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The
Eyes Have It Recently the Bureau of Land Management published their proposal to spray a lot more herbicides on a lot more BLM lands each year throughout 17 western states. It's their major response to "invasive species." While I've been writing comments reminding the BLM that they're still ignoring a good proposal 43 organizations submitted to them three years ago, which would require a lot less herbicide spraying, I've also been thinking about what an invasive species is. Which has lead me also to think about how different people see the world.
If you type in "invasive species definition" on the web, you'll find this definition: "a species that has moved into an area and reproduced so aggressively that it has replaced some of the original species." Some examples you are probably familiar with include the Japanese kudzu vine in the U.S. South, European rabbits in Australia; and the Northeast U.S. bullfrog, Eurasian blackberry, South American nutria, and Caucasus Mountain ivy that are replacing native species in Eugene. The trouble with ecologists and biologists is that we realize humans are one species among millions of other species, such as kudzu vine and rabbits. In fact, humans are a species that has moved into areas throughout most of the world and reproduced so aggressively that we have replaced many of the original species. Which means we're a highly aggressive invasive species. I teach a two-week field course in ecology every couple of years for Whitman College students just as they are embarking on a semester-long camping trip throughout the western states to study ecology, creative writing, and environmental politics. In one of the first exercises I ask them to list some words that describe how ecologists, creative writers, and politicians might "see" 1) a patch of grass; and 2) a human. For instance, an ecologist might see whether the grass is a native bunch grass with spaces for other native species in between, or an exotic mat-forming grass as in our lawns. The creative writer might see the grass's color as a setting for a mood, or how it is moving in the wind over a grave. A rural politician might see "forage" for cows; an urban politician might see an empty place to expand the urban boundary. As for humans, an ecologist might see an omnivore, a fire-suppressor, a restorationist, a dam-builder, a burrower to remove selected metals. A creative writer might see a desperate housewife, a politician's fall, or two gay cowboys. A politician might see a human's wealth, zip code, or right to health care.
One of the best, wisest things we humans do is arrange for problem-solving tables at which diverse types of "seeing" are present. The first challenge is getting those who have the most economic and/or political power to accept 1) that a problem exists; 2) a table process; and/or 3) inclusion at the table of those who see the world differently from them. We're at the brink of setting such a table in our community regarding our 21-year old standoff regarding the West Eugene Parkway, the four-lane highway that would be built through the West Eugene Wetlands. Mayor Piercy for Eugene and David Cox for the Federal Highway Administration took the first formal step, when they said they would jointly fund such an approach with the help of a government organization of professional table-setters, the U.S. Institute of Environmental Conflict Resolution. The Metropolitan Planning Commission, made up of representatives of numerous local government agencies, have given their wary, tentative nod to the idea. Even the Oregon Department of Transportation is moving into "yes." Some longtime parkway and anti-parkway advocates have already begun such discussions together. A big challenge now is to gain trust that the table will actually include all types of eyes — those who, prompted by the words "West Eugene Parkway," variously see threats to or opportunities for an endangered butterfly, decent transportation, open space recreation, highway connections, truck routes, profits, silence, peak oil, next year, or future generations. The ultimate challenge will be for all those eyes to rethink how we address finite resources and fashion West Eugene transportation solutions that gain broad acceptance in our community that is weary of two decades of humans barking at each other from separate corners of the room. If we succeed, the ecologists, creative writers, and politicians can then tell their stories of what we took care of in this community. Mary O'Brien of Eugene has worked as a public interest scientist since 1981. She can be reached at mob@efn.org
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