The Sidney herald., 1960-08-03
DeIford Milne
Gives Report On
4-H Camp Trip
By .Delford Milne
RicheY, Montana

FIRST l wish to thank all those
responsible for my trip as a dele
gate to the 1860 Conservation
Camp, the Richland County
Agents, the Richland County Soil
Conservation District and Mr.
Charles L.. Horn for the privilege
of attending such a worthwhile
camp from July Ills.
Monday morning, July II John
Luft and myself left as delegates
to State All Conservation Camp
Mr.. Ravig, Wibaux County Agent
drove us to the Kiwanis Youth
Camp, Hill County.
AS soon as we reached the camn
site, about 81 miles south of Havre
we registered, unpacked. made
our beds, and generally got acqu-
ainted.
There were four workshop
groups: 1. Forest Management =
Richards Marks, Extension Fores-
try Specialist. 2. Range Manage
ment, Karl Parker, Extension
Range Management Specialist. 8.
Wildlife Management, Eldon
Smith, Extension Fish and Wild
life Specialist. 4. Soil Management
Rex Campbell, Extension Conserv-
alton Specialist.
l registered in the Range man
agement group.
One of the basic ideas of con-
Servation deals with the interre-
lationShips between animals. ami
mails and plants and plants them
selves. 1t is mans obligation to
keep a healthy balance between
soil, water and plant resources
on which all animals depend.
Most Of Montana is covered
with range grasses. Conservation
of our grass resource is vital 20
all. Watersheds in Montana pro-
by this grass resource are
also vital to people in other states
because waters from the Missouri
and Columbia Rivers flow to other
Many industries and
business enterprises depend upon
water from Montana range and
forests. This water irrigates fertile
valleys and supports prosperous
cities. Our wild game and fish de-
pend upon range and water
Montana has 60, 900 acres of
range land and five-sixths of this
S grazed by livestock. A little
more than one-half of it is actually
owned by ranchers. How this
is managed is vital to our
agricultural income and future
generations. $685. 900 acres of
his range is under private man
agement.
Range management and range
conservation mean about the same
.hlng. When range land is we'll
managed 1T will be conserved and
produce food, fiber and water at
highest possible level. Range
management is the handling of
,ange IN a way that will produce
he most products over a long per-
of time. Mis-management ex-
POSES soil to the forces of erosion
Water is wasted.
We worked with range plant
groups, plant parts, plant ident-
.flcation and range sites. Nature
ats the plants to the range.
Range plants have a definite
pattern of reaction to grazing DR.
Parker took us on two field trips.
One on range condition and site
Judging and one on comparative
range observation. Range condition
means range health. Only man
IAN keep it that way.
Some plants can stand more
grazing than others. The best
range grasses are the deeper root
I'd and taller ones. They produce
more feed if you Craze half and
cave half of the weight of the
ops.
Some improved range practices
include rotation grazing. deferred
5razlng, range rest, sailing plans
stock water development. seeding
burning occasionally and control
II poisonous and noxious plants
DR.. Parker couldn't help but
make me feel the importance of
zach small plant on a vast grazing
lrea and how misuse of range
would invite the less nutritious
md less edible plants to take over.
1 continued, misuse would event
produce less nutritious and
wen poisonous plants to replace
he healthy plants of the range.
One interesting feature was the
orelgn campers part of the pro-
ram. They were Kazue IwaSaki.
.apan; William DeVrieze, Neither
.nds; Giancarlo Rovati, Italy.
l believe that every American
.ould profit from the Conservation
ledge. 81 give my pledge as an
American to save and faithfully
iefend from waste the natural re-