[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: The ditch sermon for the month :)



Nice speech and I agree with it entirely.  I only want to point out that
in Topeka I recently learned of a small river (Soldier Creek) was coming
under the greedy eyes of the developers.  They wanted to rezone a stretch
of the little river from agricultural to light industrial.  This was all
being done quietly in the 'back room' and I never heard about it anywhere.
It was a PHD, Dr. Boyd, of Washburn University who stood in the gap and
took on the issue.  If Dr. Boyd had NOT done this, Soldier Creek would be
in a lot more serious trouble than it currently is...being it's a
tributary of the Kansas River--the 20th most polluted river in the nation.
The zoning request WAS defeated primarily to Dr. Boyd's diligence and
while Soldier Creek may not be the healthiest little river around, it's at
least been given a chance.  Let's not brush off too quickly the clout a
few PHD's can get us.  At the same time, people need to get off their
butts and get to work.  The PHD's and other 'scholars' can provide the
scientific background...but Robert's right, it's the 'masses' that provide
the backbone of many movements.

Luke




On Wed, 17 Jun 1998, robert a rice wrote:

> Hi folks ,
> 
> Grassroots conservation like whats happening in Boston That in a nutshell
> is what NFC was made for. Aquarium keeping of NA Natives is a very
> interesting hobby but only a small plank in the greater conservation
> crisis our ditches, streams and creeks face. Literally an entire mosaic
> of life depends upon the small and insignificant waterways and they are
> dissapearing fast and for very few good reasons. Basically because they
> are an inconvience to someone in power.
> 
> When Aquarist join Conservationist naturalist sport fishermen and the
> like and tackle local enviromental issues this plowing over of our little
> places will stop. Eggheads , PHDs and the like cant do it. The general
> citizen can. Imagine the day when 20 moms with kids in tow show up at a
> city council meeting demanding that XYZ creek be left alone. XYZ Creek is
> a defacto class room to many of those kids and a virtuall lifesaver to
> the wildthings around there. Believe me the city council will listen.The
> last thing they want is the local press covering the struggle of local
> housewives and their children to save a local creek from progress.
> 
>  Now if three PHD's showed up instead of the housewives. They would have
> spoke about watershed integrity , biodiversity etc etc etc and would have
> been passed off politley and a motion would have been passed and XYZ
> creek would be gone. I know because I've been to council meetings that
> have happened both ways. The grassroots method works. SO WHEN IT COMES TO
> CONSERVATION ISSUES YOU COUNT NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE. I dont mean to be
> rude to the PHD's but every great motion in this country has started from
> the bottom up. Including it's formation.
> 
> 
> As an example to form the NFC I was told it would take a minimum of 18
> months and 5000 bucks to get incorperated , Not For Profit Status etc.
> Then an additional several thousand to do our first outreach newsletter.
> Well my Lawyer was wrong, took us 6 months and less than a 1000 bucks.
> Including the mail out. 2500 paper copies and 5000 email copies have gone
> out allready. More to follow. If we had listened to the people who are in
> the know we would have done nothing. Instead a freelance writer, a former
> law student a partime fisheries employee and a few PHD consultants made
> the NFC . Today the NFC has a profit and is acruing members at a good
> clip well on line to hit the 1000 member mark this year. WE CAN DO THE
> UNCOMMON INSPITE OF OUR COMMONALITY
> 
> RR
> 
> 
> Common people doing uncommon things. It's what makes the world go around
> 
> 
> _____________________________________________________________________
> You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail.
> Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com
> Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
>
References: