[-empyre-] invasive species

[Shu Lea Cheang]

Dear Alan

Surely your post has kept me and all artists working in the field 
thinking... i organize these thread under your subject invasive 
species...and do hope we
all come back to this thread..meanwhile, i try to get week2 topics 
started... thanks to FRUAD and John's posting.

very soon

sl

 >>>from Alan Sondheim
I have a question re: the release of spores from weather balloons and 
other means of distribution. Are you concerned about the issue of 
invasive species? We're fascinated by mycological environments, and at 
least in some areas, this seems to be an issue. Mycelium spread of their 
own accord; there's competition among species. At the moment, with some 
more visible forms of life such as phragmites (which can also be 
considered networked), there are serious issues of native or local 
species going extinct. Do you worry that articial spore releases can 
contribute to this? Is this addressed?

 >>>>from Anna Scime

Alan raises an interesting question here (thank you Alan!)… there are 
innumerable species of animals, plants, fungi, etc that are introduced 
to new habitats through human intervention (intentional and otherwise).  
Here in the Eastern Great Lakes and throughout NYS plants like 
Phragmites and Japanese Knotweed are a major problem.  They grow like 
wildfire in monocultures that choke out native plant species that would 
otherwise provide habitat, food and shelter to the other native species 
(pollinators and other birds, mammals, insects...)  that live here.  
When they become problematically prolific and threaten existing 
ecosystems, keystone species, humans and/or human economies, they are 
labeled as invasive species and government agencies, ecological 
organizations and the industries whose operations they interfere with 
spend A LOT of money every year in an attempt to remove them from the 
ecosystems that they have colonized and to restore native species.  I 
work with aquatic species as well, and zebra and quagga mussels, brown 
gobies, alewife etc are also subject to similar management programs, 
though it seems that the most effective/least Sisyphean efforts (though 
this is difficult to measure and I think control efforts are still 
necessary in many cases) may come via adaptation of native species to 
consume and regulate these invasive species…


Additionally, I think that there are always possible risks and rewards 
when we work with living materials and ecosystems… the devil is in the 
details, and much research is required prior to engaging with these 
beings (or their parts) through our art practices and/or by introducing 
them to seemingly new environments.  Research in controlled environments 
and fieldwork can only tell us so much, there is of course always chance...

The only mushroom species that I am aware of being labeled as an 
invasive species is the Death Cap (Amanita phalloides - does anyone know 
of any others?).  Unlike many other invasives they are not a 
hyper-prolific species that chokes out native species or causes great 
expense to governments or industries, but they are a problem for 
amateur mycologists foraging for mushrooms who may misidentify them as 
edible puffballs when they are young, or as other edible Amanita, 
Russulas, meadow mushrooms or paddy straw mushrooms when they are mature 
and consume them (they are colloquially referred to as Death Caps 
because if you eat them, they can kill you – many who survive poisoning 
require a liver transplant to do so). It is believed that they have been 
introduced to new habitats through the cultivation of non-native species 
of oak, chestnut, and pine.  Which begs the question, when we are 
curating our gardens, making bioart or engaging in ecological studies, 
remediation and/or restoration work, are we actually doing more harm 
than good? (I think all responsible practicioners here try to way all 
known options before proceeding, though mistakes are made and nature 
does 'find a way') And with global travel in its myriad forms, is it 
even possible to prevent the spread of spores, seeds, organisms….or are 
adaptations that accommodate colonization of new lands and waters 
through hitchhiking on larger animals like us (and/or our transportation 
toys) unavoidable?

from FRAUD

*A footnote on invasive / native* (mentioned last week):
Those definitions in themselves are quite problematic. Usually there is 
a point in time after which a species' arrival is determined to be 
invasive. That point is heavily imbued in politics of immigration, 
colonialism and other ways of viewing the world that have little to do 
with the plant or animal's 'threat'. Without expanding further here, we 
did a project exploring this some time ago, Dreaming in 
tongues/舌頭/langues/ بألسنة/tunger, and Cooking Sections do great work on 
this subject.



from Alan Sondheim

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

Best, Alan _________________________________________







On 11/06/18 16:16, Alan Sondheim wrote:
> ----------empyre- soft-skinned space----------------------
>
>
> 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
> _______________________________________________
> empyre forum
> empyre at lists.artdesign.unsw.edu.au
> http://empyre.library.cornell.edu
>

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