H.C.R. 4

1

RESOLUTION ON 100 YEARS OF SOIL
2 SURVEYS
3 1999 GENERAL SESSION
4 STATE OF UTAH
5 Sponsor: David N. Cox
6 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AND THE GOVERNOR
7 RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF SOIL SURVEYS; ENCOURAGING THE
8 USE OF SOIL SURVEYS AND CONSIDERATION OF THE STATE'S NATURAL
9 RESOURCES BY ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICIALS AND EDUCATORS; AND
10 URGING THE MODERNIZATION OF UTAH SOIL SURVEYS AND RELATED DATA.
11 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
12 WHEREAS, 1999 marks the 100th anniversary of soil surveys;
13 WHEREAS, one of the nation's first soil surveys was conducted in Salt Lake County and
14 published in 1899;
15 WHEREAS, Utah will host the 1999 Soil Science of America Centennial Year activities
16 in Salt Lake City October 31 through November 5;
17 WHEREAS, this event will bring together professional soil scientists, agronomists, range
18 conservationists, and other professionals from across the nation who work with the soil;
19 WHEREAS, of the more than 10,000 soil series that have been named and described in the
20 United States, 700 soil series have been named and described in Utah;
21 WHEREAS, many everyday activities and pursuits are related to and influenced by the soil
22 beneath homes, roads, septic and sewage systems, airports, parks, recreation sites, farms, forests,
23 schools, and shopping centers;
24 WHEREAS, in 1937 the Utah Soil Conservation District Act authorized the creation of
25 local political subdivisions responsible for the conservation of the state's soil, water, and related
26 natural resources;
27 WHEREAS, currently there are 38 soil conservation districts governed by 190 locally

28 elected leaders who cover the entire state;
29 WHEREAS, the National Cooperative Soil Survey Program is a partnership led by the
30 Natural Resources Conservation Service of federal land management agencies, state agricultural
31 experiment stations and state and local units of government that provide soil survey information
32 necessary for understanding, managing, conserving, and sustaining the nation's limited soil
33 resources;
34 WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources
35 Conservation Services have funded and modernized Utah's soil surveys to Geographic Information
36 System databases to be included in the state's Geographic Information Database for use by the state
37 and by local governments;
38 WHEREAS, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of Conservation
39 Districts, and Utah's Conservation Partnership have published the "1999 Citizen Planner's Guide
40 to Subdivision Development Evaluating Natural Hazards and Resources During Subdivision
41 Approval";
42 WHEREAS, this publication is designed to assist local government planning commissions
43 in understanding and considering the importance of soil and related natural resources during
44 subdivision evaluation;
45 WHEREAS, soil surveys are prepared by soil scientists who determine the properties of
46 soil and predict soil behavior for a host of uses;
47 WHEREAS, soil surveys provide an orderly, on-the-ground, scientific inventory of soil
48 resources that include maps showing the locations and extent of soils and data about the physical
49 and chemical properties of those soils;
50 WHEREAS, information is derived from the data about potential problems of use on each
51 kind of soil in sufficient detail to meet all reasonable needs of framers, agricultural technicians,
52 community planners, engineers, and scientists in applying the findings of research and experience
53 to specific land areas;
54 WHEREAS, soil surveys prepared by the Natural Resources Conservation Service through
55 the National Cooperative Soil Survey program help federal, state, and local conservation agencies
56 and land users determine the potential and limitations of various soils; and
57 WHEREAS, what is put on the land should be guided by the soil that is beneath it:
58 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the

59 Governor concurring therein, recognize 1999 as the 100th anniversary of soil surveys and
60 encourage elementary and secondary school educators to teach Utah children the importance of
61 soil to a sustainable environment and quality of life.
62 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor encourage
63 municipalities, counties, health departments, planners, and developers to use soil surveys in land
64 use planning and approval of subdivisions, infrastructure improvements and building permits.
65 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge the Natural
66 Resources Conservation Service to complete the modernization of Utah soil surveys according to
67 the federal appropriations and mandates and provide the Geographic Information System databases
68 to the Utah Automated Geographic Reference Center.
69 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor urge counties and
70 municipalities to use the publication entitled, "1999 Citizen Planner's Guide to Subdivision
71 Development Evaluating Natural Hazards and Resources During Subdivision Approval" to assist
72 with planning and local land use decisions related to the approval of subdivisions.
73 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Natural
74 Resources Conservation Service, the federal Bureau of Land Management, the Utah League of
75 Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of Conservation Districts, Utah's Conservation
76 Partnership, the United States Department of Agriculture, and the Utah Department of Natural
77 Resources.




Legislative Review Note
as of 1-22-99 4:47 PM

A limited legal review of this legislation raises no obvious constitutional or statutory concerns.

Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel