In 1988, almost 20 years ago, I wrote these words: there has been a great deal of media coverage recently on such issues as the breakdown of the ozone layer, the growing problems associated with waste disposal, the damaging effects of acid rain. Although none of these problems are new, they are finally coming to the forefront of the American conscience.

I think I spoke too soon. Environmental issues are now in the forefront; not a day goes by that we dont hear about emissions, compromised air, water and soil, global warming. However, I am not sure that we are the ones to care.

As Aldo Leopold pointed out in his work, A Sand County Almanac, the prevention and solution to environmental problems depends on individuals adhering to a land ethic that reflects the existence of an ecological conscience, and this in turn reflects a conviction of individual responsibility for the heath of the land. Health is the capacity of the land for self-renewal. Conservation is our effort to understand and preserve this capacity.

As I said twenty years ago, the time of armchair concern is gone; we must accept responsibility for the health of the land, and involve ourselves in some aspect of the conservation effort. Involvement does not mean that you have to take on the burden of every environmental issue; simply saving newspapers for recycling is involvement. There are so many areas of our lives where a simple adaptation in lifestyle results in a profound impact on the environment. We need to understand how we affect the land, and the lands ability to renew.