Weiss, Abby. “A Big Rat in Congress Helped California Farmers in Their War Against Invasive Species.” Inside Climate News, 7 Dec. 2020, insideclimatenews.org/news/05072020/california-agriculture-invasive-species-nutria-farming/#:~:text=The%20nutria%20is%20one%20of,and%20polluting%20canals%2C%20Harder%20said.

The nutria, a large swamp rat, has been causing extensive damage throughout California’s Central Valley. They are native to South America, but were brought over to California in the 1800s to help grow the fur farm industry. Especially in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region, these rats have heavily jeopardized the soil and water supply in the area. What’s more, they’ve also been known to cause flooding (by damaging local irrigation canals) and carbon sink destruction (by eating enormous amounts of plants and other carbon dioxide-absorbing organisms). Their persistent ravaging and invasive destruction have been harming the area’s economy, so much so that California Representative Josh Harder brought a stuffed nutria carcass into the floor of the House to convince the representatives to pass a nutria-eradication bill. 

This article is particularly unique because it focuses on passing legislation related to invasive species in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. While the prominence of the nutria is worrying–it’s established in 17 states now–it can often be difficult in politics to justify allocating money towards the prevention of invasive species when humans are suffering. After all, the proposed bill would provide $12 million to assist with nutria eradication (with California receiving a substantial portion of $10 million). Oftentimes, it’s easy to only focus on short-term issues, especially when humans are involved. It’s common rhetoric to hear certain parties shout “People over owls!” or whatever the animal in question is, claiming that putting money towards animal eradication or preservation is a waste, bad for suffering humans, and insensitive to the economy. Even so, it’s absolutely necessary to consider the long-term implications of legislation like that of nutria eradication. According to Harder, “For the last year, the rodents have plagued California’s Central Valley region, posing risks to agriculture and the environment by eating up crops and polluting canals.”