Dire ine AUS Ds. °O Np obeUc ly EeteleN 41 
One Conservationist’s Opinion 
AUDUBON AND THE WORLD POPULATION YEAR 
(FIND AN HAWAIIAN PINEAPPLE, IF YOU CAN) 
by RAYMOND MOSTEK 
(Past President, Illinois Audubon Society) 
Departing from its usual program 
of color slides of members’ vacation 
trips and rented movie films, the 
DuPage Audubon Society on May 
22, 1973, provided a controversial 
program on the ‘“President’s Com- 
mission on Population and the 
American Future.” It featured four 
speakers: Mrs. Diane Kia from the 
Planned Parenthood Federation; 
Nancy Weaver, chairwoman of the 
DuPage chapter of Zero Population 
Growth; Mrs. Jewel Klein, co- 
chairwoman of the Women’s Rights 
Commisssion of the Independent 
Voters of Illinois and Theodore 
Kavadas of the Northeastern I[lli- 
nois Planning Commission who 
formerly served with the Illinois 
Conservation Department. 
The Commission was appointed 
by President Nixon in July of 1969. 
Since Congressman John Erlen- 
born of DuPage County served on 
the Commission, and is a member 
of the President’s political party, 
it was proper to invite him, but 
he was unable to attend. The meet- 
ing had many co-sponsors. Among 
them were: Illinois Audubon So- 
ciety, the Illinois Wildlife Federa- 
tion, Friends of the Earth, National 
Audubon Society, and the Sierra 
Club, besides the private groups 
who sent speakers. The Open 
Lands Project, the Citizens Coali- 
tion for Public Schools and the 
Illinois Planning and Conservation 
League also indicated their interest. 
Publicity regarding the meeting 
gave the DuPage Audubon Society 
the best coverage it has had in the 
local press in the 20 years of its 
existence. Afterwards, the meeting 
and the remarks of the speakers 
also received fine notice in the local 
media, (Unfortunately, this night 
was chosen by President Nixon for 
a television appearance, and many 
local Audubon members elected to 
stay home that night.) Evidently, 
some pro-population-increase de- 
votees were in the audience and 
they later made an attempt in the 
local press to refute some of the 
speakers. Jane Kumb, publicity 
chairman and a director of DuPage 
Audubon, wrote a comment to the 
Press Publications of Elmhurst 
which pointed out the following: 
“The average American already 
has 50 times more effect upon the 
environment than the average 
Asian. With about 6 percent of the 
world’s population, Americans ex- 
ploit and consume 45 percent of the 
world’s non-renewable resources. 
Every child born in America will 
consume or be responsible for 26,- 
000,000 tons of water, 21,000 gallons 
of gasoline, 10,510 pounds of meat, 
28,000 pounds of milk, 9,000 pounds 
of wheat, plus other foods and 
materials. Environmental groups 
are concerned with population, be- 
cause they are concerned with all 
life, human as well as animal life.” 
Unfortunately, the editor of the 
paper did not give a balance to the 
pro and con letters, leaving readers 
with an impression that most peo- 
