Global Economy Brings New Invasive Plants
Riding through the high dessert on my blue roan I am privy to what others miss if they are not off the beaten path; the destruction that is occurring to native grasses by knappweed. Indigo and I halt on a ridge overlooking the Columbia River where millfoil, seaweed from Canada, is slowly strangling this mighty waterway. Thanks in part to a global economy the West is being besieged by invasive insects, plants, and animals. I’m Susan Allen back with the story. A recent Wall Street Journal article reminded that as we become more global we receive more unwanted cargo; insects, plants animals that wreck havoc on native species. The USDA reports an estimated five hundred million plants are imported each year into the US, bringing with them at least thirty new invasive insects. Fifty thousand new plants and animals have come to America and prospered. Duck habitat is destroyed by the Asian purple loosestrife once coveted as an house plant in the 1900’s that today has crowded out nearly three hundred thousand acres of wetlands. In Idaho, boaters now need to purchase an Idaho Invasive Species Fund sticker and adhere to strict wash down instructions to help stop the invasion of unwanted muscles and again, mill foil. No we can’t stop the global invasion of unwanted insects and plants but in a perfect world if everyone did their part in keeping personal property free of invasive weeds we could be a darn good impediment. I’m Susan Allen
