Rachel Carson, a child of the Allegheny Valley, was a writer and an ecologist. There have been great writers whose descriptions of natural history and stories of the natural world charm and delight readers; and there have been scientists whose work excites the public attention. Rachel Carson rises to a heroic stature because her conscience called for action, not only words.

Rachel Carson was intimately familiar with the natural systems she observed closely from childhood, and studied intensely as an ecologist. She recognized the potential for human activity to disrupt the fragile, complex, and wondrous web of life. She dared to point out, in a time when technology was all the rage, that people are PART of the web of life. Man-made poisons introduced into natural systems can harm not only nature, but people as well. She dared to point out that chemical solutions to biological problems need to be balanced with the total long term, life cycle cost.

Rachel Carson was reasonable in her proposals. She did not insist on radical changes. She pleaded for precaution against irreversible damages. She urged study and consideration of safer alternatives.

Her legacy to this and future generations is guided by her environmental ethic:

• Live in harmony with nature
• Preserve and learn from natural places
• Minimize the impact of man-made chemicals on natural systems of the world
• Consider the implications of human activities on the global web of life.

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