Support National Wilderness Awareness Week

To the Editors:

People once thought that the North American wilderness was simply too vast to ever disappear, that it would provide for all human needs for many centuries. However, the last century saw unprecedented assaults against the last remaining pristine wilderness areas. It is an inarguable fact that our wild places have come under attack by big business and development, and are subsequently disappearing from areas all over the United States. Logging, mining, drilling and road building all mean habitat destruction for native species, resource depletion, pollution and a permanent loss of forest that future generations will be unable to enjoy.
Throughout the country, organizations have taken it upon themselves to educate themselves and others about this issue, and to oppose the greedy conquest of the nation’s wild areas. Here at Oberlin, in honor of National Wilderness Awareness Week, Ohio PIRG has tied ribbons around many of the trees in Tappan Square to represent the loss of 96 percent of America’s old growth forest. To educate students about the threats to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska, Wilder basement has been covered with garbage bags to show the horrible effects of oil drilling. Ohio PIRG is also gathering public comments about the destruction of our national forests and the threats to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and plans to send them to Forest Chief Bosworth and Ohio Senator Mike Dewine. Only through education and activism can we take a stand against the senseless eradication of America’s last remaining pristine natural areas. Please support Oberlin’s contribution to National Wilderness Awareness Week and help protect this country from the insatiable appetite of the special interest.
–Jonathan Rousell
College first-year