Smith, M. (2017, March 12). Texas lawmakers say more study needed before. Retrieved March 13, 2017, from http://www.khou.com/news/local/texas/texas-lawmakers-say-more-study-needed- before-hog-apocalypse/421889664

This article discusses the invasive feral hog problem that is happening in Texas; millions of feral hogs continue to run wild across the, destroying native plants and in turn the habitats of many other native species. The population of feral hogs in Texas as of now is around 2 million, and scientists are trying to find a way to kill the hogs humanely. While lawmakers have recently passed the lethal feral hog poison “Kaput”, farmers are worried that it will negatively affect their crops, along with the fact that it could also hurt the environment. As a result of this, scientists are trying to find an alternative that will not hurt crops and humanely euthanize the hogs.

I found this article interesting because I usually think of invasive species as small creatures, but the fact that these large hogs have become such an invasive threat just sparked my interest. This article shows how invasive species negatively impact the environment, and how it can be hard to find a solution to the havoc wreaked by them. In this case, when a solution was proposed, it would negatively effect crops and air quality, which is scary in that it shows that the possibility of eliminating one environmental threat brings up a new environmental threat. I am interested to see how Texas will approach this situation again in the future because of how major of a problem these invasive species have become.

Roscoe, J. (2017, March 2). A warmer winter and earlier spring could mean more invasive bugs for Maryland. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://www.dbknews.com/2017/03/03/warm- winter-invasive-species-maryland/

This article talks about how rising temperatures in winter months in Maryland allow invasive insects such as the stink bug to thrive, as opposed to previous cold winters when the single digit temperatures would kill the insects before they could repopulate in the spring and summer. However, for the third consecutive year, the temperatures in Maryland have rarely dropped into

single digits, which has allowed invasive insects, mainly the stinkbug, to continue to love throughout the winter. This does not allow the environment, such as certain crops or fruits, to have a period in which they are undisturbed by invasive insects, which can affect the crops.

I thought that this article was interesting because it tied two aspects of the environment into one: invasive species and climate change. The annual increasing temperatures, even in the winter months, have effected the environment in the aspect that the warmer temperatures allow the invasive species to harm the environment year round. This ties into global warming and really gave me the perspective that all aspects of the environment are connected, there is not any part that is more influential than another.

Ferro, J. (2017, March 06). Stink bug killers: Scientists to release Samurai wasps. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/tech/science/environment/ 2017/03/06/stink-bugs-samurai-wasps-invasive-species/98593216/

This article touches mainly on the invasive stink bug that was introduced from Asia and widespread across the United States. The stink bugs destroy crops by sticking their teeth into the crop and sucking out the juice of it; last year stink bugs destroyed 18% of Mid atlantic apple production, which cost over $37M in profit loss. As a solution to this problem, scientists are utilizing another, less harmful, invasive species, the Samurai Wasp. Samurai Wasps lay their eggs inside of stink bug eggs, which destroy the stink bug eggs. Scientists are proposing that Samurai wasps are introduced into areas where stinkbugs are prominent in order to eradicate the stink bugs and make them unable to reproduce because of the destruction of their eggs by the Samurai wasp.

I thought that this article was very interesting because it talked about using a non threatening invasive species to a threatening and destructive invasive species. It made me realize that not all invasive species are destructive and harmful and usually only the bad ones are talked about in the media or made into a big deal (understandably). This article relates to environmental science because it shows how environmental scientists are able to manipulate species in order to improve the environment without having to necessarily harm the environment, such as using massive amounts of pesticide to eradicate the stink bugs would. I would like to know what happens with the Samurai wasps and if they’re able to kill off the stink bugs, I am going to continue to follow up on this news report!

French, B. (2017, February 14). FWP requests $11M to fight invasive species. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/fwp-requests-m-to-fight-invasive- species/article_64d5c3a5-0f2a-5b37-9645-569446139161.html

This article talks about how the FWP is requesting $11.5M from the government over the next two years in order to fight aquatic invasive species in Montana. The major invasive species is the zebra mussel, which is projected to cost the government $3.1B over the next 10 years if the eradication process of this incredibly invasive species is not ramped up; specific statistics show that when zebra mussels clog major water pipes in Montana, the damage and the fixation process can cost up to $5,000/ hour. Montana Wildlife and Parks is requesting this major sum of money because they are worried for their irrigation systems and infrastructure, and if given the money they will use it towards the eradication of invasive species in an attempt to save such them.

I think that this article is interesting because it really shows how incredible of an impact invasive species can have on a society and what drastic financial measures that governments are willing to take in order to get rid of them. In regards to environmental science, this article shows how matters in the environment can effect humans and their ways of life in such a drastic way, and how invasive species can take such a toll on the functioning of a society. I liked this article because I had never really thought about how invasive species influenced the entirety of our country, I had thought only about major cities and states like California and Texas, but never really pondered over the fact that invasive species are effecting people across the entire country.

Nir, S. M. (2017, February 08). Downside of Being a Global Hub: Invasive Species. Retrieved March 11, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/nyregion/a-new-york-battle-to- thwart-migrants-of-a-different-type.html?_r=0

This article is talking about New York City and the fact that the city is such a worldwide hub of imports and exports have consequences, one of the main consequences being that this causes invasive species to penetrate the city. Due to having some of the most travelled airports in the United States, Nir states that it is not difficult for invasive species to enter New York, and in present day there are over 100 invasive species in the city alone, making it by far the city with the most invasive species in the US. In New York alone, the annual budget for fighting invasive species is $5.5 million.

I found this article interesting because I had no idea that so many invasive species were in New York City itself, I had some idea of it but when I envisioned the invasive species I imagined them mostly in the ocean or aquatic, never in the midst of the city. This article relates to environmental science in that it connects human activity to the destruction of the environment and brings into perspective how more human-intensive areas are more likely to face environmental destruction such as invasive species. I liked this article not only because it gave me a perspective I had not thought about in the past but also made me realize how travel and importing of foreign goods can have a negative effect on the environment.