FRIENDS OF THE EARTH

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In short, although the Endangered Species Act will be around for a while . . . its future is now in the hands of those representatives who sit on the act's fund-determining committees. For a list of their names, write to the Center for Environmental Education, Dept. TMEN, 624 Ninth Street N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001.

CONDOR COMMENTS

The 30 or so California condors that have managed to survive, despite recent bumbling efforts of well-intentioned but misguided naturalists (who tried to capture and breed them in captivity), may yet be saved! The state's Fish and Game Department recently voted unanimously to stop the former "controlled breeding" plan.

However, since one male condor remains in captivity, one female will be caught . . . and the new program will also allow for the further addition to this "fold" of one nestling and one egg during the following year. The few birds still in the wild, though, will be able to fly a lot more freely now.

WHALE OF A FIGHT

The ten-year battle to save the whales hit a dramatic climax last summer, when the International Whaling Commission in Brighton, England voted 25 to 7 in favor of outlawing commercial whaling beginning in 1986. A few concessions had to be made to certain whale-harvesting countries in order to convince them to agree to the proposal, though. For instance, Spain will be allowed—over the next three years—to take 400 fin whales, and Japan some 850 sperm whales.

Also, because the commission has no means of enforcing its own resolutions . . . it remains to be seen whether or not these whaling countries (or others, such as the U.S.S.R. and Norway) will live up to the ban. If they fail to do so, the U.S. could be called upon to place trade sanctions against the offending nations as a means of forcing them to keep their word.

At any rate, whale lovers are still going to have to keep on their toes, because the marine mammals aren't out of hot water yet!

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