Popularizing the ATBI

[Peter Rauch]

Hi Taxacom-ers,
See: "Discovering Life", by Wendy Mitman Clarke, National Parks, Nov/Dec
1998, pgs. 23-25, which describes the All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory
planned for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's estimated 100,000
species of organisms. A brief Editorial comment about this ATBI is
on pg 6.

"National Parks" magazine, published by the National Parks and
Conservation Association, has a circulation of 453,000, and should do a
good job of outreach, to popularize the ATBI approach to improving
public understanding of environment diversity and complexity, and of
just how little we know about where we live.

NPCA's SE regional director, Don Barger is quoted to say "As we go into
the next century, we really are going to a phase in the development of
our society where we had better know what it is we're dealing with and
what it is we have got to lose."

The Smoky Mountains N.P. ATBI is the first to make it past the dream and
possibility stages, so Taxacomers, pay attention to its progress.

Also, check out http://www.discoverlife.org (if you can reach it; I
couldn't) for more about the ATBI.

(Honors to Dan Janzen, who is christened "godfather of the
ATBI" by John Pickering, co-chair of the project. :>)

Peter