Covering invasive species
A tipsheet by Hannah Northey, graduate assistant, Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. (This tip sheet was gleaned from the 2006 Society of Environmental Journalists national conference.)
Download a printable version of this tipsheet
Invasive species cause major environmental problems and economic damage estimated at almost $120 billion a year. About 42 percent of the threatened or endangered plants and animals are at risk primarily because of invasive species.
Stories about this threat pose a myriad of challenges. Eradication of invasive species can take decades or may never happen. Readers may believe there is little or nothing they can do. Assigning blame is often impossible.
Spreading the news
Consider showing readers the native species’ impact on a local, national and worldwide scale. Many of these plants and animals leave a trail of economic and environmental damage. Tracing that trail can pique readers’ interest.
For instance, the sea squirt, an alien tunicate that forms mats like pancake batter along coastlines, was carried to the U.S. in 2000 in a New Zealand barge, says Larry Harris, a zoology professor at the University of New Hampshire. It has invaded the East Coast, where it’s threatens fishing and tourism.
As pieces of the “batter” break up and spread as far north as Maine, the story spreads with it.
Take a new approach
Readers may not know which invasive species exist in their area or how they can help eradicate them. Tell them. Offer solutions. Write about trends in horticulture or fisheries that may exacerbate the problem. Show readers what’s at stake.
Vermont’s maple syrup industry is threatened by the invasive trees planted by residents, says Ellen Marsden, an associate professor in the department of natural resources at the University of Vermont. The red hue of the burning bush, Japanese barberry and Norway maple may be attractive, but it hurts sugar maples.
There is a great story in how the horticulture trend leads to the loss of Vermont’s famous maple syrup industry.
Checkout species that readers think are native or benign, but really aren’t
Sometimes a state’s official fish, plant, mammal, bird, tree, reptile or other organism is actually an invasive species. Reporting that information may startle readers sufficiently enough to give you an angle on writing about the issue in general. What did your region look like before this creature took sufficient hold that it now receives recognition as one of your state’s icons?
And some of those invasive creatures that have “always been here” aren’t as benign as readers may think. Earthworms, for instance, have had a dramatic effect on the ecosystems of the northern forests that they’ve invaded.
