Nonnatives and Invasives: The good,the bad and the ugly
Nonnative species ã bad. Native species ãgood.

Well mostly. Not all nonnatives invade, and some are beneficial. You dont hear the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife complaining about hordes of daffodils taking over the wetlands, but you do hear about people working to restore Oregon oak savannas fighting those (native) Douglas firs invading like the Ents of the Lord of the Rings gone bad. Those bees and earthworms gardeners love? Not native. The wolves returning to Oregon that ranchers are railing against? Well, wolves once were native. For Earth Day, EW explores nonnatives and invasives from mute swans ã not silent but perhaps deadly ãto carp and crawdads to look at what is making its way into our state and what these animals bring to the table, sometimes literally. ã Camilla Mortensen

Eugene Weekly’s Earth Day Issue:

Carpe the Carp Stalking the elusive •Kentucky tunain Oregon waters

Pretty, Bad Mute swans in Oregon

Bees, Baby, Baby, Bees Nonnatives make the world go round

Dont Feed the Birds Wild turkeys are really feral

Not So Big, Not So Bad Wolves return to Oregon, cause a ruckus in Congress

Will Work for Food Nonnative earthworms move slow, compost fast

Crawfish, Crawdad, Crayfish Whatever you call them … theyre invading Oregon