Coulee City dispatch. [volume] (Coulee City, Wash.) 19??-19??, 1941-03-20
Conservation Plan
Now Taking Shape

Secretary Of the Interior Harold ..
1eKes announced that the master soil
conservation plan, devised for oonserv
ing and protecting the tremendous nat
utal resources of the vast domain a.d-.
min1stered by the Department Of the
interior, has emerged from the organ
Hatlon stage into ,funetioning program
now swinging into full,fledged activ-
NY throughout the western States.
me new work for combating soil and
water losses and improving land-use
practice on more than. ESQ. 900 900
acres Of land, represents an important
contribution by the Department Of the
Interior toward the Nations national
defense efforts. Secretary Ickes said.
Within eight months after taking
over sole responsibility for safeguard,
ing public lands against the ravages
Of uncontrolled erosion, II projects,
covering nearly A million acres have
been set up and are progressing rapid
~. The conservation program is Depart
nent-wide in scope. It is under I'M
mediate direction of Lee Muck, As
sistant to the. Secretary in Charge sof
Land Utilization; and is being carried
out by the. several acknowledgement
bureaus and services Of the Depart
Hent of the Interior.
'For the first time in the history Of
the GATED States Secretary Ickes
stated. -four great land reserve is Der
ing operated under an ah-inclusiya
plan that will guard rich soil. and for.
est wealth of the country against en-
ploitation and misuse. During the long
period when transfer of public land to
Private ownership was the policy, of
the Federal Government, the Depart
ment Of the interior licked authority
and funds with which adequately to
protect these resources. AS a. result,
improper use and overgrazing brought
abest 4 SERIOUS state Of deterioration.
Consequently the Acknowledgements
agencies of the Department are faced
with an enormous task of rehabilita
tion.
In the aggregate the. acreage un;
der the jurisdiction Of tae Department
Of the Interior constitutes major part
of the principal watersheds Of the
West from, WHICH flow the streams on
which irrigation depends; it makes up
the primary range resources, and is
the key to the. safe use of private
lands with which it is intermingled.
Not alone for the people Of the West
must our landed. estate. -Sbe guarded
against wastage and desiccation. Every
citizen ofathe United States has
stake in these lands. They are of vital
present and future value to the econ
omic and social welfare of the, entire
country,
IF "Protection of natural resources IS
, necessary. to the success of the pres
emit all.out national defense program.
Few people stop to think what is back
OF our preparedness effort The out
come Of the whole undertaking will
depend upon how we utilize our talents
and our resources. Everything that
comes from the soil, even the soil 1t
self and the minerals that lie beneath
it, are essential elements in the task
that lies ahead. No army, no power
plant. no industrial or preparedness
endeavor can operate without the food
and raw materials that come from tha
public lands. We are learning that we
can use our inherent sources of wealtn'
and at the same time defend them for
all future needs"
"