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Page 2
College Station, Texas
Thursday, November 18, 1971
THE BATTALION
Ul
Listen up
LEVI’
Regarding the Bonfire and ecology
Editor:
In recent days it has been diffi
cult to read an edition of The
Battalion without encountering
letters from people concerned
about the Bonfire.
I feel there definitely are more
productive channels available for
the manpower and time now ex
pended on the Bonfire. I heartily
support those who offer alterna
tives.
However, some have indicated
the cutting of trees for use in the
bonfire is a form of environment
al degradation. I must move to
question this.
The land in and around College
Station, now referred to as the
"Post Oak Belt,” was originally
a savanna — a grassland matrix
with trees scattered throughout.
Early settlers wrote of the lush
grass and scattered trees.
Unwise land use practices such
as cultivation of land not suited
CADET SLOUCH
for agronomic production, and
overgrazing by cattle resulted in
the disappearance of this grass
cover. Post Oak and other trees
invaded the area previously oc
cupied by grass. The removal of
grass fires as an environmental
factor by the white man gave the
trees added protection and allow
ed them to survive.
The resulting vegetation is re
ferred to as "thicketization” rath
er than a forest. It is easy to
identify the veteran trees that
were a part of the climax vege
tation. The grass fires effectively
pruned the lower branches and it
may be several feet to the first
limb.
My point is, the situation en
countered in wooded areas around
College Station today is not nat
ural (climax). It is a disturbed
situation resulting from man’s
misuse of his environment. To
restore this land to maximum
by Jim Earle
production, the removal of most,
if not all of the trees is necessary.
Therefore, cutting the trees is
often beneficial. If the veteran
trees are left, the area is quite
scenic after removal of “scrub”
trees.
Nevertheless, it would seem
that using old houses and/or trash
for the Bonfire would both help
the community and project a
better image for Texas A&M
University.
Brown Collins ’69
★ ★ ★
Editor:
This letter is in reply to the
editorial by Steve Hayes concern
ing the Amchitka nuclear test.
Needless to say, the editorial was
one sided and did not even try to
present the side of the A.E.C.
Noticeable by its absence was the
fact that the blast went exactly
according to A.E.C. predictions.
Also, Mr. Hayes’ remark that
it was “the world’s largest un
derground nuclear H-bomb” is in
error. According to Newsweek
magazine, the Russians in the
past 13 months have detonated
two underground nuclear blasts
“of proportions similar to or
greater than” the Amchitka test.
The Russians have also set off
an above ground test which was
ten times larger than the Am
chitka test. It should be noted
that above ground testing is
much more hazardous than under
ground testing. Although an au
thor may put personal opinions
in an editorial, he should not be
allowed to distort facts.
The author was correct in as
serting that this particular H-
bomb might not be used on the
Spartan ABM; however, he once
again failed to explain that the
fundamental technology of the
final version will be the same and
knowledge gained from this test
would certainly not be wasted.
The editorial also asked the
question, “Is there really any
way to say that this blast will
have no effect on the next one,
ten, or twenty earthquakes and
tidal waves?” The strength of
the surface wave shock is used
to determine whether or not tidal
waves will be generated. Al
though shock wave theory may
not be perfect, it is probably
more accurate than whatever ho
cus-pocus Mr. Hayes used to in
sinuate that tidal waves will still
occur.
In conclusion, I would like to
say that I considered the edi
torial to be full of half-truths
and what-ifs.
Richard Klapper
Thank you for your informa
tion on the size of the bomb —
we were mistaken in that sense.
About the tidal wave effect,
however, there seems to be a
miisunderstanding. While the
surface wave shock determines
the initial wave, the bomb may
“Fve already had a student who wants to leave early
for the Texas Game! Aren’t they playing here this year?”
Giving a damn
Bruce Clay, a senior in the Corps of Cadets, has filed suit against
the City of College Station because he has not been allowed to run in
the City Council elections—except as an unofficial write-in candidate.
The city charter has a real property requirement that Clay could not
fulfill.
Several members of the Student Senate and just interested
students have gotten the local voter registrar to comply with the law
and accept student registrations for the City Council elections.
These two incidents point up something that has been appearing
more and more this year—the students give a damn.
You can hear it as they talk in groups around campus, you can
read it in letters to the editor, you can see it in their actions.
At long last the students of Texas A&M University have started
to shake off their “traditional” apathy. Time and again we see students
caring about things. We see them recruiting blacks to come to A&M, we
see them finding constructive alternatives to the Bonfire, we see them
becoming concerned about what is happening to their money.
It is a fascinating thing to watch—A&M maturing, changing and
growing. It gives us great pride and happiness to see it.
Steve Hayes
Feds and predator control
The Federal Government first
became involved in predator con
trol programs as a result of
World War I. Congress appro
priated $125,000 tax dollars for
the protection of cattle to be used
by our allies, and our own troops.
As is often true with Federal
programs it outlived its cause
and eventually developed as the
main business of the US Fish and
Wildlife Services. In its first 20
years, the program was aimed at
determining the best methods to
eliminate predators for the think
ing that prevailed was if you de
creased predators, the amount of
game would increase.
The bounty system was formed,
but this only reaped the surplus
predators, and did little to change
the ecological balance of the pre
dator-prey relationship. Strych
nine and thallium were next used
for poisoning predators. However,
not until WW II, with the devel
opment of sodium monofluoro-
acetate, (Compound 1080) did
mass distribution of poisons gain
great impetus. As might have
been expected, programs, expen
ditures, and criticism spiraled.
Thus, the Department of the In
terior did what we have learned
to expect of any bureaucracy,
they formed a committee, the Leo
pold Committee, to be precise to
study the situation.
In 1964, the board submitted its
unanimous report to the Secre
tary of the Interior, Stewart
Udall, stating “that control as
actually practiced today is con
siderably in excess of the amount
that can be justified in terms
of total public interest.” Further
more, the Committee included in
its report, the opinion that, “. . .
the program of animal control . . .
no longer is a balanced compo
nent of an overall scheme of wild
life management . . . Far more
animals are being killed than
would be required for the effec
tive protection of livestock, agri
cultural crops, wildland resources,
and human health.
This unnecessary destruction is
further augmented by state, coun
ty, and individual endeavor . . .
the Branch of Predator and Ro
dent Control, bears scant relation
ship to real need and less still to
scientific management.”
Among other things the Leo
pold Committee called for estab
lishment of legal controls over the
use of certain poisons.
But two' years later, nothing
had changed, and in fact the di
rector of the bureau which over
sees the predator control program
stated that he did not feel obli
gated to the report. And five
years later it was noted that there
were no significant changes any
where in the predator control pro
gram. The costs of the predator
control program continues to spi
ral, the number of destroyed wild
life increases, in spite of the de
creasing number of sheep raised.
It is a tragic irony that the
Bureau of Sport Fisheries and
Wildlife, the agency which helps
to maintain the predator control
program, also maintains the offi
cial endangered species list as
well. It is by the actions of this
bureau that many of the animals
(i.e. kit fox, black-footed ferret,
bald eagle) are added to their
lists. As a result of an over
employed bureaucracy, most dis
trict field assistants have ration
alized their predator control pro
grams as the saving grace of the
livestock industry. Control has
become a way of life for these
agents. An agency with over 700
field agents and supervisors is
simply not staffed to handle an
occasional program, but a per
petual one.
During 1970, the bureau, act
ing under the U.S. Department
of Interior, distributed enough
bait carcasses to kill three times
the present number of coyotes,
and distributed 800,000 strych
nine balls, and 20,000 cyanide
guns to ranchers who requested
them. No form of discriminate
control is used, yet the director
of Wildlife Services, stated that
these methods are “attempts to
limit wildlife depredations in a
manner that protects wildlife.”
Not only is the logic used so bla
tantly irrational, the facts do not
bear him out. In 1969 alone
nearly 35,000 animals not listed
as predators were killed by pred
ator control methods. These ani
mals included beavers, badgers,
porcupines, raccoons, otters, and
foxes, as well as others. Also sev
eral of the few remaining grizzly
bears south of the Rio Grande
were accidentally poisoned by a
joint effort of the U. S. Dept, of
the Interior and the Pan Ameri
can Sanitary Bureau. Under
standably, the total number of
animals taken by these methods
is declining, yet the budget has
soared even past the rate of in
flation.
We have reached the point
where gains no longer exceed
costs.
Tomorrow: The Costs
have some effect on later earth
tremors. Amchitka Island is part
of “the ring of fire,” an area
of volcanic activity that is rela
tively active — the San Andreas
fault is part of it. This is what
Steve Hayes meant by possible
tidal waves and earth tremors.
He fears, and so do many others,
that the blast may cause future
shocks by upsetting the balance
of the faults.
It is also Hayes’ right to doubt
the value of another H-bomb ex
plosion, especially when the aft
ermath could be severe.
Certainly the column is full of
what-ifs. When anything is
done, it is a good idea to think
about what might happen as the
result of it — that is what is
known as what-ifs — and intel
ligent thinking. — Ed.
Pant Shop
IRREGULARS
Top Name Brand
Blue Denim Bells.
“s.- ‘S 00
The Quality Pant
800 Villa Maria
Cadet
(Continued from page 1)
tion, and it’s what A&M is all
about. We learn to respect the
individual for what he is and the
importance of getting to know
him. This is A&M; not quibbling
over who’s burning who’s cam
paign sign.
“Of course we don’t think the
Corps is the only solution on this
campus; the civilian student body
demands a lot of recognition.
But I think they’re missing a lot
by not seeing what the Corps is
all about.
“For years we’ve been trying to
build laders, not necessarily as
members of the Army or the Air
Force or the Marine Corps, but
as citizens, he continued.”
Last year the population of the
Corps of Cadets dropped to ap
proximately 2,500 students. Par
sons has set his goal at 3,000 for
next fall.
“I don’t know if we’re going to
meet Col. Parson’s 3,000 mark by
next year,” Stanley said, “but I
think we’re going to see a sub
stantial increase. We are grow
ing.”
TRY
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EDITOR HAYDEN WHITSETT
Managing Editor Doug Dilley
News Editor Sue Davis
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'WHEN YOU
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CALL ON US FOB
846-3773
VISIT OUR NEW OFFICE . . . MSC
BRALty UNIVERSITY TRAVEL .
A&M UNIVERSITY . . . BRYAN
PEANUTS
/so I B0U6MT \
LINU5 A NEEU)
BLANKET... I
THOUGHT I WAS
\ DOING THE f?|6HT,
A THING.. '
P5YC«!AT<?(C
MELP S4
THE POCTOR
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HMM... l'M NOT QUITE 5URE
HOW I CAN PUT THIS, CHARLIE
BROUJN, m LET ME SM THIS...
By Charles M. Schalz
IN ALL OF MANKIND'S HISTORY
THERE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE '
damage done than by people
WHO “THOUGHT THEY WERE
DOING THE RIGHT THINS "