Endangered weeds

Las Vegas Review Journal/ Klamath Bucket Brigade ^ | November 6th, 2004 | Editorial

[Issaquahking]

EDITORIAL: Endangered weeds

Insignificant plants shouldn't halt auction

The absurdity of the biodiversity movement was never more evident than Wednesday, when Las Vegas officials learned the federal government is moving to protect some 8,000 acres from development because of the presence of weeds.

Much of the land, which extends across the far northern valley from North Las Vegas west into Las Vegas, was slated for auction to home builders in February. However, botanists found the Las Vegas bearpoppy, a scrub protected under state law, and a previously unknown form of the kindling known as the Las Vegas buckwheat.

"It's a brand new variety based on the genetics of the plant," U.S. Bureau of Land Management environmental protection specialist Jeff Steinmetz said of the buckwheat.

And under the Endangered Species Act, the government can move to preserve every subspecies and sub-subspecies of plant and wildlife because of differences detectable only at the genetic level. A rural squirrel with a fleck of red in its tail becomes "endangered," while its plentiful, nearly identical cousins beg for nuts in the city park and spawn future generations of road kill.

A squirrel, fleck of red or not, is still a squirrel. And a weed -- buckwheat, bearpoppy or other -- is still a weed.

The federal government already controls about 90 percent of the land in Nevada. Municipal leaders, dealing with limited room to grow, are justifiably concerned that "protection" of the acreage could further drive up the cost of land and send the price of valley housing even higher.

Local leaders should challenge the protection of the land and work to ensure next year's auction goes forward.

 

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[F.J. Mitchell]

If we ever have enough Judges with the brains to recognize a frivilous law suit when he/she sees one, and the guts to call it what it is-and lawyers who file such such suits are 'weeded' out- teachers will no longer be the most underpaid proffessionals in America.

[Issaquahking]

A lot of the desert is beautiful if it has water. As they say "Where water flows, things grow." Most of Nevada, has a lot of mineral opportunity, but the early day extraction methods were substandard, and couldn't be mined at a profit. Now that we have the technology, the government has killed the opportunity to gain access by over-regulation, or someone or group files a lawsuit! What a vicious catch 22.

In regard to environmental protection, I agree that we need parks such as The Grand Canyon, Mt. McKinley National Park, and parks on the local level;however, it irritates me to no end when they try to turn the west into a giant park. The western properties need to be available to the populace, not under lock and key.

There's hundreds of thousands of acres out there that we can all share in, as in reasonable use. BLM is into the elitist lock up logic, and we need to reduce their ability to "govern our private lives". Let's start with standard small business practices - get rid of the deadwood, Jeff Steinmetz (Bureau of Land Management environmental protection specialist)"you're fired!" Repeat this line to other deadwood, and remind the governmental employees, that they work for us, not vice versa.

[FreedomCalls]

What makes 'em think development will threaten the buckwheat and the bearpoppy? There are lost of areas for wild plants to grow in my neighborhood. We have lots of weedy areas.

In my experience, you can have both weeds and houses. It's not a zero-sum game.

[SierraWasp]

"Migrant environmental lawyers"

Hey! This started long ago, since somebody in Nevada's legislature, usually under pressure from the Native Plant Society, or the Audobon Society, or the Posey Pluckers United for Socialism, laid the groundwork. They have done the same thing in CA, long before... Taking "hikes" across public and private property, trespassing on good natured Ranchers and Farmers lands, documenting and even naming UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN PLANTS!!!

This academic epidemic of trespassers are pandemic and polemic!!! The Ranchers and Farmers and especially large landowners who simply paid taxes without producing any living lost this battle years ago.

Their individual/personal financial plan to put their heirs through college, or whatever, by selling to a developer, are being robbed by the most Socialistic Inheritance Tax that doesn't even wait for one to die!!!

The most insidious presumption is that only public ownership will do as a means of preservation, or ownership by a group of zealots in a Land Trust or CONservancy who have a corrupt relationship and automatic market with government agencies.

I just don't understand why more FReepers can't discern this agressive attack on property ownership and the most prized element of ownership... That of CONTROL!!! It must be some kind of fractured focus on the most basic of American Rights in our Constitution I suppose...

[calcowgirl]

It's a sad day when the buckwheat and bearpoppy have more rights than citizens!

[adam_az]

"It's a sad day when the buckwheat and bearpoppy have more rights than citizens!"


Save the buckwheat and bearpoppy - but kill babies.

It's insanity.

[solitas]

Dear People of the Deep South:
If the government ever decides to 'protect' kudzu you're all big-time-screwed.
Y'know that?

[calcowgirl]

Check out this list.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1272893/posts

It was prepared before the environmental movement, but I'm sure
the current version has a few "endangered species" additions.

[Blood of Tyrants]

A little wildfire will take care of this worthless weed.

[Iconoclast2]

Blaming the lawyers distracts from the real problem: legislators. Every lawyer attracting ire is only bringing into effect some dumb-ass law passed by legislators. If all the American anger focused on lawyers were refocused on Congress, maybe we'd get reform instead of useless whining.

[farmfriend]

Why reform what can be done away with. Reforming it sets it in stone that is harder to undo later.

Grass Valley has a law that you are not allowed to ride an elephant down main street at more than 5 miles an hour. Who cares. The same can be done to the environmental laws. They can be rendered irrelevant. That would be my choice. Let the free market reign.

[Carry_Okie]

UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN PLANTS!!!

You just made my day.

[Carry_Okie]

That list arose out of the work of Antionio Gramsci.

W. Cleon Skousen notwithstanding, somebody needs to read Gramsci's works (and perhaps his ideological heirs in the Frankfurt school) to mine the original quotes on these topics in the words of the communists themselves.

[B Knotts]

I do hope the GOP is serious about meaningful reform of the ESA.

[SierraWasp]

W. Cleon Skousen's "The Making of America," (The Substance and Meaning of the Constitution) holds a special place on my bookshelf, right next to "Trashing The Economy" and "America's 30 Years War." Above all these is a book that doesn't grumble, but provides a SOLUTION!

That book is "Natural Process," by Mark Vande Pol. It's a roadmap to the future for America and the rest of the Free World and it's environment managed by motivated people, not government intimidated people!!!

But you already knew that, didn't you?

[SierraWasp]

"UNDOCUMENTED ALIEN PLANTS!!!"

If you use it... I'll sue for royalties... NOT!!!

[Seadog Bytes]

RE: "When the Administration is through ridding the CIA of its socialist Clinton-era moles, work needs to start on the Forest Service and other land agencies, rife as they are with totalitarian bureaucrats of mediocre intelligence."

BUMP!!! ...but let's get the federal courts done first.

...SPIKE SPECTER

   
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[dc27]

Time for a little Roundup.

[calcowgirl]

>>But you already knew that, didn't you?

Yep... although I haven't finished it yet :-(
(I failed my time management classes, lol)

[Seadog Bytes]

...So. They've been to YOUR neighborhood too...!