The past year launched us, not only into the decade of the 70's, but also into a period of intense concern about our environment. We have been bombarded by prophesies that range from those expressing no real concern to those saying the very survival of man is questionable.

There is a general consensus that we do have problems, but that we can deal with these problems if the nation will just get serious and place a high priority on environmental programs. We can cite past records of success, once specific objectives have been accepted as national goals. World War II and the conquest of space are but two recent examples.