A2O-Lancast*r Farming, Saturday, April 27,1985 SCS becomes reality after Dust Bowl shocks nation WASHINGTON - Fifty years ago, the U.S. Congress watched as the nation endured two mammoth dust storms that seemed to con firm the dire predictions of a dedicated conservationist. The storms were no mere local disturbances. For three days in May 1934, topsoil blew from the vast area between the Mexican border and the Canadian border and carried it thousands of miles east over the Atlantic Ocean and onto ships at sea. “This spectacular dust cloud was the first one in history big enough to retain its identity as it swept across the country from the Great Plains to beyond the Atlantic Coast,” said Hugh Hammond Bennett, the conservationist who had first warned congress. It blotted out the sun over a large part of the Nation and sifted through the windows of New York’s skyscrapers. When that happened, it began to dawn on the public that something had gone wrong with the land resources of this Nation.” Bennett had first mounted his campaign in the 19205, warning the nation about the danger of soil erosion Slowly his message was heard, as first a Soil Erosion Service was established in 1933, and Bennett was named its director. The second great dust storm in historical and cultural resources. March 1935 proved to be all the Much of this work was ac stimulus Congress needed. The complished through multicounty storm blew soil particles from resource conservation and Kansas, Colorado, Texas and development projects which Oklahoma over Washington and operate with SCS guidance. RC&D other eastern cities. And Congress areas cover 35 counties in the responded by passing the Soil Keystone State. Conservation Act of 1935 fifty years With other USDA agencies and ago today. Rural Development Committees, Over the years, the Soil Con- SCS conducted rural development servation Service has enjoyed the workshops for locally elected of good will of both Congress and the ficials across the State, public. The current national Water Quality Program: SCS program for soil and water con- provided technical assistance in servation adopted by USDA gives developing 1,532 water quality priority to reducing excessive soil plans. By the end of fiscal year erosion on crop, pasture, and 1984, SCS had signed contracts forest lands; conserving water with over 1,200 individuals to used in agriculture; reducing protect water quality by applying upstream flood damages; and conservation on over 170,000 acres improving water quality. These in areas such as the Conestoga priorities were developed in River Rural Clean Water Project response to the Soil and Water in Lancaster County. The Service Conservation Act of 1977. is also accelerating help in farm Compared to the poor con- waste management as a part of the servation record of the 19305, Chesapeake Bay cleanup, current programs are indeed Emergency Assistance: Under encouraging. Section 403 of the Agricultural Conservation Tillage: Under the 327 million acres planted to crops in 1984, farmers used conservation tillage on nearly 97 million acres. This is tillage that retains at least 30 percent residue cover on the surface soil. Farmers use the no till method in which only a narrow seedbed is disturbed for planting on 14 million acres. Pennsylvania farmers were quick to adopt conservation tillage, using it on 1.36 million acres or 44% of the State’s cropland. Targeting: By targeting funds and technical staff to the Nation’s most serious natural resource problems, SCS, the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service (ASCS), and other USDA agencies helped reduce soil erosion and save water in 44 states. During the past year, farmers and ran- chers reduced soil erosion in targeted areas by nearly 7 ton per acre, and water losses by 540,000 acre-feet through increased ap plication of soil conservation and water management practices. Fourteen counties in southeastern Pennsylvania are in the targeted Mason-Dixon Erosion Control Area. Small Watershed Projects: SCS began construction on 20 new Public Law 83-566 Small Water shed Projects in 1984; approved planning for 34 projects; authorized installation of 19 projects; and completed con struction on or closed out 11 projects. This State has 31 ap proved watershed projects-5 in the planning stage and 26 in operation. Mine Reclamation: SCS assists landowners in reclaiming aban doned coal mine land under the Rural Abandoned Mine Program (RAMP). Pennsylvania leads with the largest amount of abandoned strip mine land in the Nation. By the end of - 1984, SCS in Penn sylvania had eliminated 162 health and safety hazards, carried out 722 acres of erosion control, and 680 acres of visual improvement, and improved water quality m over 83 miles of streams and 9,725 acres of lakes. A total of 78 RAMP projects completed in the six-year history of the program had a total cost of $lO.B million in the Keystone State. One-fourth of the RAMP work in the Nation was completed in Pennsylvania. Rural Development: In fiscal year 1984, SCS assisted over 29,000 units of government in rural communities to control flooding, reduce roadside erosion, improve the landscape, and preserve Credit Act of 1978, SCS obligated an estimated $2.8 million in water shed emergency assistance to help Pennsylvania. Other funds from this authority were being used in Mississippi, California, Arkansas, Utah, Connecticut and other states to repair damage caused by floods and other natural disasters. Farmland Inventory: SCS leads USDA efforts for inventorying the Nation’s Important Farmlands. SCS has published Important Farmland Maps which located Prime and Unique Lands for 911 counties, 15 of which are in Penn sylvania. Another 374 maps are nearly completed. In cooperation with other Federal agencies, SCS has acquired infrared and black and white aerial photographs covering 94 percent of the con tinental United States. Fish and Wildlife; SCS helped land users unprove wildlife habitat on one-half million acres of wetland and 10 million acres of upland areas. They also assisted with water facilities benefitting wildlife on 50,000 acres. Plant Materials; SCS Plant Materials Centers- released 14 conservation plants in 1984. The release includes nine grasses for forage adapted to different parts of the country, a legume for forage, wildlife food and erosion control, and four shrubs-one for stabilizing stream banks, one for providing ground cover, and two for providing food and cover for wildlife. 50th anniversary celebration: 37 V .*■ je lines were straight, even if the hills and valleys weren't. No one could say farmers in Lancaster County's Chestnut Level area couldn't plow a straight line especially after looking at this 1937 aerial photo. Unfortunately, the tillage pattern didn’t do much to conserve soil. Ci AFTER-Today's practices result in a crazy quilt pattern that not only looks colorful from the air, but also reduces soil erosion significantly. Honey Hollow was first ‘total’ upland site DOYLESTOWN - The Honey Hollow Watershed conservation site is the first small upland watershed to be brought totally under water, soil, and wildlife conservation practices in the United States. It was established in 1939 by six farmers living on William Penn Lands in southeastern Pennsylvania who invited the then newly formed USDA Soil Conservation Service to counsel them in controlling erosion. The Honey Hollow Watershed comprises some 500 acres of farmland with fields, forests, ponds, and streams on which colonial farmers built their sub stantial and beautiful field stone houses whicn stand today as testimony to the worth of this soil. Dr. Hugh Bennett, first Chief of SCS, took great interest of the work of these Honey Hollow farmers and often said to them, “Poor land * t makes poor farmers; good soils make substantial farmers.” In the spring of 1939, some of the farmers living in this area realized that they had an erosion problem and sought help from the regional office of SCS in Philadelphia. SCS assisted the farmers in developing a plan of soil and water con servation practices for each landowner. Practices were agreed upon and thus the Honey Hollow project took shape and tran sformed the land during the next two years. The conservation program has continued ever since by the six farmers each doing his own work but all following the plans and layouts as developed with SCS. Today, the contour strips lay across all the fields. Sound forestry •practices have been observed. Wildlife hedges are lush, full grown, and have produced food and cover for many generations of r*r r ' birds and animals. Five ponds were built and stocked with fish. In broad terms, the land in Honey Hollow lies secure against the elements and works in har mony with nature. Dr. Bennett made this statement regarding the historic watershed, “We owe these farmers a debt of gratitude for what they have done. Not only for the soil they have protected, but also for showing us that it can be done as they have done it. In spite of many handicaps and with only limited help, they have put a big program into effect all over their watershed.” This farming area in southeastern Pennsylvania was among the very earliest settled lands in our country. There are three early 18th Century houses in Honey Hollow today. They are presently owned by the Crooks, the i * l -2"% (Turn to Page A 24)
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers