“It is a curious situation that the sea, from which life first arose, should now be threatened by the activities of one form of that life.  But the sea, though changed in a sinister way, will continue to exist; the threat is rather to life itself.” – Rachel Carson, The Sea Around Us

“No witchcraft, no enemy action had silenced the rebirth of new life in this stricken world.  The people had done it themselves.”  – Rachel Carson, Silent Spring

As BOEMRE (Bureau of Ocean Management, Regulation and Enforcement) replaces the MMS I wonder if their staff knows the work of Rachel Carson, an employee of the US Fish and Wildlife Service over 50 years ago.  Would Rachel place herself among their ranks today - or elsewhere?

I keep thinking about Rachel Carson, and her books The Sea Around Us and Silent Spring, first published in the late 1950s and early 1960s as the negative impact of chemicals like DDT began to be understood.  If you’re a marine biologist, a Baby Boomer or unusually well read you probably know Rachel Carson, but her books are for everyone.  Her command of science and history, and her respect for all living things flows from page to page.  Her desire to teach us how we are connected to even the smallest creatures makes us aware of our actions and the results of our mistakes.  You can’t help but be drawn into her world.

My father gave me a copy of The Sea Around Us when I was seven.  ‘She’s a smart lady’, my father said.   I can still see myself holding the large book in my hands, the ocean on the cover.   She was a woman who did something to change the world when that was different and curious.  I could only read the photo captions then, but from that book I learned to love the sea.  Her writing, her passion made the sea alive and interesting and mysterious – and the most important thing on earth.  Read that book today and you’ll see her writing is as fresh, as clear and relevant as ever.  Her words could easily grace Treehugger, Mashable or The Huffington Post.

I wonder what Rachel Carson would say and do today.  Her concerns were radioactivity and pesticides, battles long fought, but it’s still the same old saw - the unintended consequences of human action that boomerangs back on everyone.  The cosmic ‘oops’ we never think about until it’s too late.

It’s ironic that Rachel Carson, whose work gave life to the ecology movement and sparked the creation of the EPA, made her contributions while working for the US Fish and Wildlife Service.  They actually encouraged her when they realized her talent for reaching the public through her writing.  We’re frustrated today with agencies who are supposed to protect our environment and protect us.  It’s hard to believe these agencies were once the source of solutions and inspiration.  I think that Rachel Carson would be just as frustrated today as we, and I wonder where she would stand.  Would she be at BOEMRE or Greenpeace?  I’m not sure.

Can our agencies get back to leading and inspiring instead of back pedaling and finger pointing when it comes to the environment?  Can BOEMRE, as they form, use what’s happened in the past few years to establish a better footing and move ahead?  We’re at a crossroads.  Our fingers crossed, we are waiting to see how BOEMRE responds to the opportunity in their hands.

Rachel’s words were helpful 50 years ago and they are helpful now.  A reminder of someone who did something good when she had the power and the platform.  Someone whose efforts stemmed from a love of the sea and a desire to protect everything in it for generations to come.  We’re waiting and watching.