You don't know Jackrabbits

Normally, rabbits wouldn't pose a threat to an airplane, but at Miami International Airport, that is exactly what's happening. According to this article from the Sarasota Herald Tribune, the airport is populated by hundreds of jackrabbits (Lepus californicus), which are not native to southern Florida, that live in the grassy areas between runways. Problems have arisen because the jackrabbits are attracting turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) to the area, which can be very dangerous if a bird collides with a plane or gets sucked into an engine. Airport officials are working with the animal rights group PETA to try to solve the problem, but the bottom line is that if they can't scare the vultures away, the jackrabbits will have to go...and it won't be pretty.

Ant-icipation

Australians living in the northern part of the continent are bracing themselves for the arrival of yellow crazy ants (Anoplolepis gracilipes), a species whose common name makes them sound pretty scary. According to this article from the Sydney Morning Herald, the ants have been found at more than 60 sites, and may have been introduced at an old American military base by ships traveling from southeast Asia. The ants are considered deadly, swarming over anything that gets in their way and spraying fiery formic acid on their enemies. Officials are hoping to eradicate the creatures, with a poison bait program already in place. The insects have been known on Christmas Island, off the northwest coast of Australia, for over 70 years, but they did not visibly impact the environment there until the 1990s.

Grandfathered

Palm Beach County has taken yet another step back from their strict invasive plant policy (See previous blog entries here & here), as reported in the Sun-Sentinel. Under pressure from homeowners, the county commission voted Tuesday to exempt properties developed prior to 1986 from the law, which calls for the removal of nine invasive plant species. If those homes happen to be near an environmentally sensitive area, the plants do have to be removed, but the county will pay for it. For another take on the story, see this article from the Palm Beach Post.

Dousing the Flames

Today was the second and final day of Wyoming's Cheatgrass Awareness Conference, which featured presentations by a number of state and regional groups. As described in this press release posted at Yahoo!, results from a study by BASF Corporation and Synergy Resource Solutions indicate that the severity of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) wildfires can be significantly reduced by applying an herbicide that targets annual plants. The herbicide tested in the study, known as Plateau, decreased the biomass ("fuel") available to burn, reducing flame height as well as the ability of the fire to spread. This type of proactive management should make the fires easier to deal with when they do occur.

My Spanish Inquisition

There is a new site dedicated to disseminating information about invasive plants in Spain: Alien Plants Ecology in Spain. The content is in English, and you'll note that the three species featured on the front page are all native to the New World. The site seems to be running a bit sluggish right now, but if you are patient, you will be rewarded with interesting content, including a .pdf list of invasive plants.

Thanks to a member of the ALIENS-L listserver for posting a link to the site.

It's the Law

Legal problems in Hawaii: according to this article from the Honolulu Advertiser, Hawaii lacks the authority to ban the sale of Salvinia molesta (kariba weed) within the state, because it was originally introduced there legally. This is especially frustrating since the invasive aquatic weed is considered so dangerous to ecosystems, it is one of the few federally banned noxious weeds. Unfortunately the federal ban cover only interstate transport. The state has stated looking into other legislation that would ban its sale and spread, but while some aquariums and nurseries in that state continue to sell salvinia, others are already voluntarily giving it up.

Snakeskin Golf Club Bag

In their quest to keep snakes out of Hawaii, officials in Maui are on the lookout for a 3 to 6 foot long snake. According to this story from the Honolulu Advertiser, part of a freshly shed snake skin was found on a cart at a golf course. Unfortunately, extensive searches by humans and a specialized search dog have turned up nothing, and the species of snake is unknown.