All of it's Hitched Together
"When we pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe."
This quote by John Muir reminds me, among other things, of the ongoing fish kill on the Shenandoah River that has taken its toll on the smallmouth bass, sucker, and sunfish populations, or of the Wooly Adelgid blight that has ravaged our Eastern Hemlock groves that skirt once-thriving mountain streams. The loss of a prevalent species of coniferous tree in our forests is unfortunate, but the damage doesn't stop there. Without those trees, streams that have been shaded for millenia will see the sunlight, then warm, and ultimately become inhabitable for native trout and macroinvertebrates.
Globalization and international trade have co-mingled insects, microbes, plants, and animals that wouldn't have been exposed to one another otherwise. Our ships bring ballast water from Asia full of zebra mussels and hydrilla. In turn, those ships return to Asia with ballasts full of water containing North American flora and fauna, which will wreak similar havoc on Asian or European ecosystems. The United States is the largest importer of invasive species in the world. Invasive species removal costs a lot nation indirect effects of invasive species are many. Not only are we the biggest importer of invasive species from other corners of the globe, but we're the biggest exporter. Every little mundane action we take has far reaching environmental implications.
While environmental regulations encumber enterprise and small businesses, they're promulgated for good reasons. Regulations promoting dump stations and clean vessels in recreational waters are there to protect against waterborne illness and deadly algal blooms. Similarly, import laws protect against new invasive species that could affect native trout streams that depend on the shade under tall, thick hemlock branches.
Everything is connected. We must continue recognizing the myriad of connections in natural systems so that we can keep it as healthy as possible for future generations. Business and enterprise must continue, but within a framework of laws and regulations that keep our streams and soils safe.
This quote by John Muir reminds me, among other things, of the ongoing fish kill on the Shenandoah River that has taken its toll on the smallmouth bass, sucker, and sunfish populations, or of the Wooly Adelgid blight that has ravaged our Eastern Hemlock groves that skirt once-thriving mountain streams. The loss of a prevalent species of coniferous tree in our forests is unfortunate, but the damage doesn't stop there. Without those trees, streams that have been shaded for millenia will see the sunlight, then warm, and ultimately become inhabitable for native trout and macroinvertebrates.
Globalization and international trade have co-mingled insects, microbes, plants, and animals that wouldn't have been exposed to one another otherwise. Our ships bring ballast water from Asia full of zebra mussels and hydrilla. In turn, those ships return to Asia with ballasts full of water containing North American flora and fauna, which will wreak similar havoc on Asian or European ecosystems. The United States is the largest importer of invasive species in the world. Invasive species removal costs a lot nation indirect effects of invasive species are many. Not only are we the biggest importer of invasive species from other corners of the globe, but we're the biggest exporter. Every little mundane action we take has far reaching environmental implications.
While environmental regulations encumber enterprise and small businesses, they're promulgated for good reasons. Regulations promoting dump stations and clean vessels in recreational waters are there to protect against waterborne illness and deadly algal blooms. Similarly, import laws protect against new invasive species that could affect native trout streams that depend on the shade under tall, thick hemlock branches.
Everything is connected. We must continue recognizing the myriad of connections in natural systems so that we can keep it as healthy as possible for future generations. Business and enterprise must continue, but within a framework of laws and regulations that keep our streams and soils safe.
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