June 15, 2005

 

 

By BW of NV

 

 

I am an invasive species (non-native). So is the grass in my front yard, the apple tree that shades it and the lettuce in my back yard.
   

Like most of this country, Nevada has a combination of native and non-native plants. Some of each are beneficial. Some are a nuisance.

 

It is not, however, their origin that makes them so.

 

Being "native" is not synonymous with being "good," "useful," or even pleasant.

 

There are plenty of natives you wouldn¹t want to get friendly with. Poison ivy? Stinging nettles? Deadly nightshade? Non-natives feed and shade our country. They fill our flowerbeds and gardens. They shade our streets. They are our pets and companion animals.
    

Any kind of blanket law that opens the door to "control" over plants or animals which are declared "non-native" is downright dangerous.

 

It would open too many doors to the unscrupulous, allow too much control to the manipulative, and simply ignore common sense.
   

Surely individuals, communities and states have the wit to pull weeds and spray West-Nile virus-carrying mosquitoes. Or are these "native" mosquitoes, to be left strictly alone?
   

A cool, considered look at Section 166 of the Senate version of SAFETEA must inform you of its absurdity and warn of its potential for misuse.
   

Please, pull the darned thing out by the roots and stomp on it.

 

It really is invasive.