Uh, oh--Nielsen has no idea what a Pandora's box he's opened; he will need a year's lead time just to read the rants. So how does he punt against his deadline (the only silly part) without desolving into a bunch of frantic sound bytes?
My "too sense" on the matter is this--what never gets discussed is the "Weed Nazi" phenomenon, a group of frantic fanatics who get out of their armchairs (bless 'em) and just whack, whack, whack! Certainly some good gets done, but the unfortunate part is that the energy and money gets sucked away from places (It's in my backyard!) and species where it is more urgently needed (of course, one can't be expected to ignore one's backyard, but one can set objective priorities and determine the real feasibility of actually having a lasting effect--the latter can be extremely difficult, but the futility and frustration of applying anything short of enough energy and other resources to the problem to provide a lasting solution is tragic. Not to mention that some "whacking" can create other problems, even make the problem worse. There are some aliens that do little harm; some even provide benefits. This statement is anathema, heresy, fighting words, to many, many very caring people. But so many of those caring people have their egos inextricably wrapped up in this very laudable mission--it is often their reason for living, often it is a filler of a hole in a person's life. One can't argue with that. Here's the heart of my "rant." Healthy ecosystems tend to resist invasion. (However, the introduction of an alien species can, in some cases, but not all, truly invade healthy ecosystems. Those are the toughest to lick. But a great number of invaders are dependent upon other influences that affect ecosystem health--land disturbances great (grading, mining) and small, in the sense of not being grossly visible, such as air pollution. There is also climate change, natural and human -caused. Species composition reflects habitat conditions. Habitat conditions change all the time. Sometimes, just a shift in the weather, like a dry year or a wet year, is enough to bring about drastic changes in ecosystem dynamics. Well, enough for now. Questions? Challenges? The radio show will come and go; the issue will, like some, but not all, invasive species, keep on invading our thoughts. WT I'm sending Nielsen a copy. At 02:13 PM 11/15/2007, William Silvert wrote: >Although this is proposed as a "semi-silly question" for media use, it is >actually an interesting question which might provoke discussion about what >is a serious invasion and what is not. > >Some invasive species have had a major impact on large-scale ecosystems. >Rabbits have affected all of Australia according to what I have read. >Mosquitos have killed off many bird species on the Hawaiian islands. On the >other hand, boa constrictors have killed off almost all mammals on Cozumel, >but that is a major disaster over a small area. > >Some invasions are not considered at all loathed, such as mustangs in N. >America. > >Marine ecologists could probably come up with some invasive species that the >rest of us have never heard of -- so how loathed are they? > >I can see where this opens up an interesting set of questions. Should be a >fun discussion. > >Bill Silvert > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Annie Drinkard" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> >Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 8:06 PM >Subject: FW: semi-silly question from John Nielsen > > > > Please respond directly to John Nielsen. > > =20 > > Cheers, > > Annie > > > > ________________________________ > > > > From: John Nielsen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: Thursday, November 15, 2007 2:57 PM > > To: Annie Drinkard > > Cc: John Nielsen > > Subject: semi-silly question from John Nielsen > > > > > > > > Annie - > > > > =20 > > > > Hi it's John Nielsen from NPR News. I am working on one of those stories > > that you hear over the holiday season, which is another way of saying > > it's based on a silly premise. Basically, it's a story that reports on > > the status of the five most loathed invasive species in the world. I've > > got a few favorites in mind - zebra mussels, for example, and perhaps > > those cane toads - but I also want to give some actual scientists a > > chance to put their two cents in.=20 > > > > =20 > > > > For that reason I am hoping you will help me out by posting a note on > > your listserve that asks your members to consider sending me an email > > that names the five most despicable invasive species in the world. If > > they want to name just one or two that would be fine as well. If they > > want to send me a long rant about just one I would be grateful. If > > somebody wants to be interviewed they need only include a number and a > > time that I might call.=20 > > > > =20 > > > > It's likely that this story will run late next week so naturally I'm a > > hurry. > > > > =20 > > > > Please request that all responses be sent directly to me at > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] My work phone is 202 513 2781.=20 > > > > =20 > > > > By now it should be clear that this will be an utterly unscientific > > survey. At the same time, I'm convinced that it'll help draw > > badly-needed attention to the problems caused by invasive species. > > > > =20 > > > > One or two last things before I thank you and hit the "send" button. > > First, in hopes of keeping the list manageable, I'd like to ask your > > members not to nominate diseases. Second, if you nominate a creature > > like a rat it would be best if you named a particular kind of rat. Third > > and last, please feel free to let your emotions fly.=20 > > > > =20 > > > > Call if you have any questions. > > > > =20 > > > > And thanks, > > > > =20 > > > > John Nielsen > > > > Corrrespondent > > > > Science Desk > > > > NPR News=20 > > > > =20 > > > >
