The first Earth Day

The first Earth Day was on April 22, 1970. I was in my fourth year of teaching chemistry at Ouachita University. Like a lot of people in the Arkansas environmental movement, I was influenced by Harold Alexander, who taught the importance of stream preservation, natural area protection, and scientific wildlife management. Harold approached me and suggested that we organize an Earth Day celebration at Ouachita.

One component of the plan was to ask that no vehicles be allowed on campus on that day. Harold was well known in the “conservation community,” both locally and at the national level. He easily persuaded a couple of very important environmental scientists to be a part of our program. First was Dr. Clarence Cottam from the Welder Wildlife Foundation in Texas, who had been one of Rachel Carson’s science advisers for Silent

Spring. Next came Dr. Frank Craighead of Moose, Wyo. Frank and his brother John were some of the first scientists to use radio tracking of wildlife as a research tool.

The day was a wonderful success. It is hard to describe the effect of removing cars from campus. The operation of the university continued as usual but with no cars in sight. Everyone cooperated.

As time came for the program to begin, students, faculty and guests from across Arkansas filled Verser Auditorium. It quickly became an overflow crowd with people sitting on the floor and on the stage and stairs.

A group of biology graduate students from UA-Fayetteville showed up, anxious to hear Dr. Craighead and Dr. Cottam. I had invited Craighead to stay at my house that evening. The grad students also ended up at my house, which took on the characteristics of a dormitory. Among the students was Steve Wilson, who later served as director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.

It is hard to believe that this happened 50 years ago. The world has changed since then. I hope we have learned to be kind to this planet on which we live.

JOE NIX Arkadelphia