CHAPTER 1 



THE CONFERENCE CALL 



(Message from the President of the United States to the Congress, 

 February 8, 1965) 



For centuries Americans have drawn strength and inspiration 

 from the beauty of our country. It would be a neglectful generation 

 indeed, indifferent alike to the judgment of history and the command 

 of principle, which failed to preserve and extend such a heritage for 

 its descendants. 



Yet the storm of modern change is threatening to blight and dimin- 

 ish in a few decades what has been cherished and protected for 

 generations. 



A growing population is swallowing up areas of natural beauty 

 with its demands for living space, and is placing increased demand on 

 our overburdened areas of recreation and pleasure. 



The increasing tempo of urbanization and growth is already 

 depriving many Americans of the right to live in decent surroundings. 

 More of our people are crowding into cities and being cut off from 

 nature. Cities themselves reach out into the countryside, destroying 

 streams and trees and meadows as they go. A modern highway may 

 wipe out the equivalent of a 50-acre park with every mile. And 

 people move out from the city to get closer to nature only to find 

 that nature has moved farther from them. 



The modern technology which has added much to our lives can 

 also have a darker side. Its uncontrolled waste products are menac- 

 ing the world we live in, our enjoyment and our health. The air we 

 breathe, our water, our soil and wildlife, are being blighted by the 

 poisons and chemicals which are the byproducts of technology and 

 industry. The skeletons of discarded cars litter the countryside. 

 The same society which receives the rewards of technology, must, 

 as a cooperating whole, take responsibility for control. 



To deal with these new problems will require a new conservation. 

 We must not only protect the countryside and save it from destruc- 



