8 Monday, December 4, 1989 / University Daily Kansan Environmental group protects natural areas By Jim Petterson Kansan staff writer Alan Pollum doesn't have any cute, fuzzy animals to put on the cover of his organization's literature. But Pollum, state director of the Nature Conservancy, said cute and fuzzy don't always go hand in hand with a commitment to preserve a lot of natural diversity in Kansas and the world. The world loses one plant or animal species each day and they all aren't as photogenic as a baby harp seal. Pollled are. He said that if all the earth's remaining ecosystems are to be preserved, lesser-known and less emotionally appealing plants and animals must be protected. we are working to preserve natural diversity by maintaining the current mix of plant and animal life," Pollum said. "We lose one plant or animal species each day. By the turn of the century, we'll be losing one species every hour." Preserving biological diversity is the calling card of the Nature Conservancy. The Conservancy operates more than 1,000 preserve sites in Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean. The Kansas field office of the Nature Conservancy, in Topeka, opened in early October with Pollum as the state director. Pollum is a Kansas native and has had 19 "I've gotten an opportunity to do something I've long since believed in and at the same time use previous experience to apply directly to theI've." he said. years of experience in financial and real estate management and a lifelong interest in the environment. While groups like the Audubon Society or the Sierra Club are better known, the Conservancy is much larger and maintains the largest private system of nature sanctuaries in the world. The organization is often criticized by other more politically active environmental groups for maintaining close ties to corporations who make substantial contributions to the Conservancy. The Conservancy has more than 500,000 members, 22,000 of them in Kansas. With an $85 million fundearmarked for land purchase, the Conservancy provides about 1,000 additional acres of land every day. The Conservancy has compiled a list of 400 priority sites in Kansas and already has acquired more than 13,000 acres in the state. One of the Conservancy's largest projects in Kansas was the purchase of the Konza prairie in the eastern part of the Flint Hills, these 8,616 acres of native tallgrass prairies are used by Kansas State University for long-term research and educational purposes. Pollum said he would talk in generalities about the types of areas he would like to see the Conservancy purchase in Kansas but refused to discuss specific plans for land acquisitions. He fears that the publicity might interfere with negotiations with Landowners or cause unwanted controversy. Man Pollum Gary Hulett, Gov. Mike Hayden's special assistant for health and the environment, said he was pleased to see the Conservancy operating in Kansas. "We are looking at four or five prairie types, two or three different types of wetlands, different river sites, springs and possible cave sites," Pollum said. "They are the premiere conservation group in the world," he said. "They work in a very scientific, yet businesslike, manner. They negotiate in good faith, not in a high-pressure manner. They've made a huge contribution to Kansas." Pollum said he was pleased with the public support for the Conservancy as well as the growing concern for the maintenance and protection of vital natural areas. "It's something that's time has come," he said. "I just hope it stays that way." Better diets can help students during finals Bv Melanie Matthes Kansan staff writer Students taking final exams in the next weeks can influence their test performance by altering their eating and drinking habits, local dietitians said. Studies show that too much caffeine can decrease alertness and aggravate studying, said Ann Davis, nutritionist at Walkins Memorial Health Center. Although small amounts of caffeine can increase alertness, Davis said, large doses can make a person jittery and irritable and can decrease productivity. But the limits of caffeine intake are different for each person, she said, and each person should find their threshold of intake. Because there is about four times the caffeine in coffee than in soda, it takes a great deal more soda to get the same effects as one cup of coffee. Davis said. "If their reason for drinking pop is for the caffeine lift, I recommend that they go to sugar-free," she said. Davis said that as an alternative to loading up on foods and drinks that are high in salt, sugar and caffeine, students should take short study breaks and do something physi- Activities such as jumping rope or running stairs will increase blood flow to the brain and, therefore, will increase students' ability to learn, Davis said. Late-night studying also can be aggravated by foods such as candy bar and fast foods, said Gwyn Kites, dietitian at the Douglas County Health Department. Besides being bad for students' teeth, she said, candy bars lack nutrients and give students only shots of quick energy. But Davis said weight-conscious studiers should eat pizza with no meat, half the normal amount of cheese and twice the normal amount of vegetables. Kitos said that another quick and easy meal for students is a pocket sandwich made in pita bread. "This would be handy to eat while you'restudying," she said. Davis said that students should drink milk and eat fruit with their sandwich for added fiber and protein. A handy snack alternative to junk food is fresh fruit, Kitos said, because it is packaged and portable. and portable. Davis said that fruit can be frozen to add variety and that grapes and bananas are good frozen. Dickinson PRIME TIMER SHOW *1* 58 CR ANTIM Kitos said that other snack alternatives included popcorn, nuts, yogurt, cheese and vegetables. Cereal and oatmeal are healthy snacks and can even serve as a light meal, she said. MASTERIOR The Little Mermaid (G) 1:10, 3:05, 5:06 no two for one passes All Dogs Go To Heaven (G) 12:00, 18:45, 9:00 9:00 No Show Fri, Sat, and Sun Prancer (G) 2:00, 7:00, 7:15, 9:25 Steel Magnolias (PG) 12:00, 2:18, 4:45, 7:18, 9:45 no two for one pass Back To The Future 2 (PG) 12:15, 2:55, 4:56, 7:05 no two for one pass Christmas Gift-UP (13) 1:00, 3:00, 8:10, 9:20 showfiles marked with * are good only on Sat. & Sun. UNITED/ARTISTS CLOSED FOR REPAIRS VARSITY 1015 Mass 843-1065 Roy reg. dau 54 M2 student with pro 104 Morgan Moore 53 D0 student with pro 104 Morgan Moore 53 D0 GRANADA 1020 Mass 843-5788 CLOSED FOR REPAIRS HILL CREST 9th A. Iowa 842-8400 LOOK WHO'S TALKING (pg.3) EVE: 60:59, 71:48, 92:18 STAYING TOGETHER (B) EVE: 60:59, 71:48, 92:18 CRIMES & MENDEMIGENS (pg.3) EVE: 60:59, 71:48, 92:18 THE REAP (pg.) SAT: 8:29, 11:28 DAD (pg.) SAT: 8:29, 11:28 CINEMA TWIN ALL SEATS $1.00 Hou & Iowa 802-6400 UNCLE BUCK (pp) 8:19, 9:20 WHEN HARRY MATT SALLY (pp) 8:19, 9:20 MOVIE LINE 841-5191 Your paper, your news. Campus Nation/World Sports Weather Arts & Entertainment THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN College Memory This year, Macintosh will remember more about KU than you will. This year, Macintosh will remember more about KU than you will. That's because the 1990 Jayhawker Yearbook is being produced entirely on Macintosh computers. And the results are something the staff won't soon forget. Before, editing and reworking pages was time-consuming and expensive. So the decision was made to teach the entire staff to use Macintosh computers. So when you see this year's Jayhawker, remember that a Macintosh could do the same for you. Here's what they learned to do within a month: cut production time by 75%, use that time to explore more creative ideas, and improve the quality of the Jayhawker with the graphic capabilities of Macintosh. So when you see this year's Jayhawker. The power to do your best at KU © 1989 The Apple logo and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. The Mac deals are here! Burge Union 864-5697