NSS Home Page  Nature Sounds Newsletter Winter 1994 Editor's Note: Conservation
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Editor's Note: Conservation
by Mark Goddard As we near the end of the 20th century, we, as people conscious of our role on the planet and as an organization charged with addressing the serious environmental issue of quietude preservation, are faced with a wide range of issues. Among these, the burgeoning growth of human populations around the world and its effect on the quality of human life and freedom of human endeavors; and, this explosion's effect on the ability of all other life forms on the planet to function normally and survive. Species are disappearing at an alarming rate; some estimate as many as 17,000 annually in the rainforest regions. Species are gone before they are discovered and understood. Since we also are a part of the world population and contribute to humanity's impact on the globe, are there sacrifices that we personally must make to tend to the issue of global preservation and saving quietude as a more intrinsic value? We are forced to consider the liabilities, as well as the benefits of our technologies and conveniences as they become used by more and more people. We must realize as well that entire official bodies of one form or another are making uninformed decisions for the sake of short term goals, profits and, perhaps, pleasures. We also face the rapid way that things change in the modern world. It's challenging to keep abreast, particularly because of the high volume of information and lack of regulation- we must seriously want to be informed and dedicated to being current on specific issues, such as the fate of quiet places and the Wilderness Act of 1972. As individuals and as an organization which has just completed a very successful summer of diverse events celebrating its tenth anniversary, we must simultaneously acknowledge that we are both powerless and very much empowered to change the state of things and that we can educate people about this intrinsic value we call quietude in pristine wilderness and steer public and official opinion regarding the definition of quietude and wilderness. We have to our advantage a strong network of allied organizations, computerized means of communication, the Internet as a forum for obtaining and distributing information and a membership with diverse interests and capabilities worldwide. Our ability to transmit information and resources will increase exponentially the likelihood that places we value as unspoiled, stable ecosystems will prevail for future generations to enjoy. With the power of information, organization and community, we ultimately have a shot at solving the larger issues that face us. Persistence, persistence! |
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