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2 O O 4 WANT TO LIVE IN THE HALLS NEXT YEAR? APRIL 15-RACE STARTS Online application-http://housing.uoregon.edu/roomrace The sooner you apply the more choices you have for single rooms, creating your own neighborhood, and picking your complex. (Only current residents using a campus ethernet or UO modem connection have access.) MAY 1 0 at noon-APPLICATIONS DUE (There is no application fee for returning residents.) MAY 11 -ROOM SELECTION UNIVERSITY OF OREGON ROOM RACE African Students Association Presents SOUL OF THE MOTHERLAND A cultural exploration of Africa Bush, Kerry use Earth Day to put focus on environment Despite the candidates' rhetoric, analysts debate the environment's impact on the presidential race By Bill Lambrecht St. Louis Post-Dispatch (KRT) WASHINGTON — With a woody backdrop in Maine and a promise to preserve wetlands, President George W. Bush worked Thursday to blunt one of the clearest distinctions be tween presidential candidates this year — their environmental records. The president and his Democratic challenger, Sen. John Kerry of xMassa chusetts, both used Earth Day to make appeals on conservation issues, even though voters may be paying less attention to the environment than in recent election campaigns. But both Kerry and advocacy groups intend to raise the profile of the environment in the coming months in hopes that voters will be gin focusing again on issues other than terrorism, the Iraq war and the economy. In Missouri, Democratic activists gathered on Kerry's behalf at 12 loca tions Thursday night in St. Louis, Kansas City, Jefferson City, Springfield and Columbia to talk about environ mental issues. The president, after touring a na ture preserve in Wells, Maine, near his family's Kennebunkport compound, declared that his administration would "create, improve and protect" more than 3 million acres of wetlands over the next five years. "The old policy about wetlands was to limit the loss of wetlands. Today I'm going to announce a new policy, a new goal for our country, instead of just limiting our losses, we will ex pand the wetlands of America," Bush said. Bush's new commitment marks a departure from some of his policies during his administration. For in stance, the White I louse has support ed several water projects that would damage wetlands, among them the St. Johns Bayou/New Madrid Floodway project in the Missouri Bootheel. That Mississippi River flood con trol project would drain at least 18,000 acres of wetlands; it has been approved by the Army Corps of En gineers and is undergoing final state review. A recent National Wildlife Federa tion study calculated that 29 pro posed water projects, the Bootheel project among them, threaten 640,000 acres of wetlands and fragile areas near shorelines. The Army Corps of Engineers, which administers a key government wetlands program, approves the vast majority of requests from developers and others to fill wetlands, according to government figures. In the future, the president said, that the corps and other federal agen cies would restore and create at least 1 million areas of wetlands in five years. Grants to farmers under last year's farm bill will help preserve an other 1 million acres toward the goal of 3 million. In Houston, Kerry called the presi dent's wetlands plan "a smoke and mirrors game ... For the last 3 years this administration, this president, had a proposal that would have lost us 20 million acres of wetlands." Kerry spoke in the president's home state during a three-day campaign swing in which he has campaigned heavily on environmental issues. Kerry is a favorite of environmental advocacy groups with a 96 percent League of Conservation approval rat ing during his 19 years in the Senate. Polls also show that voters continue to give Democrats a higher rating than Republicans on their ability to handle environmental issues. But environmental issues aren't reg istering heavily with voters this politi cal season, in part because of the pub lic's focus on war and terrorism, along with general concerns about the econ omy and jobs. A Gallup Poll published earlier this month found sharp declines in the president's ratings on environmental and energy issues. On environmental issues, 46 percent of Americans said the president was doing a poor job compared with 41 percent who said he is doing a good job. That finding reflected a 10 percent decline in the president's positive rating. Bush's positive rating on energy had plummeted from 58 percent to 34 percent since 2001. Nonetheless, political analysts like Stuart Rothenberg question how much the environment will matter to voters. "When times are good and the na tion is at peace, people have the time and the inclination to talk about health care, the environment and is sues affecting their lives," he said. Rothenberg observed that environ mental issues might work the best for Kerry among certain groups of voters in swing states. "We're talking about political and social moderates, partic ularly suburban women and people there who are concerned with kids and the quality of their lives," he said. Karlyn Bowman, an analyst with the conservative American Enterprise Institute, pointed to polls showing that environmental problems rank near the bottom on a broad list of vot er concerns. "I see a lot of evidence in surveys that people are becoming light greens.' (Their) commitment is the same, but they're just not willing to do more in terms of environmental activism particularly at the national level," she said. Deb Callahan, president of the League of Conservation Voters, argued that Kerry can elevate the environ ment in voters' minds. "In a presiden tial election, the issues that the presi dential candidates talk about are the issues that people think about," she said. Her organization, along with sever al others, announced this week that it will try to raise the profile of environ mental issues by mobilizing 25,000 volunteers to knock on 1.5 million doors in four swing states — Florida, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Oregon. Riley Dunlap, a sociologist who studies public opinion on environ mental issues, said that the groups have at least a chance to succeed. "They are going to keep pounding away, and it might be said that Earth Day is their launch. Their efforts, com bined with the fact that Kerry is viewed much more favorably than Bush on these issues, raises the possi bility that the environment could be a moderately significant issue in No vember, more than most people think right now," he said. (c) 2004, St. Louis Post Dispatch. Distributed by Knight Ridder/ Tribune Information Services. 4 on 4 VoHeybal Tournament! f Friday April 23rd University Commons mm WBBmmmmm Feed, Drinks & Prises! Rain Date: Sat. 24th @ 1pm Everybody's Invited! *Sign-up deadline: Thurs. April 22nd, 6pm umversiTY COMMONS apartments 90 Commons Drive, Eugene, OR 97401 SWAT SUMMER Earn a $300 stipend, learn new skills, and make a difference on campus! Perform a fun, interactive program on healthy relationships and violence prevention for IntroDucktion Rehearsals start June 14 with performances in July. 018902 SWAT FALL Receive two upper-division (400 level) credits per term, work with a fun, passionate group of peers, develop your professional skills and interests, gain experience for your resume, and become more involved in the campus community! Perform fun, interactive programs on healthy relationships and violence prevention for student across campus. Weekly class starts Fall term. No experience with theater or sexual assault/dating violence is necessary, though we appreciate any skills you bring! Applications for the Sexual Wellness Advisory Team (SWAT) are available in the Women’s Center or by contacting Megan Thompson at mgt@uoregon.edu or 346-1198. Applications are due May 4.
