[NHCOLL-L:990] Re: Fw: Smithsonian Woes

[Dennis Paulson]

The announcement about the closing of the Smithsonian CRC, along with so
much other news of the day, makes it apparent that conservation, the
environment, organismal biology, science itself, and other facets of human
life much respected by all of us are under grave threat by the current US
government.  I can see museum education and research programs being
affected by this new attitude in Washington, at least those of sufficient
stature to be noticed (as the caribou maps on the USGS mapping site were
noticed).  There has never been a time when it has been more important for
scientists to become activists to defend both the natural world and the
importance of our understanding it.  In addition, we should all be praying
to our respective gods that the whole world can make it through four years
of the Bush administration.

Dennis Paulson, Director                           phone 253-879-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History                 fax 253-879-3352
University of Puget Sound                       e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html