Stew Udall Still Active & Agitating For The Environment At Age 86

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As Interior secretary under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, Udall made a lasting mark on the Southwest and on public lands around the country. He helped shepherd the Wilderness Act and a national trails bill to passage and oversaw the creation of 10 national parks and monuments, several national sea shores, 20 historic sites and dozens of wildlife refuges. His work in government and his seminal book, "The Quiet Crisis," had a profound effect on the nation in the 1960s.

"Stewart Udall, more than any other single person, was responsible for reviving the national commitment to conservation and environmental preservation," said Bruce Babbitt, who calls Udall one of his heroes and followed in his footsteps as Interior secretary under President Clinton.


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Udall's mind still is hard at work, crafting articles and speeches about global warming, the energy crisis and other critical issues. "I'm trying to live not a normal life because my vision is affecting me, but to keep my mind working and keep my imagination flourishing and producing new ideas," Udall said in his deep, gravely voice. He's tried his hand at a screenplay and received four pages of script notes from good friend Robert Redford. "He's an intellectual," said Udall's son, Tom, the congressman from New Mexico's 3rd Congressional District. "He studies issues in a great deal of depth, but when he conveys the issues to the public, he does it in a very powerful way."

Udall's recent labor is an article focusing on energy issues. The U.S. has shifted away from the low-energy lifestyle Udall grew up with and now is using 25 percent of the world's petroleum, he said. "That's going to change our way of life," he said. "We've already seen it, haven't we, this big jump in prices? What if it goes up to $5 a gallon? What's that going to do to our mobility, our culture, our lifestyle?"

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http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/41055.html