“If there was a biodiversity competition – I would win!!”

Our wetland map shows two wetlands about 500 feet to the north – we look around- we’re in the middle of a gravel-excavation pit. Two men stand smoking by the pit and have to call their dogs back as they run to greet us. “Ya, he’s got great ponds here, in fact, we’re goin’ up to get some bullfrogs for our ponds right now!” My survey-partner and I give eachother a skeptical look- bullfrogs are not native to this area and their presence in wetlands is harmful to other wetland wildlife, not something people should be propagating. But we’re here as official surveyors only, not to preach.

The pit-owner drives up a few minutes later on his four-wheeler. “I’ve got a great place here! You should have seen it 10 years ago, it was a mess! Now I’ve got these ponds stocked with bullfrogs and carp and crawdads! The ducks love it here! If there was a Bio-di-ver-sity competition on this island, I would win!”.

Of landowners we have talked to, his enthusiasm for restoring his land stands out strikingly. How to begin to say that his idea of restoration isn’t really helping the area’s biodiversity? He sees his land full of critters for hunting and fishing, a rural ideal. But bullfrogs and carp are no more native to this land than opossums and rats are. We brought them here, intentionally or not, and their lack of native predators makes them fierce competition with native species. We explain that having bullfrogs in the pond may be harmful to other frog species, but otherwise keep our mouths shut. The landowner is so enthusiastic about his ponds and has a genuine goodwill to make this a place for wildlife that we don’t want to dampen his energy with intellectual details. The alternative- it could just be a gravel pit.

The next day’s survey brings us to a private “wildlife preserve” complete with trails and interpretive signs. “I have a 500-year recovery plan for this place. Re-establish the plant and animal composition as it was before the arrival of Europeans. Re-grow Old-Growth forests”. The landowner’s plan is ambitious, to say the least. But he’s made a good start- researching how different plant communities are structured throughout the forest and eradicating invasive plant species like ivy. He has osprey nesting in the trees and great-blue heron wading in the wetlands. In my eyes, if there was a biodiversity competition, this guy would win.

Both of these men showed pride for their land and for the work they are doing to improve it. Their desires to do “good” are equal in strength, but the values behind what they want for the land and understanding of what is good for the land are quite different.

Should environmental work aim at capturing the energy of the first man and turning it towards that of the second? Will people change their values and consider changing how they manage their land? Perhaps the most that can be done is to present people with options- show them how they can have the aesthetic and recreational values they want from their land, and a balanced natural environment. Or maybe a little incentive is all that’s needed – stage a real “biodiversity competition” The prize?: Fame, Fortune, and the best prize imaginable - a healthy planet we can all be proud of.

:)