| Show conservation COiN WORK IN THE SOUTHWEST 0 albuquerque joint action by ranchers farmers and state and marked degree of progress in the soil and water conservation lem em in the southwestern region according to hugh G calkins the regional head of the soil conservation service department of agriculture ri in a report made public today calkins advised dr H H bannett chief of the soil conservation service that more than 10 acres in a region como 9 utah arizona western and all but the great plains counties of new mexico have been placed under agreement for use on a conservation basis in the soil and moisture program of of this total about 34 per cent or more than acres are nonfederal non federal lands the regional conservator stated the large percentage of federal lands under conservation treatment and management I 1 points to the fact that a strenuous st renous effort is being made to protect the upper watersheds largely under public administration which are the water producing areas and therefore the source of many erosion problems significant conservation is op mentin in the southwest iasa i ae k growth of state soil conservation districts in utah colorado and I 1 new mexico at the close of 1940 there were 28 organized districts to talling more than acres of land in the region additional dit ional districts in eastern colorado and new mexico in the plains region bring the total to about acres new districts tr acts under consideration and in awill varying stages of organization will probably swell the soil conservation district acreage in the tri state area to more than acres in the near future the conservator predicted citing some of the individual I 1 soil conservation practices in effect calkins stated that in addition to work done by soil conservation districts his organization has built more than miles of range fence for proper stock distribution trib ution and range protection in the region more than acres of range land have been contour furrowed and range conservation practices instituted on five and one half million acres I 1 nearly 1000 1000 stock watering places have been built 0 or 1 r developed and runoff run off water spread on acres of range land about seven and one half million rn illion trees and shrubs have been planted in the region and acres of range lands have been re seeded to forage grasses five hundred miles of stream banks have been protected by structures ar apa by more than plant plants on farm lands soil condei con sei treatment of irrigation systems has been completed on some acres more than acres of cropland crop land have been terraced enrollees working under supervision of technicians have done a significant share of all this work the conservator explained |
