Girl Scientist;

Cancel your subscriptions to the Smithsonian magazine and tell them why. And the
more the merrier. The only thing most business persons understand is Washington
on the Dollar bill.

Gene Kridler, Ye Real Olde Broken Down Wildlife Biologist, Esq.
Deborah Wisti-Peterson wrote:

> hello all,
>
> disturbing news, indeed.
>
> regards,
>
> Deborah Wisti-Peterson, PhD Candidate nyneve at u.washington.edu
> Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
> Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
> Love the creator? Then protect the creation.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 08:31:15 -0500
> From: Madhusudan Katti <mkatti at asu.edu>
> Subject: Smithsonian's Conservation & Research Center to be shut down!!
>
> Greetings folks,
>
> Yesterday I heard from a colleague the rather shocking news that the
> Smithsonian's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal
> <http://www.si.edu/crc/> is to be shut down permanently after 25 years of
> operation!! This is part of a downsizing of "science" at the Smithsonian,
> and will no doubt outrage many of our colleagues throughout the world who
> have had associations with the CRC.
>
> Today's Washington Post online carries the article appended below on the
> planned closure:
> <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46701-2001Apr5.html>.
>
> I have also been digging a bit online (thank you Google) into the background
> to this budgetary decision. Based on what I have read so far, it looks like
> the decision to close the CRC comes from the Smithsonian's Secretary
> Lawrence Small, he of impeccable corporate pedigree (Citicorp/Citibank to
> Fannie Mae to Smithsonian - for more on this, see, e.g.,
> <http://www.commondreams.org/views01/0217-07.htm>). The Smithsonian's Board
> of Regents, which consists of various govt. luminaries including the US Vice
> President, the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, and others, has
> approved the plan.
>
> The article below gives some indications of the research priorities being
> set for the Smithsonian, with the CRC as one casualty.
>
> I personally feel sad that a world class facility such as the CRC, which has
> contributed so much to conservation and research worldwide - many of my
> teachers in India received training there - can be closed down so abruptly.
>
> A colleague from the CRC just wrote to me that some of them are trying to
> generate some external pressure to force reconsideration of this decision.
> I'm not sure who to write to at this point, but I guess one can start with
> Mr. Small (contact information should be available through the SI website
> <http://www.si.edu/>.
>
> Madhu
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Madhusudan Katti
> Postdoctoral Research Associate
> Central Arizona-Phoenix LTER Project
> Center for Environmental Studies
> Arizona State University
> Tempe, AZ 85287-3211