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<br />. . <br />species. He observed that overstocking the land with trees was basically the <br />same as overstocking a range with too many animals. Both were inefficient <br />in the production of commercially valuable products. <br /> <br />Mr, Wingfield's observations were supported on a much larger scale by Mr, <br />J. A. Vvest, Watershed Manager for the Salt River Valley Users' Association. <br />With almost as many years of intimate knowledge of the vast Salt and Verde <br />River watershed systems that furnish water for the farms and homes around <br />Phoenix, Mr. West reported a gradual decline in water yield, which many <br />felt was related to the spread of pines and other woody species dating back to <br />1919. <br /> <br />The Tall Pines Farm Bureau meeting convinced all in attendance, that multi- <br />ple values of Arizona's National Forests and adjacent watershed lands had <br />deteriorated. Overstocked stands of pine were not producing commercially <br />valuable forest products efficiently. The increase in pine thickets increased <br />the destructiveness of wildfires, in spite of marked advances in fire fighting <br />equipment and techniques. Because of increased fire hazards, the National <br />Forests were being closed more and more to recreationists during the dry <br />month of June. With the increase of pine thickets, forage and browse for <br />both livestock and game deteriorated. The increase in pinyon-juniper and <br />brush caused a marked reduction in understory grasses which in turn resulted <br />in increased soil erosion. Deterioration of all these values had to be added <br />to the apparent decline in water yields. <br /> <br />CJi. <br /> <br />, <br />t <br /> <br />Members of the Tall Pines Farm Bureau were concerned with the problem of <br />alerting the general public of losses in multiple-values. Being ranchers, the <br />question was how a specialized interest group could awaken broader interests <br />representing the general public. <br /> <br />To arouse public interest, the Tall Pines Farm Bureau sponsored two field <br />trips, one on September 28, 1955, and another on September 28, 1956. Invi- <br />tations were mailed to representatives of many different interest groups as <br />well as the State's representatives in Congress. Senator Hayden, Senator <br />Goldwater and Representative Rhodes attended these field tours. The tours <br />provided a n opportunity for farmers, ranchers, lumbermen, sportsmen, <br />recreationists and civic leaders of the Phoenix area to view conditions of the <br />watershed areas south of Flagstaff along with representatives of the Forest <br />Service and other government agencies. <br /> <br />Several of the members of the Tall Pines Farm Bureau together with the <br />State's Congressional representatives and a number of other people who par- <br />ticipated in these first watershed tours have since made important contribu- <br />tions to the ultimate development of the Arizona Watershed Program. But <br />the thread of continuity involving several subsequent developments was left <br />to three of us, including Mr. Kel M. Fox and Mr. J. A. West. <br /> <br />'. <br /> <br />'. <br />. <br />. <br /> <br />Brushland Conferences <br /> <br />At the time of the initial meeting of the Tall Pines Farm Bureau on July 18, <br />1954, I was employed by the Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment <br />Station as a research range conservationist. Being the only representative <br />of the Forest Service, 1 was requested to submit a report of the meeting to <br />the Forest Supervisor and Regional Forester. My report summarized the <br />concern expressed over existing conditions of the local National Forests; <br /> <br />- 2 - <br />