Weed Wars Archive
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Eating Aliens
Posted on January 16, 2013 | 1 CommentIn the January 2012 edition of Weed Wars, titled Goats, Beavers & Carp, Oh My, I talked about the rebranding of Asian carp into silverfin, served as a delicacy in... -
An Ode to Alder
Posted on October 20, 2012 | No CommentsIt has been brought to my attention that there was recently a massive alder kill near Naselle, caused by the application of herbicide to eradicate knotweed near the banks of a stream. To add insult to injury, evidently tansy ragwort, another so-called noxious weed, replaced the some of the knotweed killed in the attack. -
There’s A Journal For Everything
Posted on October 6, 2012 | No Comments“Invasive species – plants, animals, and microbes introduced to regions beyond their native range – carry a global price tag of $1.4 trillion dollars. They are responsible for the loss of natural resources and biodiversity, damages to infrastructure, and an uptick in infectious diseases. -
Are We Just LAZY?
Posted on August 7, 2012 | No CommentsThe cacophony started a little after 8 o’clock this morning. A lone weed whacker, or hedge trimmer, or some other power tool, got me out of bed to do my... -
GODZILLA Invades Oregon!
Posted on July 8, 2012 | No CommentsWhat a great plot for a B movie! Here comes Godzilla – that irradiated lizard that terrified Japanese crowds in the great movies and TV series starting in the 1950s... -
An Inconvenient Species
Posted on June 7, 2012 | No CommentsIf you’re a shellfish grower in Willapa Bay, the Willapa Bay Oyster Reserve Advisory Board needs you! According to a Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) press release from... -
A Curse of Furze
Posted on May 18, 2012 | 1 CommentQuestion: What’s just like Scotch broom but thorny, and is public enemy #1 of conservationists on the Oregon Coast? Answer: Common gorse, whin, Irish furze, Irish hedge or Ulex europaeus.... -
Anekeitaxonomy and Alternative Environmentalism
Posted on April 17, 2012 | 2 CommentsMatt Chew is an assistant research professor at the Arizona State University Center for Biology & Society in Tempe. His specialty is anekeitaxonomy, a word he admitted to me he... -
Invasive Spring is in the Air
Posted on March 13, 2012 | No CommentsAfter a typical Fisher Poets Gathering weekend of wind, rain, hail, snow and yes, a little sun, I woke up this morning to one of those days that makes you... -
Goats, Beavers & Carp, Oh My!
Posted on January 22, 2012 | No CommentsIt’s hard to keep up with the world of invasive species, but I thought I’d start off 2012 with some stories I’ve been reading and listening about lately. Let’s start... -
Better Killing Through Chemistry
Posted on December 5, 2011 | No CommentsOn my way into town the other day, I spotted someone spraying the sidewalk. No, not hosing down the sidewalk – spraying it with pesticide. It appeared the person was... -
Animal, Vegetable or Mineral?
Posted on October 8, 2011 | 1 CommentOur featured invasive species this month fits the definition to a T. It is not native. It is growing out of control in prime habitat. Its growth prevents native, endangered... -
Sea lions or salmon?
Posted on September 6, 2011 | 1 CommentTHE WORLD-FAMOUS East Mooring Basin California sea lions are back! Their barking again graces the Astoria waterfront, and helps me to fall asleep in my bed just up the hill... -
Biodynamics and Economic Botany
Posted on August 6, 2011 | No CommentsIn July, my wife Nancy and I celebrated our 20th anniversary by taking a trip to the Applegate Valley in southern Oregon. Wine was the theme. We passed through many... -
Summer Reading List
Posted on July 8, 2011 | No CommentsWell, believe it or not, it’s summer – time to connect up the hoses, get out the weeding tools and have some serious one-on-one time with your garden. And after... -
Sweeping Away the Broom
Posted on June 5, 2011 | 1 CommentTake a drive, walk or bike ride through Fort Stevens State Park, and at your feet is European beachgrass (more about this invasive species in a future column) along with... -
New Beginnings
Posted on May 12, 2011 | No CommentsIn one week this past April, I celebrated Passover, Earth Day and Easter. Each holiday, in its own way, is about new beginnings. Passover celebrates the liberation of the Hebrews...
