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.O~360 IntrodjIction DUBT STORMS starting in the southern Great Plains received such wide pub- licity in 1934 and 1935, during the days of the "black blizzards," that the mQst actively eroding part of this rcgion was labeled the "Dust Bowl." Baca County, Colo., in the extreme south- east corner of the State (fig. 1), is in the heart of the so-called Dust Bowl. The county suffered sevcrely not only from erosion damage but also from un- favorable publicity. Local and State ;.--"-'--'.--1 i .01.... i ICOLORADO\ i _Pooblo \ ,--.-.-- ~1..fMllts II 10 20 " r'---~ ---------1 i L...J 7':+' i ; I , I : i I Sprln8t1.Id' i KJ~i I' WESTERN l~,_._l~'DISTRICT : "...{/ lr--~ I ~:R:..:'~~. :. .._..~..;CJ Figure 1.-SI(ctch mup showing location of the Western and Southeastern Buea County Soil Conservation Districts agencies have since that time exerted their effort,s toward chccking erosion and readjusting t,he agriculture. After 3 ycars of the severe drought that was continuous from 1931 to 1940 Baca County was characterizcd by hundrcds of abandoned homes, many 'of which were piled to the eaves with drifted soil; thousands of acres of de- nuded farm land completely devoid of vcgctation; othcr thQusands with only a wced cover; mile after mile of drifted fence rows; and active wind erosion that continued to rcmove and transport silt and sand during all sellSons of the year. Crop failures on a large part of the cul- tivated lands were the rule rather than the exception, and nonresident owner- ship, tenancy, and tax delinquencies were high. Most of the cultivated land and much of the pasture have been damaged by wind erosion. Thousands of acres are lying idle and no economic return is being derived from them. The favorable weather of 1940 to 1943 hllS lessened the severity of the situa- tion somewhat, but the scars of erosion and the evidences of human suffering can still be seen. In view of the more favorable weather of the IlISt 4 yellJ'S,. considerable effort has been put forth to do away with the term "Dust Bowl." This is believed by some to indicate that the people in the area are forgetting too quickly the unfortunate conse- quences of unwise land use during' World War I and the boom period from 1928 to 1931. In i 935 the Soil Conservation Serv- ice, realizing the need for be.tter erosion control. started a demonstration project in the county with headquarters at Springfield, on which to study the prob- lems and to demonstrate conservation practices. In the same year a camp of the Civilio.n Conservation Corps was located at Springfield to assist in work operations on the project and to carry on other erosion-control ,york in th~ county. Land nse and economic sur- veys were made by the B.ureau of Agri- cultura.1 Economics, and a range survey by the Forest Service. In January 1938 a land-conservation and hind-utiliza- tion project (a land-purchase project), then under the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. was established. It was set up principally for the purchase of severely eroded land and other land more suitable for grazing than for crops. The FllJ'm Security Administration has assisted farmers 'to secure adequate- sized units, proper land use, and im- proved farm organization. Further recognition of the need for coordinated erosion control was evi- denced in March 1938 when the Western Baca County Soil Conservation Dist- rict was organized. The Southeastern Baca County Soil Conservation Dist- rict was organized in Septcmber of the same year, These districts are farmer governed organizations set up under the laws of Colorado. They have been re- ceiving technical assistance and loans of I