No news isn’t always good news

I'm using today's posting to share some news that pleased me when I first learned about it and then caused me to wonder why I hadn't come across it sooner. Science appears to be making progress in the battle against buckthorn. For those with woodlands that are buckthorn infested, and that live near state lands that rarely appear to experience buckthorn removal, buckthorn can become a sensitive topic. If we remove it from our property, and MNDNR leaves infestations nearby, their infestations can serve as a reservoir of reinfestation for our property. Plus, we’re not supposed to transport buckthorn and weather doesn’t always cooperate (drought, anyone?) to make burning safe. So, here’s some links to the latest from the University of Minnesota:

• Controlling buckthorn: the who, what, where, when and how
• Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC)
• The Cover It Up Project

female buckthorn with berries

Photo by J. Harrington

I stumbled into these resources because I had been glancing through a book I read some time ago, Beyond the War on Invasive Species, A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Management, by Tao Orion, and was frustrated to find the index lacked any mention of buckthorn. So, off to the internet and a search on buckthorn permaculture as key words. We were initially confounded by a number of references to sea buckthorn, but eventually found our way to the linked resources listed above.

The changes in forest management practices may not occur soon enough to benefit me personally, but it is encouraging to see progress bring made that offers some hope for minimizing the threat of buckthorn. Since so much of the news these days is full of discouraging reports, I think it would be great if there were a newspaper or magazine that expounded on the good news rather than extinctions, habitat loss and other forms of ecological crises. Wouldn’t you rather contribute to a successful startup rather than trying to protect another last stand? I wonder if any of the environmental nonprofits have considered a more entrepreneurial approach to project and program funding.

Anyhow, I hope this shows that the world isn’t only full of bad news, because, heaven knows, we need all the good news we can get these days.

Yes! No!

by Mary Oliver

How necessary it is to have opinions! I think the spotted trout
lilies are satisfied, standing a few inches above the earth. I
think serenity is not something you just find in the world,
like a plum tree, holding up its white petals.

The violets, along the river, are opening their blue faces, like
small dark lanterns.

The green mosses, being so many, are as good as brawny.

How important it is to walk along, not in haste but slowly,
looking at everything and calling out

Yes! No! The

swan, for all his pomp, his robes of grass and petals, wants
only to be allowed to live on the nameless pond. The catbrier
is without fault. The water thrushes, down among the sloppy
rocks, are going crazy with happiness. Imagination is better
than a sharp instrument. To pay attention, this is our endless
and proper work.

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