The paper explores the role of geographers in preparing environmental impact statements (EISs). In 1969 the National Environmental Policy Act mandated that an EIS be prepared for every legislative proposal that significantly affects the environmental quality. EISs must be prepared by interdisciplinary teams representing natural and social sciences as well as the fields covered by the projects being assessed. Geographers with cartographic skills are of great value on EIS teams because maps are an effective method of displaying environmental characteristics. In response to criticism of EIS quality, a survey was undertaken in 1978 of 312 colleges and universities offering geography courses to determine how many offered a course designed to teach EIS preparation skills. Seventy percent of the respondents replied that they offered some EIS preparation training or felt that it should be offered. Because new regulations concerning EIS preparation are forthcoming, the author believes this is a critical time for college geography departments to emphasize skills of EIS preparation and to train geographers so that they can contribute to the successful enforcement of the new regulations. (AV)