Remarks Upon Signing Bill Amending the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act

I am happy to approve H.R. 8520 which amends the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act to permit the Secretary of the Interior to offer to lease or purchase certain wetlands valuable for waterfowl before the Agriculture Department acts on applications for financial or technical assistance for the drainage of those lands.

This legislation responds to a statement contained in my February 1961 message to the Congress on natural resources expressing the hope that fish and wildlife opportunities could be expanded without conflict between government agencies. The specific illustration cited was the case of one department paying to have wetlands drained for agricultural purposes while another is purchasing such lands for wildlife or waterfowl refuges.

The Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior have worked together in developing this legislation which deals with the situation in the area of most acute need--the three-State area of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota.

This amendment of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act should prove helpful in our efforts to halt the decline of our migratory waterfowl population and at the same time provide appropriate protection for the interests of property owners. The legislation makes a great deal of sense and I want to commend all who had a part in its development and enactment.