Hello, As a postdoc currently on maternity leave from a family-friendly dept. at Duke University, I am deeply offended by George Wang's recent comparisons. Deciding to have a child is in no way similar to choosing an SUV. Let's face it: With all the tremendous energy, enthusiasm, and dedication that ecologists have, we still need to rely on the next generation to make environmental conservation a priority.
I like to think that I am making a bigger contribution to that priority by hiking through the woods looking for mushrooms with my young children than I would be staring at a dataset all day long. I'll return to ecology soon... but not until I set a good foundation for my daughters who, unlike SUVs, have a relatively small ecological footprint. Rebecca Vidra Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow University Writing Program Duke University Durham, NC 27708 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
