[RWG] 99%-USA-Biota-Preserves?

[Craig Dremann - Redwood City Seed Company]

Dear Marc, Phillip and All,

Just to have a name for these preserves, perhaps they could be called
99%-USA-Biota-Preserves?

For example, there is a plan by the Open Space Districts in the San
Francisco Bay area, that is starting this process for the counties around
the area.  They have mapped all of the ecosystems in the area as to which
properties are in the best ecological conditions, and they have chosen the
best 1,000,000 acres that they want to purchase in the future to preserve.

If the California, San Francisco Bay Area plan is to preserve one million
acres of the best examples of our ecosystems here, I do not think that the
minimum 100 acres scattered every 15 miles across the country is such a
big deal?

The idea is to grab what is left, of the best examples of local native
ecosystems, just 100 acres minimum, spaced every 15 miles throughout the
48 States, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands and each
of the Hawaiian islands, because these areas have the most change of
disappearing within our lifetimes because of the population numbers and
the very active land uses like residental, farming, mining, oil and gas
extraction, timbering and grazing.

Once the 100 acres start getting preserved every 15 miles, and the process
of getting them back to 99% native plant cover is begun, then making more
contiguous preserves could be looked at, but I think it is very important
to start picking up all these smaller pieces and examples first across the
county, and that needs to be started right now while we still have some
pieces left.

Maybe the first step, would be to make a list of the 100 acres that
already exist across the county, like Marc's park in Maryland, which is
already close to 99% native plant cover, and that a web page is set up to
list these sites, so others can go and visit these areas right now?

For example, when I was visiting Maryland in 2000, I was looking all over
the place for some native pristine areas with native grass understories to
visit, and the best I found was the Great Falls Park outside of DC, which
was the only place I saw native grasses, right near the falls edge--I
guess the cows never wanted to graze near the edge?

So maybe people reading these two email lists, know of 100 acre sites that
are close to 99% native plant cover, and can let the rest of us know where
they are, with directions, what are the hours and entrance fees, any
website with pictures, and if there are any plant lists available, like
for Marc's park?

There should be some areas within our National Parks or BLM lands, or
National Grasslands, or some of the National Wildlife Refuges, or State
parks, or even some State highway roadsides across the country that would
qualify?

The best 100 acre examples within our already protected area, should get
some special designation, like be part of the "99%-USA-Biota-Preserves”?

Feel free to share this discussion on other List-servers, so we can start
to grab those good examples while they are still there, like though the
biologists at State Highway Departments, botanists working for BLM and the
National Forest Service, State Wildflife Heritage programs, State Native
Plant Societies, etc.

Sincerely,  Craig Dremann (650)  325-7333