[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Purple loosestrife and MA legislation
Someone wrote:
>>Richard, have you noticed those sheets of beautiful purple flowers that
>>cover just about every damp sunny surface in late summer?
>>
>>I used to live not too far from where you do now, and I remember seeing
>>the first small patches of purple loosestrife in roadside ditches and
>>edges of swamps. The spread of this plant over the past 20 years has been
>>explosive and appalling.
Richard Sexton wrote:
>Yeah, there's bloody great fields of it here now. It's stunninly beautiful.
>
>I guess I should be upset that it's displacing native plants and allegedly
>animals, but I gotta tell ya, you can only take so many green fields.
I was going to sit down to write a long and well documented response to
Richard's post of yestday when I read this. It's obviously not worth my
effort. All I can say is pity Canada if this is representative of the
level of environmental awareness north of the border. Because we in MA
live in an area that has been heavily populated (and mis-managed) for
longer than almost any other area of the new world, we can no longer afford
the luxury of playing ostrich in the face of man's stupidity.
I suggest that instead listening to of a bunch of people who are not really
interested, concerned or involved shooting down a piece of legislation that
the have not even seen, that those of you who LIVE in Massachusetts, and
CARE (one way or the other) call your local rep., as I did, and ask to see
a copy of the legislation. I had it in my hands within 3 days.
Read it and make your own decision. If you think it's worthwhile and well
written, support it. If you don't, by all means let your rep. know.
I did read it, and talked to my Rep. I have been in touch with Senator
Fargo's office, and have been asked if I would be willing to testify before
the committee, as representing the interests of aquatic gardeners. I take
a cautiously optimistic view of the way things are going, and the way the
bill is being worded. Don't take my word for it, though. Do your
homework and make your own decisions. If nothing else, I'd like Senator
Fargo's office to see how many of us there are, and that we ARE active and
interested... in preserving our hobby _AND_ the environment. Just please
be polite and have your facts straight first.
Karen Randall
Aquatic Gardeners Association