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Show Resource Problems of Utah Dr. W. P. Cottain At the fall meetings of the academy in Provo last October, the biological sections, jointly assembled, held a symposium on the sub .... ject of conservation in Utah. At the close of this symposium a resolution was passed asking the president of the Academy to ap point a conservation committee from the membership, the duties of which would be to survey ways and means of attacking some of the' urgent conservation problems confronting our state. It was as sumed that the ultimate object of the committee would be to secure .... .... some very necessary legislation. Dr. Angus M. Woodbury. was selected as chairman of this conservation committee, and he in turn sought and secured help from Academy members residing all the way from St. George to LOga:I. It is a duty, I believe, and certainly a pleasure, to acknowl edge with thanks the invaluable help and the tireless efforts that marked the activities of this conservation committee during the past months. Dr. Ross Hardy made two trips from St. George here at his own expense. Dr. VascoTanner and Dr. George Han sen made several trips from Provo and a number of us here in Salt Lake and Ogden spent many hours of time on these conser .... .... .... vation matters. In view of the great effort put forth by the committee and the urgency of the problems as we see them, it has occurred to me that the Academy in general would be interested in a progress report and in a brief summary of the resource conservation problems of Utah .. More than ten years ago a conservation association was or .... ganized in Utah with headquarters in Salt Lake City. The mem bership included specialists in all the fields of natural science, as well as in some of the social sciences. Dr. Woodbury acted as secretary of the association. For two or three years regular meet .... ings were held and many facts concerning the natural resources of Utah were assembled. Recommendations were finally presented to Governor Blood, who appointed a state planning board of con .... This board failed because it lacked authority to en force its plans, and thus little positive action ever resulted from the work of the conservation association. When our conservation committee held its first meeting last November, Dr. Woodbury had assembled and brought up to date the pertinent data of the old conservation association. At this meeting the advisability of drawing up a bill designed to coordinate th activities of the various state departments charged with the adininistration of our natural resources was considered. It was agreed .that the problems were so intricate and the time so short servation. . Volume 22, Proceedings of the Utah Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters C:""J |
