Week of April 5, 2010
Unwanted, unloved, and living in New York If it slithers, stings, eats, or just grows, the state wants invasive species gone By BRIAN NEARING, Staff writer Times Union ALBANY, NY -- The state is compiling a hit list of invasive plants, animals and insects -- from exotic invaders like a voracious Chinese fish to ornamental shrubs available at the local nursery. A report by the state Invasive Species Council recommends the creation of a ranking system to judge the danger presented by a particular species, and a complementary set of state fines against anyone possessing the most risky specimens. The proposed system would be New York's first comprehensive approach to prohibiting or regulating commerce in invasive plants and animals to slow or reverse their spread, said Steve Sanford, chief of the Office of Invasive Species at the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Based on regulations already in place in such states as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut and Massachusetts, ...