Oregon's scenic beauty was preserved and protected through the efforts of the Oregon Roadside Council, a volunteer group organized in 1932 by the Oregon State Federation of Garden Clubs and dedicated to preservation and conservation. The council initiated and secured passage of the Oregon Scenic Areas Act in 1961, surveyed and selected 3585 scenic miles of highways, and removed more than 7,000 signs and billboards that detracted from and obscured scenic vistas.