No More Cranium

HE'S ONLY been gone a few days, but already we miss James Watt.

In less than three years as Secretary of the interior, Watt managed to generate more support for environmentalists than the Sierra Club could in a decade. His knack for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, his uncanny ability to sabotage his own plans with memorable gaffes--surely Watt's successor will not be so incompetent.

In terms of publicity, too, Watt has been a godsend. No Executive Branch official since Teddy Roosevelt has attracted so much attention to environmentalist issues. Watt's successor will probably do his job quietly, without provoking public outrage, and the conservationists task will be that much more difficult.

Watt's resignation Sunday is not likely to change the Reagan Administration's policies--"unproductive" parkland will continue to be sold for strip mines and leased for oil drilling, and the government will continue to divest itself of the country's remaining wilderness areas. No, the Administration will probably stay committed to the despoiling of the continent's coral reefs, forests, and wildlife sanctuaries.

What Watt's resignation will influence is the implementation of these policies. We simply can't depend on his successor to alienate people the way Watt could. Perhaps the first noticeable effect will come later this month, as the Supreme Court deliberates on the legality of the sale of offshore reefs. Whom can we count on to slander the Justices? Who is our man to trip up the defense? Sadly, there is sure to be silence on C St., as the case is judged on its merits.

Those who care about the national parks should redouble their efforts to fight Reagan's policies. With Watt's departure the environment could cease to be a high-profit issue. Certainly, environmental issues should continue to command public attention. But somehow they will look different without the glare off of Jimmie Watt's cranium.