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Show Supervisors' Deport Reveals Progress In Uintah Basin S.C.S. District; Board Directs Activities Without Pay The following report of the activities, of the Uintah Basin Soil Conservation District was recently, compiled and presented by Alden D. White, chairman of the board of supervisors. Inas- much as it contains much valuable val-uable and informative information informa-tion relating to all the Basin, the entire report is being published. pub-lished. The Basin district board of supervisors su-pervisors in addition to Mr White are Joe Wilcken, Tabiona farmer and stockman, vice-chairman; vice-chairman; Leslie Goodrich, Bluebell; LaRue Pickup, Rand-lett, Rand-lett, and Marvin Smith. Vernal. This group works very closely with the farmers and office and field personnel of the SCS, and without compensation. Thomas B. Evans is the district dis-trict conservationist employed by the Soil Conservation Service. Ser-vice. He and others on the SCS staff, who work out of the Roosevelt Roos-evelt office, cooperate very closely with the Uintah Basin Soil Conservation District. ANNUAL 1951 REPORT GENERAL While soil conservation con-servation itself has made rapid strides during the past decade in the Uintah Basin, the knowledge knowl-edge of what a Soil Conservation Conserva-tion Distict is and how it functions func-tions has still not become gen- erally understood by the major-ity major-ity of the people. Considerable : time has been spent along educational edu-cational lines in trying to get over to the people that the Uintah Basin Soil Conservation District was voted into existence exis-tence by them in the first place, and that it is a means of local self-government. We supervisors do not receive any pay for our district work, nor are we looking for any; but we would like very much to have everyone within the District Dis-trict boundaries know what a district is, and work with us to make their district a success. The Uintah Soil Conservation District cannot be dictated to by any state or federal bureau or agency, nor has the federal government the authority to create a soil conservation district dis-trict or appoint a supervisor. However, we have discovered that through our Uintah Soil Conservation District we can work together in an organized, neighborly way to solve our own local conservation problems. prob-lems. Districts provide a means where farmers, government, industry, in-dustry, business, and education can work as a team for the strength and health of their community as well as for the nation. EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES The District donated $150 00 to the Duchesne County schools for purchase of film strips and iiterature dealing with conservation. conserva-tion. The School Board matched this amount and all material purchased became the property of the schools. Many . classes developed conservation con-servation projects, each of which were inspected by either the County Agent or a Soil Conservation Conser-vation District representative. A total of 102 films were shown to 6012 people and school children during the year. The County Agents assisted wholeheartedly whole-heartedly in this program. A display of grasses that can be grown in the Uintah Basin were shown at the Duchesne County Fair. Two meetings were held with Veteran trainee classes, with 90 students in attendance. In cooperation with Uintah County Agent Clair Acord, the Forest Supervisor and the Soil Conservation Service, two radio ra-dio broadcasts dealing with conservation con-servation were made during the year. One hundred five teachers in the Uintah County schools were taken on a tour of the Diamond Mountain reseeding areas in cooperation co-operation with County Agent Acord, the Forest Service, Soil Conservation Service, and the Uintah County School Board. John Swenson. soil scientist for the Soil Conservation Service, Ser-vice, and Louis Jensen, Duchesne Du-chesne County Agent, worked together in presenting material on fertilizers and soils to farmers farm-ers in Mt. Emmons, Tabiona. and Roosevelt. A total of 78 farmers farm-ers attended the four meetings. CONSERVATION PLANS A total of 53 "complete" farm plans including 42,686 acres of land were written this year. In addition, 153 initial agreements embracing 71, 887 acres were signed. There were no new group agreements prepared this year. CONSERVATION PRACTICES PRACTIC-ES APPLIED The following is a list of practices completed by district cooperators during the calendar year of 1951: Range improvement, 51,198 acres; ac-res; Pasture improvement, 391 acres; Seeding of range, 1,151 acres; Seeding of pasture. 1,422 acres; Woodland management, 55 acres; Farm drainage. 42 acres; ac-res; Land leveling, 316 acres. Improved methods of water application, 604 acres: Greon manure, 579 acres; Clearing and Grubbing, 2,894 acres; Fertilizer, Fertil-izer, manure, 681 acres; Fertilizer, Fertil-izer, commercial. 1,553 acres; Crop rotation, 958 acres; Farm ponds. 29; Field diversions, 8.25 miles; Windbreaks, .87 mile; Stockwater development, 68; Soil saving dikes, 17,205 lineal feet; Ditch' construction, 176,440 lineal feet; Small irrigation ', structures, 349; Large irrigation structures. 4; Streambank protection, pro-tection, 5,730 lineal feet; Soil saving dams, 2; Fish pond e3- tablishment, 28. The District furnished tech- ; nical assistance to 14 irrigation : companies during the year. The : projects were varied and among : them were making designs for, : or supervising construction of, : diversion dams, drops, head- : gates, siphons, flumes, and lay- : ing out canal systems. ASSISTANCE RECEIVED BY ' THE DISTRICT - The following follow-ing personnel, equipment, and materials were made available to the District by the Soil Conservation Con-servation Service: Personnel: 3 farm planners. 1 district conservationist. 1 soil scientist, full time; 1 soil scientist, scien-tist, 4V months; 1 civil engin: eer; 3 engineering aides; 3 engineering en-gineering aides, part time. Equipment: 1 Culti-packer, loaned for 12 months. Materials: Grass and clover seed, 413 lbs; Shrubs and trees planted, 4140. Assistance was received from the Duchesne and Uintah Coun-tly Coun-tly Agents in conducting tours, demonstrations, and holding educational ed-ucational meetings. The Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management and Indian In-dian Service have cooperated in furnishing information on lands under their administration. This information was used in preparing pre-paring conservation plans for cooperators using the federal lands along with their own private pri-vate lands. The District cooperated with the PMA committees from Duchesne, Du-chesne, Uintah and Wasatch counties in ascertaining the need for supervising the installation install-ation and certifying the establishment estab-lishment of all permanent type practices. The District worked with the Farmers Home Administration during the year in helping FHA clients plan and carry out conservation con-servation programs. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service furnished fish for 28 ponds. FINANCIAL REPORT AS OF DECEMBER 31, 1951 At the beginning of the year 1951. the District had on hand and in the bank $2,822.57. During the year they received from various sources, $2,355.77. Expenditures amounted to $467.05. which leaves a balance on hand of $4,986.29. |