Tackling The Environmental Crisis

Each year workers clean five to six tons of trash off the coast of an uninhabited island in Hawaii.

Just imagine that what's still in the water.

Environmental concerns such as this one, cited by Paul H. Forestell, director of research and education at Hawaii's Pacific Whale Foundation, were the subjects at hand at Harvard this past weekend as Forestell and nearly 100 other environmental scientists met of the 12th annual interdisciplinary Earthwatch conference.

Ninety-five scientists from 15 countries convened at the four-day symposium, "Education for a Fast Changing World," which took place at the Science Center, Memorial Hall and Earthwatch's Watertown office.

The scientists and Earthwatch staff who met in the Science Center organized panel discussions to familiarize the public with six areas of their emphasis: education, biodiversity, youth and environment, cultural diversity, managing the environment and past human adaptation to environmental change.

Earthwatch, a non-profit organization began 21 years ago as a multi-disciplinary agency to fund field-based research projects.

Some funds are derived from donations, but most of the money and labor comes from Earthwatch volunteers who pay to participate in two to three week field work trips, working alongside a principal investigator.

The primary goals of the annual conference are to publicize the new research opportunities, to bring the scientists and the public together, and to raise money for future Earthwatch endeavors.

Educators shared their ideas and experiences, merging their Earthwatch training and classroom activities. Some educators, like junior high school teacher Debra Schwarzendruber of Mississippi, had simulated their research with their students.

"A lot of the land in Mississippi is being deforested around our school," Schwarzendruber said. "I could relate my research in the Acadia forest to something they [students] had been hearing about."

Baird Professor of Science Edward O. Wilson moderated a discussion on biodiversity, during which scientists told brief stories and showed slides of their research sites.

And some of the news, like Forestell's, wasn't all that good.

"There are 5.2 million kilometers of rivers in the U.S.," said. Billie Kerans, a member of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania department of biology. "Only two percent of those are healthy enough to warrant protection by the government. Of the country's large rivers, over 1,000 km long, only one, the Yellowstone River, has not been altered physically or chemically by humans."

Kerans attended the conference to present work on new approaches to measuring and protecting water resources. Many of the research projects, like Kerans's, are geared toward collecting enough concrete data to effect changes in the federal government's environment policy.

Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology Irven' DeVore moderated the panel on human adaptation to environmental change. Scientists on this panel concentrated on the use of archaeological evidence to explain the impact of the earth's climatic changes on past cultures, and to then forecast future impact.

In a forum on cultural diversity, moderated by Jason Clay, co-founder and director of studies on Cultural Survival, researchers spoke on anthropological studies of disease, health care, and rapid loss of indigenous language, music and tradition.

On Saturday night, a poster session designed to attract volunteers to Earthwatch projects was held in Memorial Hall. Earthwatch-sponsored scientists explained current projects and interests concerning the topics mentioned in the panel discussions.

Brain Trelstad '91, the founder of Harvard's green Cup, presented a poster and said he will continue his efforts in citizenship trainings, focusing on strategies for more effective environmental advocacy at the state and local level.

Other poster presentations included a Study of Earth Religions, Herbal Medicine of Central India, Technology for Development: Sustaining, not Obliterating the Environment, and Empowering Students to Make a Difference.

Early Saturday morning, a teacher exchange was held where EarthCorps teachers and Earthwatch fellows compared notes on the materials they used in the classrooms.

In 1993, Earthwatch plans to sponsor 165 projects ranging form studying geological phenomena to understanding the human impact on ecosystems. To date, the program has trained more than 3,075 students and 2,625 teachers.

The exchange was followed by an education forum in the Science Center.

Many Earthwatch volunteers are teachers who, like Schwarzendruber, wish to use their research this way. Students can also participate, but the cost of the trips may deter many from applying.

Earthwatch staff member Bram de Veer said this may change in the future.

"We have submitted a proposal to try to make Earthwatch more accessible to college students by offering a discount rate and postering on campuses," he said. "Two weeks in the field is worth a semester in the class room."