Invasive Species (Not just humans).

The threat to a delicate ecosystem can include many things. One of the main threats often are invasive species. This term is very broad and can refer to many different species of animals and plants.

Invasive species can "invade" any area and immediately threaten the balance of the ecosystem. Below is the brown tree snake, an invasive species to the pacific island of Guam. 

The brown tree snake began to show up in Guam sometime between the 40s and 50s. No one knows exactly how the snake invaded Guam, although speculation is that it traveled here accidentally on imported human cargo. 

The snake is native to Indonesia, Australia, and Papua New Guinea. It has become highly invasive since arriving to the island. 

It has completely wiped out species of birds in Guam. One of its most famous victims is the Guam Rail pictured below. 

The Guam rail is important because it is only found in Guam. The brown tree snake has effectively wiped out any trace of the Guam Rail in the wild. Any trace of the Guam Rail now lies in specially managed habitats by Guam's government. 

The brown tree snake multiplies fast. According to National Geographic's Dan Stone, who wrote an article on the invasive species, the brown tree snake population in Guam is estimated to be around one million. 

The threat of the snake to Guam is real and nationally recognized. In 2013, The U.S. government dropped 2,000 dead mice on the island. The mice were filled with acetaminophen, commonly found in Tylenol, and is poison to the snake. Many native Guamanian are skeptical that the project will truly rid the island of the snake.  

The problem which most concerns the U.S. government is the eventual spread of the snake to Hawaii, which rely on its natural plants and species as a tourist attraction. So far there is no trace of the snake in other islands, but it is only a matter of time until the snake accidentally makes it on a piece of cargo or a humans suitcase. 

Even if the snake is eradicated, there are still many other invasive species of plants and animals that threaten the ecosystem of Guam. According to the Global Invasive Species Database, there are currently 129 invasive species in Guam. 

http://www.cepf.net/Documents/CEPF_PolyMicro_factsheet.pdf

http://www.eoearth.org/view/article/150628/

http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/bts.shtml

Glacier Park

I'm going to ask each reader to follow me here, Google Glacier Park. What do you see? ok, I'll go first...

I see four lodging websites, one rafting website and the parks official government page. I can tell you what I don't see...a link to a story, any story, that describes the danger that Glacier Park is in.

I vaguely understand the business model behind Google and the obvious reasons why a website describing the endangered aspect to the park is not front and center. I can help you out on that subject.

According to the Guardian, 96-97 percent of climate experts believe that humans are largely responsible for the stark increase in global warming since the 1950s. Global warming can claim many victims and Glacier National Park is becoming a part of the grim list.

Glacier National Park is located in West Glacier, Montana. It is home 1,200 species of native plants, more than 240 species of birds and more than 65 species of native mammals. The park boosts hundreds of miles of trails.

Unfortunately the glaciers in this park are rapidly disappearing due to climate change. Ken Burns, noted author and historian, said, "The great sadness of Glacier National Park is that it's probably going to be true that fairly soon, we're going to call it 'The national park formerly known as glacier.'"


The park is under increasing stress from global warming and economic pressure. The good news is that the park does have protectors.  According to The National Parks Conservation Association, On February 19, 2010, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell signed an agreement that promises to protect the Flathead River Valley from types of mining and oil and gas extraction.

If you have a second, stroll through some images of Glacier National Park. See natural pictures that cannot be duplicated or enhanced by technology.

The park may be facing an inevitable demise at the hands of humankind, but we need not speed up the process. For more information on how to help conserve the Glacier Park, please visit glacierconservancy.org or visit the NPCA.org for information on other conservation efforts around the world.

Other sources include:
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2014/sep/15/97-vs-3-how-much-global-warming-are-humans-causing

http://www.usatoday.com/search/Ken%20Burns%20Glacier%20National%20Partk/

http://glacierconservancy.org/

http://www.npca.org/protecting-our-parks/air-land-water/mining-and-fracking/victory_for_glacier.html

http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

Attack/Introduction.

The fault in our rapid growth is the toll it takes on our land. Beautiful and rare spots on our earth are disappearing right before our eyes. From the rapid decline of Glacier Park in Montana or the imminent threat to Mounds State Park in east central Indiana, the natural rarities of our hometowns are being threatened for the sake of economic  and population growth.

This blog will introduce the audience to the different places around the world that are rapidly disappearing due to rising populations and economic opportunities. I will cover different initiatives that are fighting to save these rare land gems. 

I want to paint a landscape of natural parks, nature preserves, and rare spots around the world while alerting the public to the dangers that we pose to these areas. Once they are gone, they can never come back. 

I will also post a weekly quote from different activists in an effort to pump up the crowd. 

Rosewood trees- In danger of extinction from illegal logging. 

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100527141957.htm