News In Brief

Clark offers conciliation to environmental groups

Interior Secretary William Clark made a small but significant peace offering to environmentalists by giving them access to government files on lead poisoning of millions of waterfowl from shotgun pellets.

Mr. Clark, apparently signaling an end to the confrontation politics of the man he replaced, James Watt, made the announcement Wednesday in his first speech to conservationists since becoming interior secretary. Speaking to the nation's largest environmental organization, the National Wildlife Federation, Clark pledged to work closely with them but asked support for ''reasonable'' economic development in return.

''Interior, I assure you, welcomes your help in keeping America strong economically, strategically, environmentally,'' Clark said.