basin and for the country as a whole. 4. Techniques should be developed to measure and evaluate the accomplishments in the field of watershed management and to estimate the size of the job still to be done. 5. The Federal Government should make pro- vision for more effective management of the public lands in order to improve forest and forage growth and minimize the erosion which now pol- lutes the streams. Where precipitation is too small to support adequate vegetation, grazing should be eliminated. Where irregular grazing is feasible, more stringent controls should be adopted. Stock numbers should be adjusted to the carrying capacity of the range, and not allowed to increase as a result of the increase in irrigated field crops. 6. Federal mining laws should be revised to make possible the development of nonmineral as well as mineral assets, and for the withdrawal of the more vulnerable watershed lands. Provi- sion should be made for the cancellation of claims not used for bona fide mining operations or in accordance with conditions designed to protect the public interest in erosion control. 7. Expenditures for soil and forest conserva- tion and other aspects of watershed management should be increased in line with the expansions recommended elsewhere for regional develop- ment programs. Particularly, means should be explored for obtaining the cooperation of private operators in regional conservation programs and for enforcing conservation practices where necessary. 8. The necessity for public acquisition of areas which cannot be properly utilized and conserved under private ownership should be recognized. 9. In areas where land acquisition is not neces- sary, but where existing programs are inadequate to achieve satisfactory watershed management, ways should be found to increase the participa- tion of the operators and the general public. The provision of credit on moderate terms through private lending institutions is an example of such a technique; it might, in the future, need to be supported through Federal loan agencies. 140 |
