The U. S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service recognizes that fish and wildlife on farm or ranch lands are agricultural crops. The Soil Conservation Service gives technical assistance in the conservation, development and utilization of land and water areas for the preservation, or production of fish and wildlife. The Soil Conservation Service has offices in nearly every county assisting private landowners in the locally formed and governed Soil Conservation Districts. Available to the county offices from Area and State offices are specialists in a wide variety of fields, including plant sciences and fish and wildlife biology. In all aspects of its wildlife program the Soil Conservation Service maintains close cooperation with the California Department of Fish and Game. To improve waterfowl habitat in the Suisun Marshes, for example, management plans have been completed for 21 waterfowl clubs and 56 more cooperating clubs have plans in varying stages. During the past four years planning and technical assistance has been given clubs for installation of over 25 structures and more than 30 miles of ditches for water control. Similar planning and technical assistance is given for development and management of upland game habitat. Working in cooperation with Wildlife Habitat Committees of Soil Conservation Districts over 60,000 adapted plants have been planted by landowners in the last four years in three central California counties resulting in over 50 miles of hedgerows for wildlife. Assistance is also provided for management of ponds and reservoirs on farms and ranches for recreational and income-producing fish production.
|
