NY- Unwanted, unloved and living here - Wildlife Gardeners

Staff · 04-13-2010, 12:30 PM

Unwanted, unloved and living here
If it slithers, stings, eats or just grows, the state wants invasive species gone
By Brian Nearing, Staff writer
First published in print: Thursday, April 8, 2010

Unwanted, unloved and living here -- Page 1 -- Times Union - Albany NY
excerpt from above:

Quote:

ALBANY -- The state is compiling a hit list of invasive plants, animals and insects -- from exotic invaders like a voracious Chinese fish to ornamental shrubs available at the local nursery.

A report by the state Invasive Species Council recommends the creation of a ranking system to judge the danger presented by a particular species, and a complementary set of state fines against anyone possessing the most risky specimens.

The proposed system would be New York's first comprehensive approach to prohibiting or regulating commerce in invasive plants and animals to...

Staff · 04-13-2010, 12:31 PM

Council Proposes Action to Protect Forests, Farmlands and Waterway from Invasive Species
This story was released on 2010-04-06

Media-Newswire.com - Press Release Distribution - PR Agency
excerpt from above:

Quote:

(Media-Newswire.com) - For the first time, New York would classify non-native plants and animals to help prevent the spread of invasive species through waterways, forests and farmlands, under a proposal unveiled today by the state Invasive Species Council.

The Council released a draft report, "A Regulatory System for Non-Native Species," that calls for a multi-pronged approach to tackling one of the state's fastest growing environmental threats. Among other recommendations, the Council proposed a new assessment system for invasive species - such as zebra mussels, Sirex wood wasps and Eurasian milfoil - that would allow the state to categorize them as "prohibited," "regulated" or "unregulated." Such a classification system would...

Sage · 04-13-2010, 01:20 PM

gudgreef...no wonder the DEC people can't get their real work done...

Teresa · 04-13-2010, 02:54 PM

Actually, I wish we had something like that here--even if things were just broadly labeled, "This plant/animal is not native to the continental US and may have the potential to become invasive" at least people couldn't say they didn't know, and it brings it to their consciousness that there are native alternatives available.

Many people just assume that if it's for sale in a nursery, it must be fine to plant.
Dare I draw a parallel between the quality of plants in a nursery and the quality of "food" in a grocery store?

I know several large mail-order nurseries that don't obviously identify native and non-native plants. It would be a simple matter to add a symbol.

Without getting too political, I'd think that in this age of xenoph. . .
Ahem. . . Patriotism!, nurseries and other similar businesses could easily capitalize on native plants' status by putting a little US flag symbol next to them to indicate that they are indeed native plants and not imported from some other country or continent. And wouldn't it be great if the non-native symbol was the same little flag with the universal 'no' sign over it, like the No-Smoking symbol. I wonder how quickly that would effect gardener's purchases and the nurseries that propagate all those non-native nuisance plants?

Hmmn. . . today's cloudy, damp weather must be making me cross. . .

NEWisc · 04-13-2010, 03:20 PM

This kind of action is not only possible, it's doable. Wisconsin has already done it:
Invasive Species - WDNR

Beside the obvious benefits to the environment, it allows environmentally responsible businesses to at least compete on a level playing field with environmentally irresponsible businesses.

Bulucanagria · 04-13-2010, 05:52 PM

Some time ago there was an article in one of the local papers talking about invasives and why they were a problem. One of the environmentalists interviewed stated that there should be fines for landowners who don't eradicate invasives on their property.
My friend has a 54 acre farm and many of the plants on it are non-native and some are invasive. He works full time and then some just to run his business. If faced with the potential for costly fines for not searching all corners of his land for invasives, I know what his response would be. He would clear his land of all plants, native and non-native alike. He would just mow everything down.
It is ridiculous to think about penalizing landowners for not doing something that professional land-managers and botanists struggle for years to accomplish. If you want to regulate or prohibit the sale of invasives, that's one thing. Be careful, however, about asking too much of people or you may find you're making needless enemies and throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

swamp thing · 04-13-2010, 07:03 PM

Around here you can get into big trouble cutting down more than a certain number (5?) of trees over a certain size without a good reason and a permit, so the baby-with-the-bathwater problem has already been headed off.

The state of Washington has been doing this for twenty years. They started with a big public awareness campaign and it's been pretty successful. The state and federal lands are subject to the same rules as private landowners.

My impression is that the laws were phased in very slowly, and mostly consists of notices from the state and possible fines.

amelanchier · 04-13-2010, 07:48 PM

Another approach to solving the landowner issue is to offer bounties to landowners who maintain healthy ecosystems on their property. A bit of carrot, a bit of stick...?

bridget1964 · 04-13-2010, 08:17 PM

My boyfriend and I have been to every garden center within a 75 mile radius from our area and we have found very few that carry any natives! If you speak with the 'average' person who gardens, they are more concerned with how the plant looks and whether insects/deer/critters will eat it.

The garden centers 'could' do the right thing, but unless someone tells them to do the right thing, I doubt they will. Maybe other states will jump on the bandwagon and follow NY's lead!

amelanchier · 04-13-2010, 08:57 PM

Unfortunately, NY isn't really leading here. New England, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other states are far ahead of NY in dealing with these issues. This state doesn't actually prohibit a single plant, even stuff like Heracleum mantegazzianum that can, in extreme cases, cause blindness in humans. Most of us here are saying "about time!"

04-13-2010, 01:20 PM	#3
Sage POM Judge & Official Non Gardener Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Buffalo, NY, USA	gudgreef...no wonder the DEC people can't get their real work done... __________________ *~Facebook~ ~Peregrine Place~ ~Flickr~ ~Instagram Pix~*

04-13-2010, 03:20 PM	#5
NEWisc Fox Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Wisconsin	This kind of action is not only possible, it's doable. Wisconsin has already done it: Invasive Species - WDNR Beside the obvious benefits to the environment, it allows environmentally responsible businesses to at least compete on a level playing field with environmentally irresponsible businesses. __________________ . Age is a biological fact. Old is a state of mind. I will age, but I refuse to get old.

04-13-2010, 05:52 PM	#6
Bulucanagria Fox Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: S. Grafton, Massachusetts	Some time ago there was an article in one of the local papers talking about invasives and why they were a problem. One of the environmentalists interviewed stated that there should be fines for landowners who don't eradicate invasives on their property. My friend has a 54 acre farm and many of the plants on it are non-native and some are invasive. He works full time and then some just to run his business. If faced with the potential for costly fines for not searching all corners of his land for invasives, I know what his response would be. He would clear his land of all plants, native and non-native alike. He would just mow everything down. It is ridiculous to think about penalizing landowners for not doing something that professional land-managers and botanists struggle for years to accomplish. If you want to regulate or prohibit the sale of invasives, that's one thing. Be careful, however, about asking too much of people or you may find you're making needless enemies and throwing the baby out with the bathwater. __________________ BULUCANAGRIA'S FLICKR

04-13-2010, 08:17 PM	#9
bridget1964 Butterfly Educator Extraordinaire Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Ventnor City, New Jersey, USA	we can hope! My boyfriend and I have been to every garden center within a 75 mile radius from our area and we have found very few that carry any natives! If you speak with the 'average' person who gardens, they are more concerned with how the plant looks and whether insects/deer/critters will eat it. The garden centers 'could' do the right thing, but unless someone tells them to do the right thing, I doubt they will. Maybe other states will jump on the bandwagon and follow NY's lead! __________________ "Just living is not enough," said the butterfly, "one must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." ~Hans Christian Anderson http://mslenahan.edublogs.org/

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04-13-2010, 02:54 PM	#4
Teresa Salamander Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Annapolis, MD	Actually, I wish we had something like that here--even if things were just broadly labeled, "This plant/animal is not native to the continental US and may have the potential to become invasive" at least people couldn't say they didn't know, and it brings it to their consciousness that there are native alternatives available. Many people just assume that if it's for sale in a nursery, it must be fine to plant. Dare I draw a parallel between the quality of plants in a nursery and the quality of "food" in a grocery store? I know several large mail-order nurseries that don't obviously identify native and non-native plants. It would be a simple matter to add a symbol. Without getting too political, I'd think that in this age of xenoph. . . Ahem. . . Patriotism!, nurseries and other similar businesses could easily capitalize on native plants' status by putting a little US flag symbol next to them to indicate that they are indeed native plants and not imported from some other country or continent. And wouldn't it be great if the non-native symbol was the same little flag with the universal 'no' sign over it, like the No-Smoking symbol. I wonder how quickly that would effect gardener's purchases and the nurseries that propagate all those non-native nuisance plants? Hmmn. . . today's cloudy, damp weather must be making me cross. . .

04-13-2010, 07:03 PM	#7
swamp thing Slapping, Swearing, Itching, Scratching Mosquito Bait Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: pennsylvania,usa	Around here you can get into big trouble cutting down more than a certain number (5?) of trees over a certain size without a good reason and a permit, so the baby-with-the-bathwater problem has already been headed off. The state of Washington has been doing this for twenty years. They started with a big public awareness campaign and it's been pretty successful. The state and federal lands are subject to the same rules as private landowners. My impression is that the laws were phased in very slowly, and mostly consists of notices from the state and possible fines.

04-13-2010, 07:48 PM	#8
amelanchier WG Facebook Administrator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lyme, NH	Another approach to solving the landowner issue is to offer bounties to landowners who maintain healthy ecosystems on their property. A bit of carrot, a bit of stick...?

04-13-2010, 08:57 PM	#10
amelanchier WG Facebook Administrator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Lyme, NH	Unfortunately, NY isn't really leading here. New England, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other states are far ahead of NY in dealing with these issues. This state doesn't actually prohibit a single plant, even stuff like Heracleum mantegazzianum that can, in extreme cases, cause blindness in humans. Most of us here are saying "about time!"