Conservation 'Summit' Planned at Iowa State

December 1, 1999

Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman will host a day-long national summit Dec. 7 on private land conservation. The purpose of the meeting is to take a new look at conservation and forestry issues facing the nation's private lands, says Glickman.

"As we enter the 21^st century, one of our major challenges will be to help farmers, ranchers and forest land owners conserve and protect our nation's valuable private land," says Glickman. The loss of prime agricultural land to development and the health of watersheds and the future of private forest lands "are some of the critical issues facing the nation."

Conservation efforts by USDA have been expanded in recent years beyond the reduction in soil erosion to include farm land protection, improving water quality, restoring wetlands, protecting soil productivity, enhancing fish and wildlife habitat and promoting conservation in the nation's cities and communities.

At the morning session, USDA Deputy Secretary Richard Rominger, Iowa State President Martin Jischke, Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Glickman will speak. The afternoon session will feature a roundtable discussion on "Potential Solutions to Critical Conservation Issues on Private Lands."

The meetings will be held at the Iowa State University Memorial Union, Ames, IA.