Sowing the seeds of eco-terrorism?
Last Sunday an odd article appeared in the Los Angeles Times, (Was flower just a dirty trick?, Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2006). It seems some developers in Sebastopol, California are accusing ecological activists of planting an endangered plant species on their property in an attempt to slow or derail development.
The California Department of Fish and Game made an investigation and declared that the endangered plants had been transplanted onto the site, although information regarding how they came to this decision is sketchy. The developers went so far as to call the act "eco-terrorism."
On one hand, I have always taken issue with groups that use the Endangered Species Act as an all-purpose club against development. In my mind, the too eager use of the Act diminishes its usefulness and importance when endangered species are truly involved. Too often people are only seeking to stop development instead of protecting any individual species.
On the other hand, the planting of an endangered species is a truly inspired and graphic attack. Let the plants speak for themselves. Let them show where their habitat is found and how it might be destroyed. It is the closest thing I can find to giving them their own voice. For the developers to call this act, if indeed the seeds where scattered by humans, eco-terrorism is heavy handed and ludicrously extreme. Scattering seeds is a far way from blowing up oil pipelines, destroying logging equipment and spiking trees. Who is really being hurt here? Development should always be carefully considered and if a few simple flowers can engage people in conversation and consideration, all the better.
My own fear is that this event will put a chill on the various guerilla gardening efforts around the world that seek to turn blighted, ignored areas into charming and inspiring public gardens.
It will be interesting to watch the outcome of this event and see if other attempts to use plants as protest begin to sprout.
Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, california, grow, outdoors, urban, protest
The California Department of Fish and Game made an investigation and declared that the endangered plants had been transplanted onto the site, although information regarding how they came to this decision is sketchy. The developers went so far as to call the act "eco-terrorism."
On one hand, I have always taken issue with groups that use the Endangered Species Act as an all-purpose club against development. In my mind, the too eager use of the Act diminishes its usefulness and importance when endangered species are truly involved. Too often people are only seeking to stop development instead of protecting any individual species.
On the other hand, the planting of an endangered species is a truly inspired and graphic attack. Let the plants speak for themselves. Let them show where their habitat is found and how it might be destroyed. It is the closest thing I can find to giving them their own voice. For the developers to call this act, if indeed the seeds where scattered by humans, eco-terrorism is heavy handed and ludicrously extreme. Scattering seeds is a far way from blowing up oil pipelines, destroying logging equipment and spiking trees. Who is really being hurt here? Development should always be carefully considered and if a few simple flowers can engage people in conversation and consideration, all the better.
My own fear is that this event will put a chill on the various guerilla gardening efforts around the world that seek to turn blighted, ignored areas into charming and inspiring public gardens.
It will be interesting to watch the outcome of this event and see if other attempts to use plants as protest begin to sprout.
Technorati Tags: garden, gardening, california, grow, outdoors, urban, protest
posted by Douglas at 6:28 PM
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