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Cruest cop aera! 
‘Eco-talk without eco-action 
is nothing much.’ 
by J. M. FRANK 
Area Supervisor, Horicon Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin 
QUITE A FEW notables, including 
Mark Twain, are credited with the 
familiar “Everybody talks about 
the weather, but nobody does any- 
thing about it.” It is my belief that 
weather in all its diversity and 
perversity serves a great psycholog- 
ical need for mankind. Weather 
allows the luxury of observation, 
conversation, comparison, predic- 
tion, disappropriation in full knowl- 
edge that nothing more is expected 
of us. After all, the whole thing is 
beyond our control. 
However, our beloved weather 
may soon take a back seat to an- 
other subject that is becoming even 
more popular. 
IN THE LAST FEW years ‘ecology 
and environment’ have seriously 
threatened ‘‘weather’”’ as our most 
discussed subject. In days gone by, 
it was no trick at all to maintain a 
reputation as a great conversation- 
alist by simply catching a TV weath- 
er forecast at least once each day 
and supplementing this with the 
30-day extended forecast. Now 
barbershop, bar and supermarket 
parking lot pow-wows are well 
larded with terms like ecosystem, 
B.O.D., litter, pollution, pesticide 
and endangered species. 
When ll this environmental 
chatter was first gaining momen- 
tum, those who had devoted their 
lives to the conservation ethic felt 
at least vindicated. No longer were 
their voices crying in the wilder- 
ness. The public was _ finally 
aroused from lethargy and apathy. 
Now we could get on with the 
business of making this earth of 
ours a fit place to live. 
BUT SOMEHOW it hasn’t worked 
that way. | am beginning to sus- 
pect that ecology is replacing the 
weather as a conversation piece 
because it too is considered a safe 
subject beyond our control. We 
have failed to put our money 
where our mouth is and have much 
conversation but little conservation. 
During these past few years 
when everyone has been talking a 
good game, we lost our Rural En- 
vironmental Assistance Program, 
our Youth Corps Conservation 
Camps, and budget problems re- 
sulted in continual reduction in 
personnel for the U.S. Forest Serv- 
ice and the Soil Conservation 
Service. 
We have favored passage of 
tough legislation to control pollu- 
tion and other resource problems 
but have not provided sufficient 
funding to realize these new goals. 
We publicly abhor such things 
as poor farming practices that con- 
tribute to excessive soil erosion, 
barnyard runoff, uncontrolled land 
development, and drainage of 
dwindling wetlands. Yet violent ob- 
jections are received to any pro- 
posed corrective legislation. Many 
