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Aliens are among us.
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Author: Staff Writer
LISTEN:
to the North Country Public Radio report on noxious weeds.
They are small, they are green, and they are invading us. But they’re
not from Mars.
North America is being invaded and the problem is much more serious than
a couple of abductions! The invaders are plants from other areas of the
world.
The definition of an alien is a plant that is not native
to the area.
- How aliens are introduced
- What is the impact
- A list of roque species in our area
- Steps you can take to reduce the problem
How aliens are introduced
Exotic species occupy the dark side of global intimacy. They are the inadvertent
byproducts of modern transportation. The mechanisms by which plants move
to a new area are largely the result of human activity. From seeds that
stow aboard trucks and boat bilges, to plants imported for gardens, more
and more aliens are entering the environment of the roadway and garden.
Once in our gardens, wind, water and animals spread the seeds out into
our wild spaces.
What is the impact
The Nature Conservancy reports that the 79 worst alien species have already
cost the U.S. economy $97 billion. While the environmental toll cannot
be quantified on such a large scale, the Conservancy says exotics are
second only to habitat destruction in chasing native species into extinction.
The ecological balance of plants, animals, soil, and water achieved over
many thousands of years is destroyed. As native plants are displaced,
animal populations that rely on the plants for food and shelter also decline.
Nonnative plants may reduce or deplete water levels, or alter runoff patterns
and increase soil erosion, thus diminishing both the land and water quality.
Some non-natives release toxic chemicals into the soil or harbor diseases,
increasing the stress on native plants
Alien species can be found in and around Lake Champlain
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Plants found in or near water:
- flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus)
- Yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus)
- purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
- Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum
spicatum )
- common reed (Phragmites australis)
- water chestnut (Trapa
Plants, & vines - a partial list
of noxious weeds by common name
- Sessile joyweed
- Sterile oats, animated oats
- water fern
- bearded creeper
- Devil's thorn
- Goatsrue
- Giant hogweed
- Hydrilla
- Water spinach
- Broom
- Bramble
- Cattail grass
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What you can do to stop it:
Be aware: Many of the invasive species actively being fought by that
National Parks Service are still sold in nurseries. For example, parking
lot garden stores like Walmart and Kmart still sell French Broom.
Recognize when your actions increase the possibility of your acting as
a transportation vector.
- Wash your boat thoroughly when moving it from
lake to lake
- Empty bilges before moving to another lake
- Use only native bait fish. Do not dump bait
fish and carrying into irrigation ditches or water bodies after finished
fishing
- Transport clothes home in plastic sacks after
hiking in an area known to be invaded. Wash them in very hot water to
kill seeds.
- Explore using native plants in lieu of exotics.
- Do not use invasive species in your
home water garden. (in fact it is unlawful to do so).
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