Project Gutenberg 2019-04-25 Public domain in the USA. 192 Lang, Varley Orban, Paul 1896 1974 Ecology on Rollins Island Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, August 1955 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net “Ecology on Rollins Island” by Varley Lang is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. This work explores themes of ecological balance, societal collapse, and human resilience in the face of necessity, set against a backdrop where food scarcity necessitates extreme measures. The narrative unfolds in a future where the World Food Institute (WFI) exerts total control over food production, reflecting on the consequences of overregulation and environmental mismanagement. The story follows George Henry, a poacher living on Rollins Island, who rejects WFI's oppressive food policies. Captured by inspectors, George is offered a choice: join WFI or face imprisonment at a food processing plant. Instead, he agrees to manage an ecological station on the island, where the WFI aims to harvest sea birds for food. As he and his companions navigate the grueling realities of their work and the overwhelming stench of bird excrement, George devises a plan involving rats to rid the island of the birds to reclaim its natural bounty. Over time, the balance of the island shifts dramatically, resulting in a new ecosystem dominated by rats and leading to unsettling implications for both the inhabitants and the mainland. As civilization crumbles, the novella raises challenging questions about human nature, survival, and the interplay between ecological practices and societal structures. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 85.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Short stories Islands -- Fiction Poachers -- Fiction Overpopulation -- Fiction PS Text Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 57927 2025-06-23T14:29:31.332155 text/html 54269 2019-04-25T13:55:38 text/html 270491 2025-06-23T14:29:33.343136 application/epub+zip 269318 2025-06-23T14:29:31.766185 application/epub+zip 82874 2025-06-23T14:29:31.516144 application/epub+zip 306633 2025-06-23T14:29:34.752187 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 299181 2025-06-23T14:29:33.114135 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 112999 2022-09-26T22:55:49.642688 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 51402 2025-06-23T14:29:31.193169 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 51564 2019-04-25T13:55:38 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 51555 2019-04-25T13:55:38 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 21676 2025-06-23T14:29:34.900140 application/rdf+xml 28904 2025-06-23T14:29:31.612166 image/jpeg 4999 2025-06-23T14:29:31.563189 image/jpeg 20193 2019-04-25T13:55:38 application/octet-stream application/zip 455863 2019-04-25T13:55:38 application/octet-stream application/zip 20176 2019-04-25T13:55:38 application/octet-stream application/zip 458872 2025-06-23T14:29:31.346230 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog