Invasive Species
It’s been a really intense week at the pond and we all might feel like a bit of a breather without me piling on with “The oceans are dead! Soylent Green is people!”
So I’d like to talk a bit about invasive species this week, but I’m not going to talk too much, LOL, having taken that approach in the past and scared away the conversation. You know what invasive species are: plants and animals that don’t belong someplace which have been moved there, typically accidentally, typically by people; often in the process of shipping goods or travel.
This is another installment in the New Environmentalism series, where we both look at global issues and suggest actions you can take for yourself to help address the problem. Egarwaen and I encourage you to contact either of us by email if you’d like to be a contributor to this series (post a diary or host a discussion).
I’ll point you to some good links, and encourage you to take the time that you would have used reading me to find out about the invasive species that are a problem in your specific area, and give some thought about what you can do about them. This is the time of year in most of the US and Canada where folks are planning their gardens for the coming growing season, so it’s a good time to ask yourself “Have I seen any of these bad actors in my garden? Can I weed them out? What native species can I plant to give native plants – and the animals that depend on them – that much more of a foothold. Are there any local groups clearing kudzu, vinca, or whatever from a park that might appreciate an extra pair of hands? Can I encourage the planting of native species in my subdivision at the next homeowners association meeting?
No, this won’t remove BushCo and restore balanced constitutional government, but it might give you a few hours to get outside as the weather warms up and refresh your soul for the challenging days ahead.
So I’m going to shut up now; here are some good links. Let me know if you have any to share as well, or ideas on how to address this issue – or just go check the links out. Thanks for stopping by!
Invasive species links and Google search ideas
The US Department of Agriculture has a newly-redesignedNational Invasive Species Information Center website that just opened shop February 1. It has news on the subject, impending legislation, and a link to the right, “Learn About Invasive Species,” that will take you to some definitions and, on the left, a search engine. Under that, if you “Browse by Geography” you can wander the links until you find specific information for your state.
Or, you might choose to start at your specific state’s (or province’s) Department of Agriculture. Google the phrase “invasive species [name of your state] department agriculture” and see what you find. Or “invasive species [name of your state] state university” to see what information your state land-grant university might have available. Another option is to Google “[name of your county] [name of your state] invasive species” or something similar to see what county-specific information may be available.
I tried all of these searches for Tennessee and they worked well enough to lead me to information I could use.
If this week’s diary isn’t the bracing splash of cold water in the face you need today, I recommend Gaianne’s most recent Thursday diary in the “The Autumnal City” series, where she meditates on the prospects for long-term survival of the human species.
I haven’t really touched on invasive animals, as there’s less an individual can do in that regard, but some of the links above will cover that topic as well, and I invite your thoughts in the comments.
