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Show that needed for bona fide mineral development, with title to the surface remaining in the Government. An alternative solution would be to dispose of all minerals under the terms of the Mineral Leas- ing Act of 1920. This would permit an admin- istrative decision as to whether, in some cases, mining should be subordinated to other values. Even if one of these revisions were adopted, there would be some especially vulnerable water- sheds which, should be closed to mining. A third possibility is to require that land dam- aged by mining be restored to existing produc- tivity before the mine operation. The Soil Conservation Service The Soil Conservation Service is one of a number of agencies, several of them within the Department of Agriculture, which are responsible for some aspect of watershed management. It was founded in 1935, replacing an agency known as the Soil Erosion Service in the Interior De- partment, established 2 years earlier. The rea- son for their existence was the combination of serious drought and erosion in great areas of the Nation, with a depression which necessitated supports to farm income and reemployment measures. The purpose of the Service was stated in 1938: "The job now is to develop from experience co- ordinated systems of defense [against erosion]- farm-by-farm, field-by-field management pro- grams that will preserve the farm and at the same time make that farmer more money." The work of the Soil Conservation Service was originally carried on through educational programs. The Service set up several hundred large demonstration areas, ranging in size from a few thousand to several hundred thousand acres. It soon became apparent that demonstra- tion alone was not enough to meet the widespread and serious threat of erosion. It also became apparent that a new mechanism was needed to enlist the cooperation of the fanners in the work. The Federal Government could not pay the whole cost of the conservation job, as it had done largely for the demonstration projects. The result of this need was the creation of soil conservation districts, organized under State laws patterned after a model bill, to cooperate with the Government in widespread application of soil conservation principles. The first soil conservation district law was passed by Arkansas on March 3, 1937, only 5 days after a letter was sent out suggesting the adoption of such State laws. Four months later, 17 more States had enacted such legislation. Individual districts were set up almost as promptly. The first started operations in August 1937. The work of the Soil Conservation Service is now carried on primarily through such soil con- servation districts. These districts are operated through the cooperative activity of farmers who have agreed to utilize the technical and engineer- ing services provided by Soil Conservation Serv- ice, and other Federal, State, and local agencies in order to improve a whole area, rather than an individual farm. The idea is based on a recognition that conservation is not an individual farm problem-that water and erosion do not respect man's boundary lines, and that coopera- tion is necessary if erosion is to be brought under control. The Extension Service A forerunner of the Soil Conservation Service, and a partner today in conservation work, is the Extension Service. Set up in 1915 under the Smith-Lever Act, it taught terracing, cover-crop- ping, the improvement of pastures and livestock, and particularly crop diversification. The county agents, through educational programs, have worked closely with the various conserva- tion agencies, as well as the soil conservation districts. Additional educational work is badly needed. Farmers need to be kept constantly informed on the reasons for conservation, and new methods and techniques for increasing yield. So also does the public need to be kept informed on the need for and progress of conservation programs. 134 |