616 ADDRESSES AND STATE PAPERS

The waste of nonrenewable natural resources, such as the oil shale
deposits in Colorado, could have a long-term effect upon all citizens.
Unless the Commission acts wisely and recommends policies that will
prevent the exploitation of our exhaustible resources, the same situa-
tion could exist on the public domain that exists today in Pennsyl-
vania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Kentucky as a result of unwise
practices in surface mining. I am not suggesting that the public do-
main should not be used. Quite the contrary. I advocate prudent use
of our public lands. Surface mining should be allowed under controls
that will insure the proper reclamation of the land after the mineral
deposits are removed. The land must be returned to some profitable
use — grazing, timber production, public hunting areas, or housing
for our future generations.

We are a fortunate nation to have so many natural resources, and
we would be a foolish nation to permit either exploitation or waste.
This is why I unequivocally favor the multiple use concept for pub-
lic lands.

Most of our standing timber reserves are on the public domain. The
Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management have done a fine
job of directing the use of this land. Regrettably, most of this timber
is mature and is subject to disease and insect attack. The multiple
use concept on this land, in my opinion, should be followed to safe-
guard a sustained yield and to increase the growth potential of the
forest products; to provide erosion control and watershed protection,
so necessary to our precious water supply; to guarantee a suitable
habitat for the resident game species; and to help supply the increased
demand for outdoor recreation. We must continue to try to convince
the various advocates of single purpose use that this nation cannot
long afford to lock up vast areas of the public domain in a not only
nonproductive but actually wasteful status. The multiple use concept,
properly regulated, should be followed.

One of the most pressing needs in the states east of the Mississippi
River is for additional outdoor recreation areas. Because of our dense
population and our limited land resources, the State of Maryland is
acquiring approximately 6, 000 acres annually for public recreation.
Fortunately, there are a few outstanding areas left in Maryland that
can still be acquired at a reasonable price. The cost of this land, how-
ever, is escalating rapidly — up to 18% annually in some parts of the
State. In Montgomery County, for instance, we are now paying up
to $4000 per acre for State park land. Because of a bulging population,
we are finding it increasingly difficult to purchase open areas before
these lands are subdivided, developed, and forever lost.