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Re:Calif aquatic plant "regs"



>>When you introduce a non- native species of plant or animal to an area,
and said area is not prepared, chaos ensues and nature becomes what the
educated call "imbalanced". You are questioning this notion and suggest that
it may simply be a "new natural". Let me address this point with an example.
Ever heard of the feral cat problem in Australia? <<

I am sorry Kurt, but in the 25 years I lived in California, I never
introduced any java fern or any other plant into the wilds of california,
and I dont think anyone else has either. And I dont see how feral cats in
australia have anthing to do with the government in california going way
overboard.  I dont think anyone disputes that there are legitimate reasons
why some plants should be prohibited and some plants have caused
enviormental damage.

On the other hand, I have gone walking, hiking, fishing, and camping all
over california and enjoyed beautiful scenerey, a wonderfull coastline, and
some of the best mountain ranges of anywhere in the world. I havnt seen as
many cultivated plants growing in the wild as Tom Barr and other people I
know have reported, but a little cabomba growing in a mountain lake hasnt
upset the balance any that I can tell. The deer still graze, the trout and
bass still grow fat, the mountain lion still stalk around deep in the hills,
and the coyotes still bellow in the night. California is not the lakes in
africa where water hycith smothers the surface and chokes the life out of
the lake. We are talking about one weed outgrowing another weed, where most
of the time you can never even see it. We have planted hundreds of non
naitive palm trees while cutting down our treasured redwood forests. And
beyond that, the state is prohibiting plants that have never been seen or
collected growing in the wild. Plants that come from cultivated nuseries in
Florida, an area of the country that is even more tropical than california.
Evolution is life itself, always changing, adapting, and reforming. In the
end nature always wins out. With all the tinkering man does for good or bad,
its miniscual in comparison.

Robert Paul H
http://www.aquabotanic.com
AB newsletter, 780 subscribers