Page 8 The Lion's Eye April 24, 2001 Earth Day cure for economic greed By BRENT FOOTE . Staff Writer The Greek playwright Seneca wrote, "To greed, all nature is insufficient." President George W. Bush must be Seneca's biggest fan. Prepared to risk poi- soning Alaskan soil again, the President may give the green light to drill for oil smack in the middle of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Ten years ago, in March 1989, the largest crude oil spill to date in US waters, 10.8 million gallons of North Slope crude oil, poured from the Exxon Valdez and dev- astated the beautiful coastal environment of Prince William Sound, Alaska. The official death toll estimates 250,000 seabirds, 2,800 sea otters, 300 har- bor seals, 250 bald eagles, and as many as 22 killer whales were killed by the spill. Oil washed up on 1,300 miles of shoreline total- ing $2 billion over a four year clean-up project which at its peak involved 10,000 workers, 1,000 ships, 100 aircraft and the assistance of numerous federal agencies. This news arrived just months before the 31st anniversary of Earth Day, ‘held on April 22. Started in 1963 as a way to push the environment into the political "lime- light" Senator Gaylord Nelson persuaded President John Kennedy to go on a national conservation tour through eleven states. It ‘was not as successful as he had hoped. His new: theory, to organize a huge nationwide grassroots protest over what was happening to our environment was announced at a conference in Seattle in Sept. 1969 inviting everyone to participate. The response was electric. On April 22, 1970 the first nation- wide Earth Day was held to appreciate nature's beauty, its air, soil, forests, miner- als, rivers, lakes, oceans, wildlife and to preserve it for the future. Raising concerns about pollution, erosion, deforestation and loss of wildlife habitats is another of Earth Day's many aims. This year's theme is "Save ‘Brersy Now," concentrating on how to do a better job of it. Reducing our nation's dependence on limited supplies of "fossil fuels" and uti- lizing, instead, "alternative fuels" like solar power. The drilling and mining of fossil fuels damages the land and wildlife, while burning them causes air pollution in the form of global warming. "Everything in the ecosystem is tied together and when one animal is affect- ed, it's a domino effect," said Ken Ramirez, a marine biologist who helped in the otter rescue effort in Prince William Sound, "Sometimes you don't see the effects right at 25 x fn Canada: Each Canadian school child participates in an Earth Day event. Also host the Earth Day 2001 Fujifilm Photo Contest, which will Zones", France: Addressing issues of biodiversity activities include "Protecting Natural "Adopt and Protect a Tree" pro- grams, the creation of "Kitchen Gardens” ROS {Russia: Seminars to address global warming, and in the Ukraine school children will be called on for the protection of endangered species. award the best photo of Earth Day. 4 Los Angeles: On April 19th, 2001 youth from all areas of will stand hand igs hand to form a giant Clean Energy "Go Solar" aerial art message. Maryland: Four schools will plant 500 globally threatened At- lantic White Cedar (AWC) trees in a recently restored cedar wetland. The planting will result in the larg- est AWC forest in the Western - Hemi- - he ve, Finland: Women Against Nu- clear Power are asking groups worldwide to show support for their efforts by signing an ap- 1 ; peal opposing the development 2 of a 5th nuclear reactor in Finland, which will be consid- ered by Finnish Parliament in Spring 2001. ; efjing: Tree ¥ planting in the bare hills outside of the - city. 3 * a ‘erth: Men of the Trees will hold an Earth Day Expo on biodi- versity, as part of Science Week in Western Australia , KENYA: Deforestation protest ranging from con- ferences attended by NGOs, journalists and government officials to marches and rallies. away, it happens over time.” : Currently, wolves, thousands of caribou and millions of birds that inhabit the Refuge. The people of the sound were promised a beach as clean as before the oil hit, but according Gail Evanoff, the village president of Chenega Bay, "Life continues to die." Perhaps, this year as the world cel- ebrates Earth Day and its theme of energy conservation a few minds will change and see that our planet is sacred; it's the only one we've got. Its preservation is necessary, and only we can do it. Someone must set the example, and if not the President who? Drilling in Alaska's Arctic Refuge serves as a symbol, a sacrifice made out of greed while it should be reserved as a sanctuary reminding us that. what we destroy, destroys us. For more Earth Day information go to: http://earthday.wilderness.org +g http://www.earthday.net. there are grizzlies, If oil development is allowed to go for- ward in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge rivers like the Kongakut, which provide key habitat for wildlife, could be mined, strip- ping the riverbed of millions of tons of gravel for road, airstrips, and drillpad construction. By STEVEN WATSON Staff Writer Colleen Kelly, a sophomore nursing major at PSU Delco, was recently awarded the Penn State Commonwealth Campus Athletic Conference's John S. Egli Scholar- Athlete Award. This award is given to an outstanding male and female athlete at one of Penn State's fourteen Commonwealth Campuses, and is named after Egli, who holds the record for most wins by any Penn State basketball coach. Kelly herself is also a winner. She has received many campus schol- arships, including the Judith Davis Memorial Scholarship, and the Brainy female athlete wins award Michael Menichini Scholarship, and has been acknowledged with an Honors Program Certificate of Recognition. = | "When Tiz (Griffith) told me that I had won this award I was very surprised, and when I found out more about what this award really is, I felt very fortunate to have been chosen. “Being a part of different ath- letic teams at Penn State has definite- ly made my experiences so much more fun. I've really enjoyed myself and have made some great friends," said Kelly in response to her most recent achievement. Kelly has been active in many ways on campus and in her community. She was a member of the 1999-2000 campus volleyball team, and she has been playing on the women's basketball team the past two years. She was also a member of the Lion Ambassadors during the 1999- 2000 school year, and is currently the secretary of the Student Athlete Association. : In the community, she has been teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) classes in Kennett Square for the past two years. Nevertheless, through all those activities, Kelly has maintained her responsibilities as a student as well. Her G.P.A. is currently 3.53, and she continues to receive honors on campus. It is for tireless efforts, such as these, that she was given the John S. Egli Scholar-Athlete Award. Write for the Lion’s Eye Think you’ve got what it takes to write a news story? Are you a cartoonist? Consider writing for the campus newspaper. Drop a note in the Lion’s Eye mailbox on the first floor of Main. “veloped for Protecting ‘nature’s resources over time 1872 Yellowstone becomes the nation’ E first national park. 1903 The nation's first wildlife refuge is formed when President Theodore Roosevelt protects Pelican Island, FL, from hunters decimating the island's bird population. 1905 The United States Forest Service is established within the Department of Agriculture to manage forest reserves 1916 The National Park Organic Act creates the National Park Service and estab- lishes the National Park System in order to conserve scenery, wildlife, and "historic objects" for future gener- - ations. 1960 The Multiple Use and Sustained Yield Act redefined the purpose of the national forests to include not only timber and watershed concerns, but also recreation, wildlife, fishing, hunt- ing, and soil concerns. 1964 The Wilderness Act is signed into law, designating 9.1 million acres as Wilderness. ~The Land & Water Conservation Fund Act is established to purchase park and refuge lands with royalties from offshore oil drilling. 1970 April 22 - an estimated 20 million peo- ple participate in "Earth Day" demon- strations and activities across the country. Environmental Protection Agency established. Clean Air Act signed into law. 1972 Clean Water Act signed into law. The carcinogenic pesticide DDT is banned. 1973 : Endangered. Species Act signed into law.. Protects habitat for plants and wildlife. 1994 The .bald eagle is upgraded to a "threatened" ~ species’. on: the Endangered Species List 1997 | | Congress Passes Law Increasing Protection in National Wildlife Refuges- There are more than 500 national wildlife refuges, located in all 50 states. The new National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act, sets wildlife conser- vation as the top priority in the refuge system and provides for more science- based management and long-term planning. Ban on Oil and Gas Drilling along the Rocky Mountain Front This spectacular area is considered by biologists to rank within the top two percent of wildlife habitat in the U.S. The oil industry has filed an appeal. 2000 The U.S. Forest Service, after receiv- ing 1.6 million comments from con- cerned citizens, sets aside 58 million acres of wild forests to remain unde- future generations. President Bush puts this plan on hold.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers