A Green Peace Corps

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They could work on transportation systems that will get people where they need to go without poisoning the air and depleting the precious petroleum we have left. They could encourage the prompt adoption of all possible energy-conservation strategies to conserve fuels, protect the atmosphere and head off the latest futile attempt by the nuclear industry to ride the fear of the greenhouse effect to elusive solvency.

In short, there is plenty to do and none too long to do it in. Now, for the first time in a long time, there may be not only the will but also the resources to make significant progress. The people of both superpower countries—indeed the citizens of all the world—would applaud such an initiative, and every species on earth would be better off—and more secure—for it.

Will the judiciary save the rare northern spotted owl?

UPDATE: A FEDERAL JUDGE HAS found that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service broke the law when it refused to add the northern spotted owl to the list of threatened and endangered species (see "Earth Diary," July/August 1988). Judge Thomas Zilly gave the agency three months to reconsider its decision, by which time it must either list the owl or come up with defensible reasons for not doing so. If the owl winds up on the list—where all knowledgeable experts say it belongs—it will be the first time a lawsuit has forced a listing.

Book of the Bimonth: The Forest and the Trees, a Guide to Excellent Forestry by Gordon Robinson is absolutely essential for citizens interested in preserving our national forests. Robinson managed forestlands for the Southern Pacific Railroad for 27 years, then became a full-time consultant to and spokesman for the Sierra Club and other conservation organizations. This book describes how forestry ought to be practiced, but seldom is. It is readable, engaging and packed with essential information. (The Forest and the Trees by Gordon Robinson, Island Press, 1988, 257 pages, $19.95.)

Tom Turner, a writer and editor with over 20 years' experience in the environmentalfield, is staff writer for the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, an independent environmental law firm that represents manyorganizations across the country. It is supported by private donations. For more information, write Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund, 2044 Fillmore St., San Francisco, CA 94115.

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