or those of you who don’t know who F we are, Biohazard is a column that not

only informs students as to what the Biology Club is doing but also provides enter- tainment in the form of Biodefinitions and other little treats. Outlooks on the environment that vary from the popular “media-ized” versions are also presented. Biohazard tries to make people

_ look at the environment as more than a black

and white issue -- show them that extinction is not always bad, or that protecting a species is not always good. As you can see, this column is more than just a society notice board.

Biodefinitions

Evolution: The progression of life from that of lowly insignificance to that of higher function and purpose. Examples include a philosophy major becoming a biologist and a politician becoming a leech (they both suck the life out of you but the leech is easier to get rid of). Biochemistry: The natural attraction that all people feel towards biologists.

Sessile organism: A living thing which spends its entire life stuck to one spot. Look in The Pit sometime.

Envirofact

A short time ago a friend and | were doing an Ecology report which required some work in the field. During our wanderings from river to river in search of hormone-crazed waterfowl we happened upon the carcass of a dead Black Duck recently killed by a Bald Eagle.

My friend, enroled in Pre-Vet and who loves animals (the cute ones anyway -- no bats °rsnakes), was upset and she wondered whether °r not the bird should be buried. When | said ‘Why bother’ she looked at me as if | had two heads and ate babies for breakfast. We didn’t bury the duck but instead left it by the river and Continued our travels.

My friend’s attitude is typical of many People who claim to be animal lovers. When they find a dead animal that looks half cute they're not brave enough to tackle skunks) they immediately want to put it in the ground nd give it a decent burial.

| myself make a point of removing any “ead pets or wildlife from the road when | come “Cross them (except skunks, I’m not that brave “'ther). But when | remove pets | place them in

an area where the owners will see them and be able to retrieve them. The place | deposit the carcass is also situated so that, should the owner not retrieve it, wildlife can safely feed on the remains and not worry about becoming roadside pancakes themselves. Dead raccoons and such get chucked into the brush for the scavengers.

Ifyou find this horribleand disrespectful then maybe you should examine your morals a little more, No animal should be left in the road to be repeatedly run over by traffic; this. is wasteful and causes danger to those animals such as raccoons, foxes, crows, and pets that feed off of road kill. If one comes across road kill they should stop and remove it, especially if they are the ones who ran it over (it is illegal to hit a dog and not stop). The animal,if it is dead, should be placed far enough from the road so that it can be fed upon safely --a good heave into a field or the woods will do.

This may seem disrespectful, but which is the greater insult: Ricky Raccoon rotting under ground or burning in an incinerator; or Ricky providing the nourishment needed to sustain a starving fox at the end ofa long winter?

Upcoming events MEETINGS !!!!! Every Wednesday at | 2:45 pm in the Biology Club (Go into Duffy amphithea- tre to the top of the stairs and take the door on the

left.)

Oct. |--3 -- Jobs and

-the Environment Confer-

ence in Summerside. De- tails and sign up in Biology Club (Duffy).

A GREEN COMMITTEE UPDATE

Slowly, like many other things on PEI, progress is being made with the UPEI Green Committee. The Green Committee has been around for several years now, but unfortunately has yet to become firmly established. There is tremen- dous support for an environmental group on campus and, if it were well organized, the Green Committee could begin to help our environ- ment.

The objectives of the Green Committee are to promote awareness of environmental issues, to establish communication between existing environmental interest groups, and to take action to improve situations which are detri- mental to the environment. Membership is open to all interested and is free.

The first meeting will probably be held early in October. Keep reading the X-Press for fur- ther details.

A FIRST FOR ATLANTIC CANADA

by Joanne Hardwick

For the first time in Atlantic Canada the Prince Edward Island Environmental Network (PEIEN) is pleased to host the 1993 Canadian Environ- mental Network's Annual General Assembly (CEN AGA). The PEIEN invites all to attend the CEN AGA to be held at Slemon Park, PEI, the former CFB Summerside. The theme for the event is “Jobs and the Environment.” Repre- Sentatives of environmental organizations from across the country will gather together to develop “green” solutions to regional develop- ment problems.

The goal of this conference is to share an environmentalist’s vision of an ecological economy with representatives from govern- ment, business, and industry. Through a series of issues workshops, alternatives will be devel- oped to address the “jobs vs. the environment “mentality. To achieve this goal, the CEN will call on a huge body of grass roots experience, as wellas the expertise of professionals in many fields. From this wealth of knowledge, we hope to develop strategies that will achieve full em- ployment, as these two ideologies need not be in conflict.

If you have an interest in full employment on a healthy planet, mark October I st,2nd,and 3rd on your calendar and attend the CEN AGA.

Transportation from UPEI to Slemon Park will be provided. For further information con- tact Chris Ripley at the Biology Club or phone 892-5866.

September 23, 1993/X-Press/13