One Hundred Eleventh Congress of the United States of America 2d SessionBegun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, the fifth day of January, two thousand and ten S. CON. RES. 62 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 11, 2010 Agreed to CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Congratulating the outstanding professional public servants, both past and present, of the Natural Resources Conservation Service on the occasion of its 75th anniversary.

Whereas the well-being of the United States is dependent on productive soils along with abundant and high-quality water and related natural resources; Whereas the Natural Resources Conservation Service (in this resolution referred to as NRCS) was established as the Soil Conservation Service in the Department of Agriculture in 1935 to assist farmers, ranchers, and other landowners in protecting soil and water resources on private lands; Whereas Hugh Hammond Bennett, the first Chief of the Soil Conservation Service and the “father of soil conservation”, led the creation of the modern soil conservation movement that established soil and water conservation as a national priority; Whereas the NRCS, with the assistance of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, State governments, and local partners, developed a new mechanism of American conservation service delivery, which brings together private individuals with Federal, State, and local governments to achieve common conservation objectives; Whereas the NRCS provides a vital public service by supplying technical expertise and financial assistance to cooperating private landowners for the conservation of soil and water resources; Whereas the NRCS, as authorized by Congress, has developed and provided land conservation programs that have resulted in the restoration and preservation of millions of acres of wetlands, forests, and grasslands that provide innumerable benefits to the general public in the form of recreational opportunities, wildlife habitat, water quality, and reduced soil erosion; Whereas the NRCS is the world leader in soil science and soil surveying; Whereas the NRCS is the national leader in the inventory of natural resources on private lands, providing national leaders and the public with the status and trends related to these resources and helping forecast the availability of critical water supplies; Whereas the NRCS has helped communities develop and implement thousands of locally led projects that continue to provide flood control, soil conservation, water supply, and recreational benefits to all Americans, while providing business and job creation opportunities as well; Whereas since its establishment, the NRCS has developed, tested, and demonstrated conservation practices, helped develop the science and art of conservation, and continues to strive toward innovation; Whereas the NRCS encourages and works with landowners and land users to adopt conservation practices and technologies in a voluntary manner to address natural resource concerns; Whereas NRCS employees serve in offices in every State and territory, while other employees assist other countries and governments; Whereas while some NRCS employees work directly with landowners, other employees serve in support of NRCS field operations, but all work toward a common goal of improving the condition of all natural resources found on private lands, knowing when they succeed, all Americans benefit; and Whereas the NRCS has been “helping people, help the land” for 75 years: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)congratulates the outstanding conservation professionals of the Natural Resources Conservation Service on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Natural Resources Conservation Service; (2)recognizes the vital role conservation plays in the well-being of the United States; (3)expresses its continued commitment to the conservation of natural resources on private lands in both the national interest and as a national priority; and (4)recognizes the services that the Natural Resources Conservation Service provides to the United States by helping farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to protect soil, water, and related natural resources.

Secretary of the Senate Clerk of the House of Representatives