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Re: Noxious weeds and Rhonda's e-mails
Wow, I thought that this was the year 2000, not 1984! Reading Rhonda's
remarks about having received not one but two messages from the "weed
police" ought to cause folks to set up and take notice. While I can
understand "official" concern over the spread of potentially nuisance
species, for this concern to focus on what is obviously a HOBBYIST web site
ought to scare folks, and to get them to stand up for their rights.
Salvinia might pose a problem in some circumstances in the wild, but it IS a
viable plant in an aquarium, and I can't imagine ANY government bureaucrat
telling a hobbyist that they shouldn't grow it or maintain it. Or for that
matter, list it on a web site as being suitable for use in an aquarium. From
looking at the listing of plants that Rhonda has for sale, and comparing it
with the official list of "weeds", I can see that Rhonda isn't selling
anything which is a "no-no". So what is their problem???
Rhonda, I don't know how you handled the situation, but I know that while I
might acceed to an official request that I wouldn't SHIP any listed plant
across state lines, I'd tell them to get lost regarding listing the plant as
an aquarium plant on your web site, or from maintaining it in your own
tanks.
The particular part of the official note which would gall me was - "You
could perform a valuable service by discouraging visitors to your
website from purchasing federal noxious weeds.". This is not so subtle
pressure on you to remove it from your web site all together. From what I
can see, you aren't selling it, nor are you encouraging hobbyists to release
it into the wild.
If I were you, I'd tell him to go bother someone who cared. I'd also get a
really nice graphic of Salvinia and use it as wallpaper on the web site.
Such audacity!
James Purchase
Toronto