Dr Deb Rogers Guide to Invasive Species
By Megan McGinnis and Shannon Reiter
Developed with guidance from their teacher Linda Wolf (Glencoe High School, Hillsboro, OR)
as part of Oregon Sea Grant’s WISE (Watersheds and Invasive Species Education) program.
Hello, my name is Deb Rodgers and today I am
here to talk to you about invasive species
Have you ever seen ivy, or how about black berry
bushes? Well you may not know this but they are
what is known as “invasive species”
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Now, you may say “what's so bad about invasive
species?” Well, let me tell you a little story about
my friend Tony.
Tony was a western pond turtle. He and his family
lived near a lovely pond in Oregon that was
peaceful and secluded. There were always plenty of
insects to eat and wonderful, clean water to swim
around in. he was very happy there, under the
shade of the bushes and the pines. Life was very
nearly perfect.
But one day, Tony decided to move out. He was
getting older, after all, and many of his other
friends had already left to find new ponds and
swamps to live in. And so, Tony packed up his
bags, said goodbye to his parents, and headed out
into the world. As he traveled, he saw many new
places and new things. He saw muddy swamps full
of strange creatures he had never seen, or even
heard of before-Gigantic frogs and large, odd
swimming rats. Even the plants were different.
Tony was a little frightened and continued on.
Finally, Tony found a bright, beautiful new pond. It
looked just like his old home! It was the perfect
place to live. Everything seemed just the way it
should be. The water was the perfect temperature
for swimming; there were big, flat rocks to sun
himself on, and all his favorite foods were there!
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Tony munched happily every day on dragonflies
and beetles, caddisflies and worms. The pond had
every kind of insect imaginable! Even the grasses,
which he normally avoided, were juicy and
delicious.
Tony also quickly made a new friend named
Johnny. Johnny was a beaver, and he had also
recently moved away from home. He was kind and
industrious, and he and Tony talked together almost
every day. They both enjoyed swimming in the
pond, and Tony would often watch as Johnny built
his dam.
But over time, things began to change. The
strange rats that Tony had seen long ago were
coming to the pond. They were smaller than
Johnny, but there were more of them. They had
long thin tails that slithered behind them like
snakes. Tony would watch them slide up and down
the banks until there were deep muddy ruts in the
ground. Eventually, Johnny had a hard time finding
food to eat, and a place to live. And the strange
rats kept coming. One day, Johnny decided to
leave. Tony was devastated and asked his friend
why. Johnny explained that the swimming
creatures were called nutria, and that they came
from a land far away. They had moved into his old
home and never left, which was why Johnny left
his home in the first place. “They won’t go away.”
He told Tony, “and I simply can’t live here
anymore.”
Tony was terribly sad to lose his friend. Not to
mention, the nutria were mean and they muddied
the water and made the pond ugly. All the things
that Tony loved about the pond slowly began to
disappear. The nutria ate all the lovely plants that
had been there for so long, and new tasteless
grasses took their place. There weren’t as many
bugs to eat either.
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And then things got worse. One day, while
searching for food, Tony ran into a large, brightly
colored turtle and a larger and even more imposing
bullfrog. The turtle was cruel looking and had a
strange tag on him from a pet store. He frowned at
Tony and promptly snatched up the dragonfly
nymph that Tony was just about to eat. But it was
the bullfrog that really scared Tony. He had heard
stories of these frogs- they were merciless and ate
everything- even other frogs! His parents had
always told him when he was little to swim quickly
away if he ever so much as caught a glimpse of
one. But now… Tony just stood there, frightened,
wondering what he could do to stop this. He knew
he would have to leave, but he had nowhere to go.
Sadly he remembered Johnny, and the way the
pond used to be. And poor Tony stood there, not
knowing what to do.
You may be asking what could you do to prevent
this from happening
Invasive species have many negative impacts and
the western pond turtle is only one example of the
species that are affected by invaders. Not only can
invasive species destroy habitats and force out
native species, but they can endanger human
health. This is because Invasive species can carry
parasites, which can cause many diseases in
humans as well as damage to the ecosystem.
For starters, you can help with prevention. People
spread species by releasing unwanted pets into the
wild. This is the easiest way for invasive species to
get into a new environment, so make sure you have
a plan for any pets you have to give away. Don’t
release them into the wild.
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You can always help with keeping an eye out for
invaders, it is important stop outbreaks before they
start. You can find out what species to look for by
going to the “Stop the Invasion” website at
oregoninvasiveshotline.org/. Knowing what to look
for doesn't mean you have to hunt for invasive
species, keeping an eye out could be enough.
Report any invasive species you at
oregoninvasiveshotline.org or call 1-866INVADER. Share what you learn with friends and
family, many people don't know they are
endangering the ecosystem. Make sure that your
parents don’t plant invasive plants in their gardens.
If you really feel inspired, you an be pro-active and
get involved. You can participate in “Weed away”
days sponsored by SOLV and many other
organizations.
Thank you for watching this presentation. We hope
that you will do your part to stop invaders from
coming into Oregon. Keep in mind, once a species
is introduced, it is almost always impossible to
eliminate.
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