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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Honorable APWG Forum:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Egocentrism is very hard to shake off; I have been
trying for years, and, while the process is far from complete, I think I have
made reasonable progress. So I can understand when people defend "positions"
with great vigor. For example, I battled alien plants and animals until I was
probably at least 30 years of age, when I found out, almost by accident, that
there were alternatives to whacking and poisoning (and taking money from my
clients under questionable pretenses). In the fifty-some years since then, I
have still whacked and poisoned them, but with far less frequency and on smaller
and smaller scales. That does not mean that I welcome every alien that crosses
every border, but it does not mean that the only good alien in every
situation is a dead alien either. (Ironically, my friend Jesus, once
an illegal alien, but now a "naturalized" citizen whose
ancestors, like some of mine, were, unlike some of my other ancestors, the
"indigenes," where I, and other mixed-ancestry aliens now infest their lands,
largely because the European and other alien populations came here and "won" a
"war," forcing the ancestors of my friend Jesus across a line in the sand they
drew and continue to dare them to cross "illegally," just whacked a bunch of
plant aliens for me this week. I confess--I am an alien basher. But I've given
up on the idea that the only good alien is a dead alien. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>But that is just so much rhetoric. Since I consider
it my responsibility, in addition to the rhetoric, to confront the
particulars, I will respond to the article below by <FONT
color=#ff0000>[[inserting comments into the text submitted for discussion
thus.]] </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#ff0000 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>WT</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"I've only been wrong once, and that was one time
when I thought I was wrong." --Author forgotten</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>----- Original Message ----- </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: "Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company"
<</FONT><A href="mailto:Craig@astreet.com"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>Craig@astreet.com</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: <</FONT><A
href="mailto:apwg@lists.plantconservation.org"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>apwg@lists.plantconservation.org</FONT></A><FONT face=Arial
size=2>></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: Sunday, April 03, 2011 9:27 AM</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: [APWG] NYT opinion--exotics are good, and
are we immigrant bashers?</FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><BR><FONT size=2></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear All,<BR><BR>I am forwarding this from another
alien-list server, with my comments above.<BR>As predicted, here is another one
of these "Exotics are good for you and<BR>good for the environment too"
stories.<BR><BR>Maybe this was a day-late April Fool's joke? When I see
these stories, it<BR>is like they are saying,--Just go to sleep and don't worry
about the<BR>exotics, or if you continue to be concerned, we are going to label
you as<BR>"Anti-immigrant".<BR><BR>Hopefully this results in some informative
letters to the editor?<BR><BR> Sincerely, Craig
Dremann<BR><BR><BR> </FONT><A
href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/opinion/03Raffles.html"><FONT face=Arial
size=2>http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/03/opinion/03Raffles.html</FONT></A><BR><BR><FONT
face=Arial size=2> Mother Nature's Melting Pot<BR><BR> By HUGH
RAFFLES<BR><BR> Published: April 2, 2011<BR><BR> The
anti-immigrant sentiment sweeping the country, from draconian laws<BR>in Arizona
to armed militias along the Mexican border, has taken many<BR>Americans by
surprise. It shouldn't -- nativism runs deep in the United<BR>States. Just ask
our non-native animals and plants: they too are<BR>commonly labeled as aliens,
even though they also provide significant<BR>benefits to their new
home.<BR><BR> While the vanguard of the anti-immigrant crusade is
found among the<BR>likes of the Minutemen and the Tea Party, the native species
movement<BR>is led by environmentalists, conservationists and gardeners <FONT
color=#ff0000>[[Gardeners, which usually includes some "environmentalists" and
"conservationists," are second only to agronomists as vectors for alien
invaders. WT]]</FONT>. Despite<BR>cultural and political differences, both are
motivated -- in Margaret<BR>Thatcher's infamous phrase -- by the fear of being
swamped by aliens.<BR><BR> But just as America is a nation built by
waves of immigrants, our<BR>natural landscape is a shifting mosaic of plant and
animal life. Like<BR>humans, plants and animals travel, often in ways beyond our
knowledge<BR>and control. They arrive unannounced, encounter unfamiliar
conditions<BR>and proceed to remake each other and their
surroundings.<BR><BR> Designating some as native and others as alien
denies this ecological<BR>and genetic dynamism. It draws an arbitrary historical
line based as<BR>much on aesthetics, morality and politics as on science, a line
that<BR>creates a mythic time of purity before places were polluted
by<BR>interlopers. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[Regardless of how aliens are defined,
human cultures of all kinds are the most destructive of all; nay, were it
not for their invasions, all invasions of other species would be entirely based
upon the mobility of their offspring/propagules, the winds of chance, and the
suitability of habitat--in other words, biological diversity, evolution, ecology
in action. WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> What's more, many of the species we
now think of as natives may not be<BR>especially well suited to being here. They
might be, in an ecological<BR>sense, temporary residents, no matter how
permanent they seem to us. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[This is amply demonstrated in
many cases (with, apparently, notable exceptions) by the propensity of aliens to
stick together, as when we wander from roads and roadsides at our peril, as
wiping out the existing ecosystem is often the only way both we and the
weeds are able to survive, much less achieve The American Dream. Like it or
not, Nature can lick us with one hand tied behind her back (The trouble is,
we tend to chop off her arms, legs, and even head when she gets in our way.).
Why we persist in refusing Nature's help, or at least help her to do thing
her way instead of ours is a mystery to
me. WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> These 'native' species can have serious
effects on their environment.<BR>Take the mountain pine beetle: thanks to
climate change, its population<BR>is exploding in the West, devastating hundreds
of thousands of square<BR>miles of forest.<BR><BR> It's true that
some non-native species have brought with them expensive<BR>and well-publicized
problems; zebra mussels, nutria and kudzu are prime<BR>examples. But even these
notorious villains have ecological or economic<BR>benefits. Zebra mussels, for
example, significantly improve water<BR>quality, which increases populations of
small fish, invertebrates and<BR>seaweeds -- and that, in turn, has helped
expand the number of larger<BR>fish and birds. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[The guilty
vectors in all these cases wuz, as Pogo would say, US. We asked for it.
WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> Indeed, non-native plants and animals have
transformed the American<BR>landscape in unmistakably positive ways. Honeybees
were introduced from<BR>Europe in the 1600s, and new stocks from elsewhere in
the world have<BR>landed at least eight times since. They succeeded in making
themselves<BR>indispensable, economically and symbolically. In the process, they
made<BR>us grateful that they arrived, stayed and found their place. <FONT
color=#ff0000>[[While I'd personally rather have native bees and other
indigenous pollinators, the only way we can ever really get rid of the
alien bees and other culturally-vectored valuable varmints is to prohibit
The American Dream (and commands like "Go forth and secure dominion over the
earth). WT</FONT><BR><BR> But the honeybee is a lucky exception.
Today, a species's immigration<BR>status often makes it a target for
eradication, no matter its effect on<BR>the environment. Eucalyptus trees,
charged with everything from<BR>suffocating birds with their resin to elevating
fire risk with their<BR>peeling bark, are the targets of large-scale felling.
<FONT color=#ff0000>[[Like feral hogs, these plant-varmints should
perhaps be used for the purpose for which they were brought in--firewood
and other uses. WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> Yet eucalyptuses are not
only majestic trees popular with picnickers,<BR>they are one of the few sources
of nectar available to northern<BR>Californian bees in winter and a vital
destination for migrating<BR>monarch butterflies. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[You
won't catch me picnicking under eucalypts; they are infamous for widow-makers.
WT]]<BR></FONT><BR> Or take ice plant, a much-vilified Old World
succulent that spreads its<BR>thick, candy-colored carpet along the California
coast. Concerned that<BR>it is crowding out native wildflowers, legions of
environmental<BR>volunteers rip it from the sandy soil and pile it in slowly
moldering<BR>heaps along the cliffs.<BR><BR> Yet ice plant,
introduced to the West Coast at the beginning of the<BR>20th century to
stabilize railroad tracks, is an attractive plant that<BR>can also deter erosion
of the sandstone bluffs on which it grows. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[It is
among the worst possible choices for erosion "deterrence." About all it can
do is intercept raindrops; it lacks a complex root system and insufficient
structure to act as storage surface for precipitation and metering of
stemflow, and while it can facilitate infiltration the shallow root zone created
by it saturates quickly, resulting in surficial failures in areas where it
is most successful. WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> There are plenty of less
controversial examples. Non-native shad,<BR>crayfish and mud snails provide food
for salmon and other fish.<BR>Non-native oysters on the Pacific Coast build
reefs that create habitat<BR>for crab, mussels and small fish, appearing to
increase these animals'<BR>populations. <BR><BR> And in any case,
efforts to restore ecosystems to an imagined pristine<BR>state almost always
fail: once a species begins to thrive in a new<BR>environment, there's little we
can do to stop it. Indeed, these efforts<BR>are often expensive and can increase
rather than relieve environmental<BR>harm. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[Too true--in
general, but the statement begs the question. While "imagined" (even
data-driven) restoration is not immediately or even quickly feasible on highly
disturbed sites, a self-sustaining ecosystem consisting of indigenous plants
suited to the altered or constructed site conditions is feasible, and can
be cheaper than the so-called alternatives. If it is done properly,
ecosystem restoration worthy of the name is nearly always
economical--granted, however, fantasies are often expensive failures. But that
does not mean that restoration has to be expensive.
</FONT><BR><BR> An alternative is to embrace the impurity of our
cosmopolitan natural<BR>world and, as some biologists are now arguing, to
consider the many<BR>ways that non-native plants and animals -- not just the
natives --<BR>benefit their environments and our lives. <FONT
color=#ff0000>[[Ok, but let's not get carried away and let sentimental
generalities determine specific cases--let's not attempt to reason
from the general to the specific. WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> Last month,
along with 161 other immigrants from more than 50<BR>countries, I attended an
oath-swearing ceremony in Lower Manhattan and<BR>became a citizen of the United
States. In a brief speech welcoming us<BR>into a world of new rights and
responsibilities, the presiding judge<BR>emphasized our diversity. It is, he
said, the ever-shifting diversity<BR>that immigrants like us bring to this
country that keeps it dynamic and<BR>strong. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[Ok, welcome.
But let's not depend upon reasoning by analogy either. While the practice can
provide useful insights, let's be careful about fostering philosophies based on
presumption and sentiment alone. Nature bats last, and "she" tends to solve
extremes with busted bubbles. WT]]</FONT><BR><BR> These familiar
words apply just as meaningfully to our nation's<BR>non-native plants and
animals. Like the humans with whose lives they<BR>are so entangled, they too are
in need of a thoughtful and inclusive<BR>response. <FONT color=#ff0000>[[See
previous note. Thoughtful is a great idea. But to be included, a
species' needs have to fit what the habitat has to offer. The trouble
with Homo sap. is that "he" goes beyond needs into too many demands, too
much cultural hierarchy, too much competition and too little cooperation--with
all the world's species, to our ultimate mutual detriment. Let's find a way to
better reconcile our needs and works with those of the earth and its life.
WT]]</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT color=#ff0000></FONT><BR> Hugh
Raffles, an anthropologist at the New School, is the author
of<BR>'Insectopedia.'<BR><BR><BR><BR>_______________________________________________<BR>PCA's
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