Education and Learning: April 2008 Archives
"Non-native plants cost the US about $200 billion each year to monitor, contain and control," says Jack Pizzo, andscape architect and president of Pizzo & Associates, Leland, IL.
Non-native invasive plants are species whose introduction outside their ecological homes causes economic or environmental harm. They quickly establish themselves in a new habitat that has favorable conditions and no natural predators to balance their growth and spread. They can also threaten or eliminate the ability for native species to thrive because they DO have natural predators and have evolved to live with moderate growth in a robust community of competitive species.
That number keeps climbing with international trade, travel and shipping that move plants, animals and disease organisms with globalization.
Native plants contribute to natural systems, but invasive species can upset delicately balanced systems of water availability, sunlight, and soil quality. Many natives have adapted over time to tolerate local weather conditions and often feature deep root systems which can find water during drought conditions.
Invasive trees, shrubs and vines can spread not only their own species, but enable diseases to spread more rapidly and impact blight, rot and insect damage, as well as impact water supplies, pollinator migrations and native wildlife species habitat.
There are many local, regional and national conservation organizations that work to preserve native plants and species, as well as eradicate invasive populations. Nature is a very "localized" natural system -- and local action and vigilence are required to monitor and reclaim degraded land systems.
The Conservation Foundation - Illinois
The Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit land and watershed protection organization established in 1972 by business and community leaders, The Conservation Foundation is a not-for-profit land and watershed protection organization. Our headquarters are located in Naperville, Illinois, on a 60-acre working farm, and a program office is located in Montgomery, Illinois.
The Conservation Foundation
Dickson-Murst Farm
2550 Dickson Road
Montgomery, IL 60538
Phone: (630) 553-0687
http://www.theconservationfoundation.org/
Non-native invasive plants are species whose introduction outside their ecological homes causes economic or environmental harm. They quickly establish themselves in a new habitat that has favorable conditions and no natural predators to balance their growth and spread. They can also threaten or eliminate the ability for native species to thrive because they DO have natural predators and have evolved to live with moderate growth in a robust community of competitive species.
Approximately 50,000 foreign species of plants thrive in the US.
That number keeps climbing with international trade, travel and shipping that move plants, animals and disease organisms with globalization.
Native plants contribute to natural systems, but invasive species can upset delicately balanced systems of water availability, sunlight, and soil quality. Many natives have adapted over time to tolerate local weather conditions and often feature deep root systems which can find water during drought conditions.
Invasive trees, shrubs and vines can spread not only their own species, but enable diseases to spread more rapidly and impact blight, rot and insect damage, as well as impact water supplies, pollinator migrations and native wildlife species habitat.
There are many local, regional and national conservation organizations that work to preserve native plants and species, as well as eradicate invasive populations. Nature is a very "localized" natural system -- and local action and vigilence are required to monitor and reclaim degraded land systems.
The Conservation Foundation - Illinois
The Conservation Foundation is a nonprofit land and watershed protection organization established in 1972 by business and community leaders, The Conservation Foundation is a not-for-profit land and watershed protection organization. Our headquarters are located in Naperville, Illinois, on a 60-acre working farm, and a program office is located in Montgomery, Illinois.
The mission of the Foundation is to preserve open space and natural lands, protect rivers and watersheds, and promote stewardship of the environment in Illinois.
The Conservation Foundation
Dickson-Murst Farm
2550 Dickson Road
Montgomery, IL 60538
Phone: (630) 553-0687
http://www.theconservationfoundation.org/
We can learn a lot from nature's systems. Human systems such as the economy (eco-nomy) are much like their natural systems counterparts...ie, the ecosystem (eco-system). Here's one example how someone figured out the connection:
The deserts are also too big to exploit. I read somewhere recently that deserts are seen as "inert" by the waste management industry. I must admit that you can drive through a desert and see little life. A few cacti. Maybe a vulture. But looks are deceiving. Unless we slow down and use additional tools to augment our limited vision, hearing and smell...we miss the intricacies of natural systems. And just because we can't see it...doesn't mean it doesn't exist -- or that it isn't important!
The earth (and the universe) have run efficiently for the ages based on complex natural systems. We tamper with them...we lose redundancy and communities of mutually supportive relationships. No where is that more visible and within human experience than in a forest. We can see the systems of plant communities, decay and fertility, moisture and seasons, habitat and fresh water systems...and on and on.
Take a busy executive on a forest adventure. The impact will be a gut level connection. That is the best form of learning. It's something both of you can enjoy. Do you have a relative or friend who has been spending way too much time indoors?
Make it your mission to reconnect them with the wonder of the woods! You'll both enjoy the learning experience and you don't have to preach. Nature will do it for you.
"Listening to the commentaries on financial institutions that are too big to be allowed to fail and the frantic efforts to preserve the status quo reminded me of a century of national forest mismanagement. Fires were vigorously suppressed, resulting in a build-up of fuel until there came an uncontrollable inferno. Will the same thing happen to our financial systems? Should we break up enormous institutions and permit small fires to periodically clear away the deadwood? I'm not sure how this would be accomplished at this late date with so much fuel on the forest floor, but I can tell you that the longer we wait and prop up failing systems, the worse the conflagration will be."The rainforests are certainly the natural systems that we identified as "too big to be allowed to fail" in nature. But we're letting them fail anyway. And the fresh water system of aquifers, lakes, streams and even the ocean are too big to let fail. But?
The deserts are also too big to exploit. I read somewhere recently that deserts are seen as "inert" by the waste management industry. I must admit that you can drive through a desert and see little life. A few cacti. Maybe a vulture. But looks are deceiving. Unless we slow down and use additional tools to augment our limited vision, hearing and smell...we miss the intricacies of natural systems. And just because we can't see it...doesn't mean it doesn't exist -- or that it isn't important!
The earth (and the universe) have run efficiently for the ages based on complex natural systems. We tamper with them...we lose redundancy and communities of mutually supportive relationships. No where is that more visible and within human experience than in a forest. We can see the systems of plant communities, decay and fertility, moisture and seasons, habitat and fresh water systems...and on and on.
Take a busy executive on a forest adventure. The impact will be a gut level connection. That is the best form of learning. It's something both of you can enjoy. Do you have a relative or friend who has been spending way too much time indoors?
Make it your mission to reconnect them with the wonder of the woods! You'll both enjoy the learning experience and you don't have to preach. Nature will do it for you.
