Latest news on Texas "Whitelist"

[SueSTx]

I found this on IWGS this morning  :'(

Texas Bans Aquatic Plants—Will Pond Fish Follow?

9-13-10

Greetings, Water Gardeners--

This letter is to alert you to a huge concern we have over new legislation regulating aquatic plants in Texas.

You may not think this issue concerns those of you in other states, but you are wrong—state legislators are famous for copying the new laws from other states and passing it in their own states. Even if the original state performs due diligence and shows restraint in what plants it restricts (an optimistic perspective indeed!), the “copy and paste” techniques of other states seldom take into consideration the differences in their climate, geography, economy, etc.

And you will be interested to learn that Texas officials have expressed the intent to do the same thing with pond fish at some point (how enthusiastic they are may depend on how successful they are with aquatic plants). State by state, we will be increasingly limited in what we can grow, sell, and keep in water gardens. The bias of a number of organizations to use only locally native species will limit the aesthetic and ornamental value of water gardens.

We need as many hobbyists and water gardening businesses as possible to voice their concern and displeasure at the thought of losing many of their favorite aquatic plants.

Please visit the IWGS (International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society) website for the latest updates on the Texas White List: www.iwgs.org . The Texas White List is a list of all permissible aquatic plants in Texas. All plants must undergo a rigorous process before being allowed on the list. No new plants will be allowed before undergoing this process, and any aquatic plant not on the white list will be prohibited.

At this moment the fate of waterlilies in Texas, other than the species native to Texas, is uncertain at this time. Texas is still conducting risk assessments on both hardy and tropical waterlily species and their hybrids.

We have just learned that the Asian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and therefore all lotus hybrids have been taken off the White List and will be illegal in Texas as of January 1, 2011. This will include using lotus tubers for food.

Along with Asian lotus, the following aquatic plants are among those that failed to be approved and will be banned:
Imperial taro and Lime Green taro (Colocasia antiquorum and C. Elena)
Umbrella Palm (Cyperus alternifolius) – often used as a house plant or as a terrestrial
Mexican, Egyptian and Dwarf papyrus (Cyperus giganteus, C. papyrus, and C. haspans)
Butterfly Ginger (Hedychium coronarium) – terrestrial!
Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata) – terrestrial!
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) – terrestrial!
Dwarf Cattail (Typha minima)
Narrow Leaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia)
Graceful Cattail (Typha laxmannii)
Wedelia trilobata (creeping oxeye, yellow dots) – terrestrial!
Water Poppy (Hydrocleys Nymphoides)
Variegated Water Snowflake (Nymphoides cristata)
Yellow Water Snowflake (Nymphoides geminata)
Mosaic Plant (Ludwigia sedioides)
Water Mint (Mentha aquatica)

[SueSTx]

Cont.

Several of these plants are primarily terrestrial, and so by law should not even be under the jurisdiction of the TPWD! Others have been in widespread use for some time without a problem, and so by law should be on the White List.


The TPWD tasked thirty of its staff to use Pheloungs Risk Assessment to rate all of the plants on the review list. Thus far, they have declined to provide the qualifications for any of these staff to review any plants, much less aquatic plants (horticultural or botany degrees, or any other training). The risk assessments are then passed on to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center where their botanists review the assessments. A Wildflower Center is inclined to a natural bias against exotics and toward natives—how can they be objective, whatever their intent and why should the fate of the White List rest on them? It should not. To make matters worse, there have been questions raised about the scientific as well as practical validity of Pheloung’s Risk Assessment model. An example of practical validity is mosaic plant (Ludwigia sedioides). It is so difficult to winter intentionally over even by professionals in Texas that almost every grower has given up on it, but TPWD has rejected it and mosaic plant will be banned as a result of its Risk Assessment.

What can you do?

•   Contact the Texas regulators who have been tasked with formulating the Texas White List*. The Texas Legislature has directed TPWD (Texas Parks and Wildlife Department) to balance the legitimate needs of businesses that sell aquatic plants with the need to prevent the introduction into Texas of aquatic plants that could cause environmental, economic, or health problems.  Additionally, according to the House Research Organization bill analysis, "The approved list would include an exotic aquatic plant that was widespread in this state and was not a cause of environmental, economic, or health problems." Let TPWD know that Texas grows and supplies many aquatic plants for the nation’s water gardeners, and you are concerned that an overly restrictive white list will negatively impact your business as well as the companies in Texas you do business with; further, you see an overly restrictive list as a mistake that will unwittingly be copied by other states. Try to not be abusive.
•   Become active and aware in your own state. Volunteer to be part of the IWGS Exotic Species Legislation Network, and help act as the eyes and ears of the water gardening community.
•   Join the IWGS (International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society). Commercial membership costs as little as $75 per year, a great value to support a society fighting to keep your livelihood healthy. The IWGS is trying to make water gardeners aware of pending and new legislation, influence the legislation when desirable, and hold the regulators accountable to follow their mandate responsibly and professionally. Plus the IWGS is a valuable resource for learning more about water gardening, and provides great networking at their annual symposiums.
•   Contact your state Nursery Association and Department of Agriculture and let them know that TPWD in Texas is trying to ban plants that shouldn’t be banned, even under the new legislation, including terrestrials. Unless you have an unusually sensitive Nursery Association, they won’t spend a lot of time grieving over aquatics, but terrestrial plants should get their attention. If reminded that your state also sells both aquatic and terrestrial plants into Texas, both your state Nursery Association and Department of Agriculture should be motivated to protect their economic interests.
•   Pass this information on to everyone you know in the water garden industry—customers, vendors, colleagues, etc. Encourage them to become members of the IWGS, to contact TPWD, and to become involved in their own states.

*For your convenience, here is a link to a form letter you can use if you like, along with the names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers of the TPWD regulators:                 Feel free to modify the letter to suit you.

Thank you for helping the water gardening community keep its diversity.

The Staff at Oregon Aquatics, Inc.

     Oregon Aquatics, Inc.
(formerly Jim’s Water Gardening)
90760 N. Prairie Rd, Eugene, Oregon 97402
ph 541-461-5537     fax 541-689-3980

[matherfish]

Thanks Sue. We all need to be aware of this and do what we can to save our ponds, including plants.

[Julles]

I have passed this on to the Houston Pond Society.

We have been discussing the pond plants issue, but I think people don't realize how this sort of legislation could spread to fish.  Koi and goldfish are not native to Texas.  Can you imagine a pond with dull river fish, instead of the beautiful colorful lively koi? 

It's already spreading to other types of pets.  The "animal rights" groups, the over-zealous ones like PETA, are trying to get passed laws that would ban all sales of all animals in pet stores.  You would be limited to buying only from certain breeders, or adopting from a shelter, and agreeing to their rules (unannounced home checks for the life of the pet, e.g.). 

In San Antonio, in an effort to be a no-kill shelter, the city, to avoid having so many animals so they would have to put some to sleep, they have simply stopped picking up stray dogs.  Consequently, they now have a stray dog problem, and an accompanying rabies problem.  One child has already contracted the disease. 

They are also wanting mandatory microchipping, spay/neuter, licensing, disallowing cropping or declawing, on and on.  This puts a burdon on people of lesser financial means, as well as infringes on the rights of all pet owners.


Protect your rights to own pets
http://www.responsiblepetowners.org/   
Pet-Law www.pet-law.com
National Animal Interest Alliance www.naiaonline.org
North Carolina Responsible Animals Alliance www.ncraoa.com
American Federation of Aviculture www.afabirds.org
Avicultural Society of America www.asabirds.org
Responsible Exotic Animal Owners www.rexano.org From: Carol Stanley
[headbirdbrain @ feathered-nest . com]
http://pjboosinger.viviti.com/
www.pijac.org 
[mailto:Bird_Breeder-Hobbyist@yahoogroups.com]   Ask to be on the e-mail list)