Photo: Musk Thistle in SW Montana. © 2020 Delena Norris-Tull
The Human Factor in land management
Research summary and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, July 2020, & May 2022.
In the various chapters included herein, I attempt to examine relationships between the introduction of non-native plant species in the Western States and the major factors (identified by Wilcove, et al., 1998) that also affect natural ecosystems: habitat degradation, pollution (including herbicides and pesticides), changes to fire regimens, and climate change. I will attempt to summarize State and Federal laws related to management of invasive plant species, and the policies and practices in use in Western States for the management of invasive plants.
I have come to view the invasive plant species problem NOT as a problem of invasive plants, but rather a problem of land abuse. But let me explain.
The job of plants is to protect and conserve the Earth’s most important natural resource, our soils. Without soils, we cannot grow our food.
But humans have damaged so much of the Earth’s surface, that plants have had to rush in, to try their best to restore what has been lost. Unfortunately, by the standards of many humans today, this has resulted in a new problem, the problem of invasion by “noxious weeds.”
But I propose that plants, whether native or non-native, are always trying to do their job. If we destroy a natural ecosystem, either by turning it into agricultural fields, industrial areas, subdivisions, cities, entertainment islands (everything from golf courses to water parks to Disney Lands), plants try their best to jump in and hold onto the soil, for dear life. It is humans that have decided which plants are good plants, and which are bad plants.
And despite the damage to agriculture and natural habitats caused by non-native plants, humans have done very little to change the ways in which we introduce non-native plants into an area and enable them to expand their ranges. For example, we have not reduced the degree to which we are constantly disturbing the soil, either through agriculture or through the destruction of habitats caused by expanding living spaces, industrial spaces, and business spaces, both urban and suburban. Refer to the UN Biodiversity Report for more details.
I almost didn’t publish this project. I worked on the interviews and the data collection for this project for a full year, from 2017 to 2018. But then I stopped completely, because I became overwhelmed with the mounting evidence that was convincing me that we don’t know what the hell we’re doing when it comes to managing invasive species. The interviews with County, State, and Federal Agency personnel pointed out poor coordination between County, State, and Federal Agencies. And I became deeply concerned when I realized that very little research was being done on the impact of the pesticides and herbicides that we are pouring onto the earth and into our waters. In addition, the rapid changes in global climate also caused me to lose heart. It has become more and more obvious that if we don’t start paying attention to what we’re doing to the land we are just going to pollute it and waste it beyond recognition.
After a two-year hiatus, in spring 2020, I determined to continue my work examining invasive plant species management in the Western States. In spring 2020, the covid-19 pandemic hit the United States. The “stay at home orders” actually gave me more time to work on this project. In particular, I had time to conduct more of the review of the research literature on the related topics. But the pandemic also made it even more clear to me that without a nationwide management plan, guided by Federal Agencies in close collaboration with State Agencies, we are not likely to ever figure out how to, or even if we should, manage invasive species.
I originally intended to publish my reports as a book. But as the lengthy interviews and archival minutes of important interagency meetings caused the number of pages to increase beyond what would be normally be allowed in a single volume, I realized that it might be more useful to publish all of my information on a website. That would make it accessible to all relevant agency personnel and others interested in the project. As a result, I asked Slade Franklin, at the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, for a recommendation of existing websites that might be able to publish my reports. He suggested the regional Integrated Pest Management websites operated by the USDA. In examining those websites, I found them to be limited in information, which suggested to me that they would not be websites that State Agency personnel would utilize much. In addition, beginning in 2017, a number of Federal websites, including the USDA site, began to be scrubbed to remove crucial information, such as reports on global climate change, and so I decided not to approach a Federal Agency to publish my reports. In the end, I decided to develop my own website, and to inform State and Federal Agencies of its existence.
As of spring 2022, there remain several Western States for which I have not conducted interviews. I hope to continue my interviews and add them to the website over time.
References:
Research summary and commentary by Dr. Delena Norris-Tull, Professor Emerita of Science Education, University of Montana Western, July 2020, & May 2022.
In the various chapters included herein, I attempt to examine relationships between the introduction of non-native plant species in the Western States and the major factors (identified by Wilcove, et al., 1998) that also affect natural ecosystems: habitat degradation, pollution (including herbicides and pesticides), changes to fire regimens, and climate change. I will attempt to summarize State and Federal laws related to management of invasive plant species, and the policies and practices in use in Western States for the management of invasive plants.
I have come to view the invasive plant species problem NOT as a problem of invasive plants, but rather a problem of land abuse. But let me explain.
The job of plants is to protect and conserve the Earth’s most important natural resource, our soils. Without soils, we cannot grow our food.
But humans have damaged so much of the Earth’s surface, that plants have had to rush in, to try their best to restore what has been lost. Unfortunately, by the standards of many humans today, this has resulted in a new problem, the problem of invasion by “noxious weeds.”
But I propose that plants, whether native or non-native, are always trying to do their job. If we destroy a natural ecosystem, either by turning it into agricultural fields, industrial areas, subdivisions, cities, entertainment islands (everything from golf courses to water parks to Disney Lands), plants try their best to jump in and hold onto the soil, for dear life. It is humans that have decided which plants are good plants, and which are bad plants.
And despite the damage to agriculture and natural habitats caused by non-native plants, humans have done very little to change the ways in which we introduce non-native plants into an area and enable them to expand their ranges. For example, we have not reduced the degree to which we are constantly disturbing the soil, either through agriculture or through the destruction of habitats caused by expanding living spaces, industrial spaces, and business spaces, both urban and suburban. Refer to the UN Biodiversity Report for more details.
I almost didn’t publish this project. I worked on the interviews and the data collection for this project for a full year, from 2017 to 2018. But then I stopped completely, because I became overwhelmed with the mounting evidence that was convincing me that we don’t know what the hell we’re doing when it comes to managing invasive species. The interviews with County, State, and Federal Agency personnel pointed out poor coordination between County, State, and Federal Agencies. And I became deeply concerned when I realized that very little research was being done on the impact of the pesticides and herbicides that we are pouring onto the earth and into our waters. In addition, the rapid changes in global climate also caused me to lose heart. It has become more and more obvious that if we don’t start paying attention to what we’re doing to the land we are just going to pollute it and waste it beyond recognition.
After a two-year hiatus, in spring 2020, I determined to continue my work examining invasive plant species management in the Western States. In spring 2020, the covid-19 pandemic hit the United States. The “stay at home orders” actually gave me more time to work on this project. In particular, I had time to conduct more of the review of the research literature on the related topics. But the pandemic also made it even more clear to me that without a nationwide management plan, guided by Federal Agencies in close collaboration with State Agencies, we are not likely to ever figure out how to, or even if we should, manage invasive species.
I originally intended to publish my reports as a book. But as the lengthy interviews and archival minutes of important interagency meetings caused the number of pages to increase beyond what would be normally be allowed in a single volume, I realized that it might be more useful to publish all of my information on a website. That would make it accessible to all relevant agency personnel and others interested in the project. As a result, I asked Slade Franklin, at the Wyoming Department of Agriculture, for a recommendation of existing websites that might be able to publish my reports. He suggested the regional Integrated Pest Management websites operated by the USDA. In examining those websites, I found them to be limited in information, which suggested to me that they would not be websites that State Agency personnel would utilize much. In addition, beginning in 2017, a number of Federal websites, including the USDA site, began to be scrubbed to remove crucial information, such as reports on global climate change, and so I decided not to approach a Federal Agency to publish my reports. In the end, I decided to develop my own website, and to inform State and Federal Agencies of its existence.
As of spring 2022, there remain several Western States for which I have not conducted interviews. I hope to continue my interviews and add them to the website over time.
References:
- Wilcove, D.S., Rothstein, D., Dubow, J., Phillips, A., & Losos, E. (1998). Quantifying threats to imperiled species in the United States. BioScience, 48: 607-615.