[MPWG] Re: [PCA] TV: David Mizejewski on the Today Show
Larry Shuniak
lshuniak at earthlink.net
Mon Jul 19 12:40:20 CDT 2004
Here on our small farm in Florida...the diversity of wildlife, bug life, and
plant life is amazing. We use no pesticides, little to nothing of
fertilizer (pasture only), use clover as mulch and green manure, guppies in
standing ponds (mosquito control)....and, shamefully, WE DO NOT MOW! The
blackberries are particularly grateful as are the passion fruit. Our
country neighbors don't mind it and the newer transplanted city folk....well
we ignore them. Did I already miss the Today Show episode?
----- Original Message -----
From: <Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov>
To: "David Mizejewski" <mizejewski at nwf.org>
Cc: "Lori Ward" <LWard at nwf.org>; <flockster at hotmail.com>;
<native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org>;
<robert.dana at dnr.state.mn.us>; <scarab at u.arizona.edu>;
<native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org>; "Debra Raley" <RALEY at nwf.org>;
<mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org>; "Craig Tufts" <TUFTS at nwf.org>
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2004 2:30 PM
Subject: [MPWG] Re: [PCA] TV: David Mizejewski on the Today Show
>
> "But more importanly, I firmly believe that we can't have a single
> approach if we're going to have any success in conservation."
>
> Hear! Hear!
>
> Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
> Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
> Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
> US Fish & Wildlife Service
> 4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
> Arlington, VA 22203
> 703-358-1708 x1753
> FAX: 703-358-2276
> Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
> resources.
> <www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>
>
>
>
> |---------+------------------------------------------------->
> | | "David Mizejewski" |
> | | <mizejewski at nwf.org> |
> | | Sent by: |
> | | native-plants-bounces at lists.plantconse|
> | | rvation.org |
> | | |
> | | |
> | | 07/16/2004 02:00 PM |
> | | |
> |---------+------------------------------------------------->
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------|
> |
|
> | To: <robert.dana at dnr.state.mn.us>,
<native-plants at lists.plantconservation.org>, |
> | <plant at plantconservation.org>
|
> | cc: Debra Raley <RALEY at nwf.org>, Lori Ward
<LWard at nwf.org>, |
> | flockster at hotmail.com, Craig Tufts <TUFTS at nwf.org>,
scarab at u.arizona.edu |
> | Subject: Re: [PCA] TV: David Mizejewski on the Today Show
|
>
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------|
>
>
>
>
> Thanks Robert. To respond to your last question first, yes, my book
> does address the issues you bring up (although primarily it's more of
> how-to type book that is relatively light reading, so it's not a
> in-depth discussion of these issues).
>
> I have to politely, but completely, disagree with your assessment of
> wildlife/native plant gardening and its role in conservation. It is
> through the garden that many people first start to appreciate the
> wonderful diversity of native plants and wildlife that they didn't even
> know existed, even if they can't completely replicate that diversity in
> the garden. That's why National Wildlife Federation created the
> Backyard Wildlife Habitat program 31 years ago and why we've stuck with
> it. I talk to folks all the time who've gotten involved in the program
> and who tell me that they had no idea that butterflies needed specific
> host plants, or how important locally native berry-producing plants are
> for birds during migration, until they actually started planting and
> obeserving in their yards. As conservationists, by accepting the
> convential landscape of lawn with a few ornamental exotics, we miss out
> on a key opportunity to educate people literally right in their own
> backyards. Reaching people at home is huge in terms of education - think
> how many people in just your neighborhood would attend a workshop on
> sustainable landscapes vs. the number of people out there actually doing
> some gardening. There are maybe a dozen of the former and hundreds of
> the latter. Multiply that across the country. That's why opportunities
> like my Today Show appearance are huge and relavant for conservation -
> I'm going to be delivering a strong conservation message wrapped in the
> package of a something most Americans are more interested in: a pretty
> garden.
>
> In addition to the educational benefits, there are clear conservation
> benefits to wildlife-friendly gardening, and not just for the wildlife.
> Encouraging use of locally native species and reduction of lawn
> significantly, if not totally, eliminates the need for long-term and
> wasteful supplemental watering of the landscape. The same goes for
> chemical fertilizers that run off into natural wateways and (ironically)
> destroy healthy soils. Similarly, you can't have a healthy wildlife
> garden if you use pesticides.
>
> Learning to identify and eliminate invasive exotics in your yard helps,
> in a small way at least, to keep them from further spreading into
> natural areas. More importantly, it also keeps gardeners from buying
> and planting the invasives that are still commonly available
> commercially, or new potential invasive exotics that haven't yet
> infiltrated. An educated consumer makes an impact, which is imporant
> since most invasive exotic plant species were introduced into North
> America for gardening purposes - I've read statistics as high as 75%.
> And you'd be surprised how passionate people who started out as backyard
> gardeners get about issues like overuse of chemicals and invasive
> exotics - and get involved locally protecting and restoring natural
> areas as well as altering political behavior to support conservation
> initiatives.
>
> All of these things do add up to an appreciable conservation benefit,
> especially when many people in one area are doing them (NWF has a
> community Wildlife certification element to encourage this as well).
>
> But more importanly, I firmly believe that we can't have a single
> approach if we're going to have any success in conservation. Obviously,
> species protection and protection/restoration of wilderness and other
> relatively undisturbed areas is critical, as are strong environmental
> protection/ laws (neither of which you can have without an educated
> public, either). But the reality is that the human footprint on the
> landscape is huge and is only going to get bigger. The sheer amount of
> land in private holding or that has been altered (or will be) by human
> activity will dwarf the amount of land we can hope to protect and
> preserve - if it hasn't already. We'd be missing a huge conservation
> opportunity if we didn't try to educate those who have control over what
> happens in our cities, suburbs and private property to help them make
> informed decisions that help our communities actually have a positive
> environmental impact. Human dominated areas don't have to be "dead
> zones" in terms of conservation - and indeed they can't be just given
> the sheer number of acres already in human use. There's no way we can
> save enough wild areas to save more than a small percentage of the
> world's species. I'm not suggesting by any means that gardens are going
> to save the world or that it's an either/or scenario, but failure to
> factor them into the equation is missing both a key educational
> opportunity as well as a crucial piece of the conservation puzzle.
>
> Thanks for sparking a great discussion!
>
> David
>
> ******************************************
> Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program
> ******************************************
> David Mizejewski
> National Wildlife Federation
> 11100 Wildlife Center Drive
> Reston, VA 20190
> (703) 438-6499
> fax 703-438-6468
> www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat
>
>
> >>> "Robert Dana" <robert.dana at dnr.state.mn.us> 07/16/04 12:58 PM >>>
> Call me a grinch, but I'm having a hard time understanding why anyone
> thinks that gardening has much to do with conservation. Most gardens
> will last only so long as people keep them going--without continuing
> maintenance they will quickly be taken over by the numerous exotic
> "weeds" that are so comfortable in human-dominated landscapes. In their
> often naive enthusiasm (abetted by commercial vendors) folks are
> planting "natives" helter skelter, even well outside their natural
> ranges. This creates problems for us trying to conserve the plants where
> they naturally occur as it becomes more difficult to deal with the
> challenge of demonstrating that the occurrence is really natural and
> not a garden escape (or an intentional planting). There is also the
> specious challenge that since we can plant things why worry about
> conserving natural habitats anyway. People rarely have any idea what a
> tiny fraction of the species richness of natural communities is present
> in gardens (or "restorations"). In my view, the whole wildlife gardening
> business just diverts energy from what we really need to be doing for
> conservation.
>
> I'll be interested to see whether these issues get any discussion in
> the book.
>
> Oh, good luck, Dave!
>
> Robert
>
> *************************************************************
> Robert Dana, Ph.D.
> MN DNR
> Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program
> 500 Lafayette Rd, Box 25
> St. Paul, MN 55155
> 651 297-2367
> Email: robert.dana at dnr.state.mn.us
> *************************************************************
>
> >>> Plant Conservation <plant at plantconservation.org> 7/16/04 10:40:07
> AM >>>
> Just FYI.
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 11:39:55 -0400
> From: David Mizejewski <mizejewski at nwf.org>
> To: David Mizejewski <Mizejewski at nwf.org>
> Subject: Today Show this weekend
>
> Dear Friends and Colleagues - I wanted to let you know that I'm going
> to
> be making my debut on national television this weekend. I'll be
> appearing on the weekend edition of the Today Show this Sunday (7/18)
> between 8:30-9 a.m. to promote my book and National Wildlife
> Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat program.
>
> The book is called "Attracting Birds, Butterflies and Other Backyard
> Wildlife." It's all about sustainable gardening, native plants, and
> of
> course all of the cool critters (not just birds and butterflies) that
> can share your yard. Check it out on NWF's bookstore at the URL below
> (it's also available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble).
>
>
https://m1.buysub.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=107
01&storeId=10701&productId=14713&langId=-1&parentCategoryId=10067&topCategor
yId=10066
>
>
>
> Wish me luck!
>
> Dave
>
>
> ******************************************
> Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program
> ******************************************
> David Mizejewski
> National Wildlife Federation
> 11100 Wildlife Center Drive
> Reston, VA 20190
> (703) 438-6499
> fax 703-438-6468
> www.nwf.org/backyardwildlifehabitat
>
>
>
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