[-empyre-] invasive species

[Alan Sondheim]

I'm well aware of the arguments re: political etc. around invasive 
species. But I think this ignores numerous cases where the results have 
been devastating (for example the Everglades, where I've done a lot of 
research and work); I simply don't trust the release of spores by 
balloons, particularly when I've seen the results on the ground; the 
political issues are bad enough, but say, the presence of tilapia or 
pythons in the Everglades are killing and impoverishing a system already 
under attack from farming runoff up north. In RI, phragmites have made a 
mess of numerous coastal sites, etc. I think the issue of invasive species 
is complex, needs to be considered by artists in conjunction with 
ecologists, etc.; it's not a matter for a brief reply, I think.

Best, Alan