Environmental religion and eco-scares

An eco-scare that’s floated around on a long list of environmental frights involves “invasive species”—alien animal and plant invaders from other lands and waters. A biblical passage from environmental religion reads: “Thou shalt not allow invasive species to mingle with the pure of heart natives”; this from the chapter on “Biodiversity.”

Recent reports in the Wilmington StarNews that may frighten nonbelievers and government officials into submission identifies “running” bamboo and cogon grass; the latter even more to be dreaded than…shudder…kudzu. Federal agents have repented for bringing the devilish kudzu vine to plague the land occupied by wicked humans. Plant missionaries introduced the green creepy stuff to control road bank erosion and gullies caused by farming.

Fear not followers of biodiversity, expensive (and useless) government eradication projects will save the day. Master Gardner Charlotte Glen reports that the N. C. Department of Agriculture plans to “treat” a small patch of the nasty cogon grass in northern Pender County, although it’s “very hard to kill even with herbicides.” (link)

Down in Carolina Beach, Donna Levesque “after working out of town for a couple of years” returned to find running bamboo galloping all over her property. She plans to petition gullible town council members to pass an ordinance regulating the pesky plant and fining transgressors. The American Bamboo Society people say that bamboo is innocent; not noxious or invasive by nature— lack of attention by its keepers is the problem. (link)

Meanwhile some academics denounce “monocultures” such as field crops and lawns. N. C. State Professor David Orr preaching at the Center for Environmental Farming Systems gives sermons on planting “native” plant species, according to gadabout gardener Katie Elzer-Peters. (link)

Of course, none of this is new. For decades environmental circuit riders pushing biodiversity have preached that monoculturists mend their waywardness. Plant native species and sin no more. But for centuries European settlers, government researchers and federal plant explorers to Asia have introduced uncounted numbers of species new to American landscapes and waters—some beneficial and some temporarily devastating to certain native species (chestnut blight and Dutch elm disease to name two). Yet, we survive and prosper.

An ecological myth perpetuated by environmental shepherds and their sheep tells that the natural world of plant and animal populations, and climate is static—in a “steady-state.” Further, they carry out their mission on the assumption that current conditions are optimal and must be preserved—at all costs.

Under the noxious “Endangered Species Act” government agents take private property to preserve “habitat.” And “global warming” priests prophesy apocalyptic events if we don’t change our ways of living.

In the real world populations’ ebb and flow as conditions change. They adapt or become extinct. They migrate and evolve. We humans can temporarily micro-manipulate in small places, but we can’t change the ecological conditions driven by dynamic and powerful natural earthly and heavenly processes. However, environmental zealots will try to convince us otherwise.