Japanese Barberry

Background

Invasive species are one of many great factors to losing an areas biodiversity. When non-native species are brought to an area, whether accidentally or not, they compete with others for things such as sunlight, food, space, etc. The Japanese Barberry is a bushy plant non-native to Maine, and even the country. That's why it's surprising to hear that it grows wildly in 32 states.

Plant Facts


The Japanese Barberry plant is a threat to many forests, therefore a threat to Maine. It is a threat to biodiversity because it can grow thick enough to crowd out smaller plants, such as new-born trees, or wild flowers for example. The berries of the plant are seen as food by birds and other animals, and that's why it can spread so rapidly.
The plant is usually found in old fields, open woods, floodplains, and ledges, but it can grow pretty much anywhere. Japanese Barberry, as you might have expected, originated in Asia, and is thought to have been brought to the U.S. during the 19th century.

What Can Be Done When Growing

-When growing plants in your yard, try to keep to plants that don't "jump the fence". In other words, keep your plants in your area, and make sure they don't spread accidentally.
-Try to stick to native species of Maine.
-Dig up invasive species, such as Japanese Barberry, with a shovel or hoe.
-Remove all invasive, non-native plants completely from your yard.
-Urge your local garden center to sell native plants exclusively.

Here Is A Video



http://www.plainviewfarm.com/garden-center/articles/MainesNativeLandscape.html
http://umaine.edu/publications/2536e/
http://www.ehow.com/facts_6140631_japanese-barberry-ornamental-tree.html

Red Tide

     It is important for all of us to be aware of what is happening in our oceans. Algal blooms, commonly referred to as red tides, present problems worldwide. Although there is practically no solution to the algal blooms, we all must take the safety precautions necessary to stay alive and healthy. 

Effects on Fish

     The algae present in the ocean sometimes can grow and reproduce rapidly. This causes toxins to be released in the water, and can be devastating to fish populations. Also, large algae populations decrease oxygen levels in the water, which can be harmful to fish too. Red tides mainly effect shellfish, as they filter water through their bodies and feed off of the toxic algae. 

Effects on Humans

     Sometimes, the fish may be intoxicated enough to be harmful to humans, but not enough to kill the fish in the first place. Human illnesses via consumption of seafood contaminated by toxic algae include: amnesic shellfish poisoning, ciguatera fish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, and paralytic shellfish poisoning. The symptoms of these sicknesses are usually nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and/or respiratory malfunctions. Some illnesses may even result in death.

Cause of Red Tides

     It is unknown exactly what is the cause of red tides. They can occur naturally or unnaturally. There are many re-occurring red tides off the coast of France. This is a result of the many years of fertilizer dumping. These fertilizers are what cause the algae to  grow so rapidly.

Effects of Red Tides

     The production of neurotoxins which cause mass mortalities in fish, seabirds, and marine mammals disrupt the ocean ecosystem dramatically. When massive populations of marine animals die, the depletion of food sources can cause irreversible damage to human life. Mechanical damage to other organisms, such as disruption of epithelial gill tissues in fish, result in asphyxiationoxygen depletion of the water column (hypoxia or anoxia) from cellular respiration and bacterial degradation.

     So, it is important for all of us to pay attention to the warnings given to us. We need to be aware of what we are eating and where it came from. 

http://www.whoi.edu/science/B/redtide/illness/illness.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algal_bloom


http://www.eoearth.org/article/Red_tide?topic=49559

TOXIC WASTE

The industrial revolution, while making our lives easier and providing us modern day conveniences, is also a provider of pollutants such as toxic waste. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, toxic waste is not the green glowing sludge that gives you super powers. Toxic waste is simply trash or waste material that can cause harm or even death to humans and other living animals. It is legally classified as toxic waste if it contains one or more of 39 carcinogenic, mutagenic, or teratogenic compounds at levels that exceed established limits (including many solvents, pesticides, and paint strippers), catches fire easily (such as gasoline, paints, and solvents), is reactive or unstable enough to explode or release toxic fumes (including acids, bases, ammonia, and chlorine bleach); and/or is capable of corroding metal containers such as tanks, drums, and barrels (such as industrial cleaning agents and oven and drain cleaners) (learner.org)

Toxic waste, however, can not be completely blamed on industry. There are chemical wastes in your home that are classified as "toxic waste". Cleaning products, cosmetics, and chemicals found in fertilizers and pesticides all can be forms of waste that cause harmful effects to our earth and the things living on it. It is up to us to discard these items in a proper manner. Here is a link on how to safely recycle your toxic waste and related products: http://www.epa.gov/osw/hazard/recycling/industrial.htm


You must be asking yourself, "How can I reduce my trash impact on our beautiful earth?". Here is a simple list that should be followed by everyone.


1. Reduce waste and pollution.
2. Reuse as many things as possible.
3. Recycle and compost as much waste as possible.
4. Chemically or biologically treat or incinerate waste that can't be reduced, reused, recycled, or composted.
5. After the first four goals have been met, bury what is left in state-of-the-art landfills or above-ground vaults. 

Lakes

Americans use our lakes as a source of recreation, water, and even income. However, these luxuries are at risk when we carelessly release toxins into our lakes. Air pollution, fertilizers, and boat pollution are destroying our lakes at an increasing rate, and most of us aren't doing anything to prevent it.

Fertilizer runoff

When fertilizers are carried into lakes or any other source of water, they bring nitrates and phosphates with them. These nutrients, essential for plant growth, cause plant life and algae to grow at rapid rates. This soon changes oxygen levels, killing other forms of life such as fish. This process is also known as eutrophication.

Boat Pollution


Everybody enjoys a relaxing boat ride once in a while, but many of us don't realize the risks we subject our lakes to when we boat. Boat engines cause a great deal of pollution by emitting hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen, but they are not the only source. Careless spillage of gasoline, and the carrying of evasive plants can also destroy waters and ruin the lakes and waterways we hold onto dearly. The only way to prevent these from happening is to start from the source. Be sure to always make sure no gasoline is spilled when filling your tank, and always clean your boat thoroughly before launching into another lake. Many of the problems mentioned, such as the carrying of evasive plants, are irreversible, so please make sure you keep our lakes clean!

How our transportation pollutes our environment

We all rely on our transportation. Whether it's school, work, or any other travel necessary, we travel through some form of vehicle. It is well known that cars, trains, and planes, emit many pollutants that effect our environment in bad ways by slowly melting our o-zone. Out of all the pollutants that are destroying our o-zone, motor vehicles are responsible for 72% of nitrous oxides and 52% of reactive hydrocarbons, which create smog. There is no way to avoid this, however, there are ways to slow this process.

Hybrid cars are an effective tool to help decrease car emissions. They are cars that are purely electric up to a certain speed. So while traveling through town at a reasonably slow pace, your car wouldn't be emitting CO2 at all. Another effective way to slow pollution is public transport. Busses and trains help you slow pollution by carrying a large amount of people at one time, who might otherwise be driving a single car each. People should use public transport always before resorting to their own vehicle. The busses and trains will be driving anyway so you might as well jump on board.

Vehicle emissions account for 30,000 deaths per year. It's obvious that we need to improve our habits of relying on our transportation. It will save our environment, and also save lives.

Oily Oceans

Billions of people rely on the oceans daily, whether it be for food or travel, but we risk the well-being of our oceans for modern day conveniences that we overlook. Beaches are filled with trash, wastes are dumped, and fish are caught. There is one major recent event, though, that I'd like to focus everyone's attention on. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has and will continue to destroy the ocean, and it happens to be close to home.


The explosion of a drilling rig on 4/20/10 caused a huge oil leak in the Gulf. The leak wasn't officially fixed until recently, 9/19/10. But, just because the oil is no longer leaking, doesn't mean that the oil has disappeared. There are many ways that this oil will effect the plant and animal life in the ocean. This can and will also effect us too. 


We as humans depend on the various forms of life that thrive in the ocean. Oil, however, can easily destroy these life forms. Fish, for example, provide us with food. When an area is destroyed by oil, every species experiences the consequences, including us. It is up to us, and only us, to clean our oceans. Without clean oceans, clean travel, and clean leisure time, what will we do with ourselves?