ENHS Nature Trails October 2004 Article 2

President's Column: "Enjoy, Conserve, Explore"
by David Wagner

剙奚ur web site explains the mission of our society: "Dedicated to the enjoyment, conservation and exploration of natural history, both locally and globally." Let's do a bit of all three this month.

This is the time of the year when the mushrooms capture my attention. I LOVE mushrooms. Not only are they fascinating organisms, they provide some of my favorite gastronomic treats. This is turning out to be a great mushroom year, at least for chanterelles. Rain has come in good order. My dentist, an avid mushroom hunter, says that there are so many chanterelles in the woods that few commercial pickers have been there before him. It is a paradox: the more mushrooms, the less picking pressure! The explanation is that when there's a glut of chanterelles 剙峨n the market, the prices paid by buyers are low. Low prices keep the commercial pickers' pressure off. So, this is the year to get out and find those mushrooms. Exploring the woods is the way to these treasures.

The abundance also means we should have a great mushroom show at the end of the month. The Mushroom Festival is one of the two great natural history events of the year sponsored by the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. The Eugene Natural History Society always has a booth at this event to publicize our lectures. It is an important venue of exposure for us. We use posters and other items that we expect to catch the attention of the festival attendees. We display both interesting and curious objects from nature for kids to look at and, more importantly, to touch. The "Please Touch" table was an invention of Dave Stone, ENHS member. It was popular from the beginning and continues to be so. I am the curator of the boxes of material we use for our display. I'm always looking for new items to put out. If you have anything you would like to donate to the society for this purpose, please give me a call (344-3327). Items should be interesting and durable but ultimately disposable. We don't want to put out irreplaceable items, either scientifically irreplaceable or sentimentally valuable.

Sitting at the table and talking to interested folks is a pleasant way to enjoy natural history. I would like to encourage other society members to sign up for a stint of booth sitting. It really is fun! Sharing your enjoyment of natural history gives you a chance to promote the appreciation of natural history, which is critical to its conservation. To reserve a time period, call our booth sitting coordinator, Marge Zane: 345-2936.

When it comes to the conservation of natural history, we cannot ignore the significance of the upcoming elections. As a nonprofit organization we are not supposed to lobby for one candidate or a political party. However, it is our duty to provide information to our members and the public that relates to our stated society interests. There are distinct differences between the environmental policies of the two major parties. Perhaps the best way to contrast them is to compare the actions of the current Republican administration with that of the previous Democrat administration. The previous administration was responsible for bringing together scientists who wrote a new forest plan designed to protect endangered species as well as provide forest resources for the country's needs. Clinton created a number of new national monuments and promoted regulations that would reduce or prevent pollution of our natural environment.

On the other hand, according to Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., "George W. Bush will go down in history as America's worst environmental president. In a ferocious three-year attack, the Bush administration has initiated more than 200 major rollbacks of America's environmental laws, weakening the protection of our country's air, water, public lands and wildlife. "

Kennedy, a lawyer for the Natural Resources Defense Council, has recently published a book called Crimes Against Nature in which he outlines the nature of the current administration's environmental policies. It is convincing and severe in its analysis. Kennedy is particularly adept at explaining the conflict between polluting industries and the public welfare. I wish every voter could read this book before deciding who to vote for. In the event the book is not available to you, an earlier summary can be read on this web site:

www.commondreams.org/views03/1120-01.htm

I won't tell you who to vote for but, as somebody who is dedicated to the enjoyment, conservation and exploration of natural history, let me tell you most earnestly, I will be voting to change the administration.

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