According to the National Invasive Species Information Center an “invasive species” is a species that is: 1) non-native (or alien) to the ecosystem under consideration and,
2) whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Another definition of invasive species, and my favorite, is from Wikipedia, “An invasive species is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated with and harms its new environment.” You can do your own research but they all say basically the same thing.
In these two images you can see the harm done to the environment by an invasive species. I am standing in approximately the same location in both images but a year a part. Top image taken in June 2021 and the bottom image in June 2022. Those beautiful cottonwood trees I enjoyed seeing and photographing in the top image, have been removed. The green lush field is now barren dirt, piles of gravel/sand and about to have sewer lines, water lines buried underground then covered with concrete and cement. Gone.
I am saddened because earth movers are in the process of destroying complete ecosystems and calling it development. Sorry to differ but it’s called destruction. They both start with the letter “D” but that’s about as close as they get. I will boldly say housing is an environmental issue with its roots solidly based in money! Where we build housing says a lot about our views on and treatment of the land on which we live. And, I would suggest that those developers do not live in this sort of neighborhood. Nor do they care about the debt people will be getting into so they can increase their financial wealth. But more importantly the increases in housing density and associated development on rural forest lands and even farming practices has been linked to numerous changes to private forest services across watersheds, including decreases in native wildlife; changes in forest health, reduced water quality and availability. And, I’ve not even started with the impact of the maintenance of this infrastructure, environmentally and economically in years to come.
If I go with the definition by Wikipedia then the major invasive species I know is: humans. Interesting how man makes a list of invasive species such as thistle, bindweed, Zebra mussels, garlic mustard and the list goes on, but arrogantly leaves himself off the list. We have had people shouting warnings for years but many humans ignore it. Here’s a simple post by our friend Joe at JWSmithPhoto about this very thing.
Now that I’ve spent a few days writing and rewriting this post, I’ve uncovered how I really feel and discovered that I’m not just sad but I’m also pissed!
Stand unshod upon it, for the ground is holy, being even as it came from the Creator. Keep it, guard it, care for it, for it keeps men, guards men, cares for men. Destroy it and man is destroyed.
Alan Paton
12 Comments
Joe
Sorry to see your landscape demolished like that, Monte. Robert Adams was photographing the development and destruction in Colorado years ago and of course it hasn’t stopped. Thank you for the mention and keep writing!
Monte Stevens
It is sad to see. There was a time when the land’s wealth was about farming and grazing. Now it’s about complete and immediate destruction of ecosystems. Yes, I will keep writing until I don’t, even if it doesn’t make sense.
Mark
I completely understand your anger Monte. I sit on the Sustainability Commission for my city and we are constantly looking at issues like this. For three months now we’ve been discussing changes to our tree preservation ordinance because of lawsuits from developers on their private property rights vs. the public health (among the many) benefits of having trees. It is not an easy path to walk.
Monte Stevens
My hats are off to you for taking on something like that. I lose my kool too easily with arrogant and self-centered people. In many ways we are still “killing off the buffalo.” Good luck my friend.
Mark
Fortunately we don’t interact with such people directly, it is mostly about crafting future policies / guidelines for the city. But even that isn’t easy as there are always conflicting and shifting priorities, limited resources, limited funds, blah blah blah.
Monte Stevens
That’s good to know, Mark. Again, thank you for your effort and accomplishments! Onward, my friend!
Faye
That is sinful, in my opinion. And very sad.
Monte Stevens
So, you’re pissed, too! 😂
Tom Dills
Yes. Ultimately man is the biggest invasive species of all. It’s been that way for centuries.
It’s a sad but familiar story. People desire their “place in the country,” developers respond by snapping up property that is 5-10 miles out of town for a relatively low price, and before you know it all the things that made a place appealing in the first place are gone. Then you have another subdivision oasis in the middle of what once was pristine land. Can’t blame the sellers – they can’t afford the taxes. The developers are out to make a buck, and the homeowners ultimately set off in search of the next greener grass. It’s a shame.
The bigger and unaddressed issue is the indirect economic cost of all of these people living so far from work/school/shopping, etc. The impact on the infrastructure like utilities and roads, the traffic and resulting smog from all of those 1-occupant cars. We need to do better, but the expectations of the investors, developers and, ultimately, the buyers ignore those costs in a quest for that idyllic “place in the country.” It’s so aspirational, superficial and ultimately unsatisfying.
Yeah, count me among the pissed. I’m there with you, and only wish there was something to be done about it.
Monte Stevens
Thank you for your comments. We both see, and are experiencing, the same effect of the lies we are told and believe about having a place in the country. You describe it quite well in your comment. It could be that just writing your comments here is doing something about “it”. In writing them done we pull from somewhere deep within how we feel and put it into words. That is big in my world! Glad your pissed, also.
Ruth
We witness the destruction of land and animal habitat almost daily. Every inch of land that can be “developed” is being raped and pillaged daily. Thus, our yearning to leave this area…..can’t watch it happen. They say follow the dollar, but what will we let be destroyed for that dollar. Needless to say, it isn’t worth it. Pissed…yup….miss our mountain home and all the critters and nature so very much. We were so blessed.
Love you Monte!
Monte Stevens
I bet you two do miss the mountain home. There was a lot of labor and time put into that home over the years. Yet, you had the experience that many never even dream about. I also am restless as I watch the rape and pillage. Turning my back on it is not something I want to do and I look at all that I can do to alter the destruction, in many areas of world. Love you, also!