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0013~? internally or externally coerced, will be carried out Another view contends external requirements can force even reluctant boards to achieve desired results. Many believe the ideal solution would be a combination of the two. The make-up of the board and the process by which they became board members may be a decisive factor in whether the district carries out any state or federal policy and rule, A1lhough the term "make-up" was not clearly defined by the group, it seems to include sucb attributes as education, attitudes, and social background. To focus only on external pressure may be short-sigbted. The problem with the board will continue to surface. Assuming what we want is an expanded mission in areas such as conservation and water quality, tbe ability of outside institutions to drive this behavior is limited, Many external pressures require voluntary action to some degree, so to this extent we do need to be concerned with district boards, Additionally, once legislation is in place, it will be helpful to determine how the districts think about these issues, Unless the district board can be convinced it is in their interest to do something (i.e, conserve water, clean up the water), they will not do it The board's perspective can not be divorced from state imposed or external pressures, and local effort is needed to be sure some of the programs are put into effect On the other hand, maybe external political preSsures are the most important variable in creating a mechanism whereby the board will become more responsive to nonagricultural interests or to statewide water policy (especially that related to conservation and transfer), If this is the accepted view, we should focus not so much on the structure of governance within the district or the make-up of the board but instead on legislation that will in turn put pressure on the di5trict to !Icbieve the dC$ired results. The structure, of th,e board may not make much 44