Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Other, REAL, ways to spread invasive seeds:  From the tire treads of 
vehicles; from mulch spread alongside highway shoulders; by birds; by wind. 
Just to name a few.  And of course, in hay...directly, without having passed 
through the horse.  We discovered yellow star thistle in a couple of bales 
of hay we bought for our cattle.  They couldn't chew dried star thistle, so 
they spit it out.  It did seed into our permanent pasture, but since the 
area was tiny, about 1/4 acre, we were able to dig it out when it sprouted 
and burn it in our fireplace.

Barbara

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Linda Mirams" <lbm@xxxxxxx>
To: "Dawn Carrie" <rdcarrie@xxxxxxxxx>; "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2007 2:47 PM
Subject: Re: [RC] Horse Manure and Weeds


> EO13112 gives those who want to restrict horses on public lands an
> irresistibly attractive legal tool to justify those restrictions.
>
> It is attractive because:
>
> - It allows people to focus their sense of self-righteousness
>   on exactly the same object (horse manure) that is the focus
>   of their ire.  (The "yuck" factor described by so many hikers.)
>
> - It is an idea with incredibly powerful, immediate intuitive appeal.
>   I saw this effect when the horse manure=self-fertilizing invasive seeds
>   scenario was first broached by land managers at a mountain bike
>   meeting.  The mountain bikers' eyes just lit up.  It made such
>   perfect *sense*!  It takes a *lot* to disabuse someone of
>   this notion after they have heard it, even once.
>
> - Invasives being spread by viable seeds deposited on trails in manure
>   gets all mixed up with what is actually a separate, but far more
>   scientifically valid scenario:  undigested viable seeds present in hay
>   carried as fodder for packstock spilling at trailheads and backcountry
>   campsites.  This latter scenario is easier to cope with (certified
>   weed-free hay, beet pulp, pelletized feeds) and still keep horse
>   access to trails.
>
> It isn't that non-native invasive species aren't a real problem.
> They are.  Once you become aware of them, you will notice that
> they are everywhere, in frighteningly large numbers.  But it is
> necessary to keep things in perspective:  horse manure on trails
> is not a significant spreading vector, especially not when compared
> with all the other mechanisms at work.  A land manager who
> forbids horse manure has done essentially nothing real
> to mitigate their non-native invasives problem.  They've just
> made some hikers happy, and fibbed to themselves.
>
> We can't let ourselves be made the scapegoat!
>
> Linda Mirams
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>
> Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
> Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
> Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp
>
> Ride Long and Ride Safe!!
>
> =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=