There are a lot of valid opinions being expressed here: I am enjoying the fact that we are able to have a reasonable discussion here in box turtle land...

Ken, I'm going to quote you for a moment:

"Red-eared sliders are wreaking havoc upon certain populations of turtles, mostly in the form of hybrids/intergrades. Domestic cats have a large, negative impact upon a variety of small animals. Hydrilla, kudzu, multiflora rose, purple loosestrife... These are all real, MULTI-STATE hazards, but the USGS is squandering its political capital on large constrictors."

I totally agree about RES...they have naturalized on every continent except Antarctica apparently. Regrettably they are still sold in large numbers and outside of their natural range.

Domestic cats are slightly different, in my opinion, and the issue gets plenty of attention nationwide. Dedicated volunteers are making visible strides with the success of TNR programs (Trap Neuter Release). I can attest to this personally as I have volunteered to do this myself (in fact 4 of our cats were feral and I trapped them myself). So, while there is no doubt still a huge problem with cats, there *are* people trying to do something about feral colonies. Also, as time goes by, more and more animal shelters, SPCA's etc., offer low- or even no-cost spay neuter services for cat and dog owners, and do not adopt out animals that haven't been neutered.

I don't see the same thing happening in the herp community. Yet.

Shucks, even the sweet little old ladies who belong to the Audubon Society won't hesitate to wring the necks of European Starlings or House Sparrows that they find nesting in Eastern Bluebird boxes! LOL

The sale of invasive plants that you mention is already regulated in many states, and I think that the regulation of plant material is the purview of the USDA rather than the USGS, so they can be forgiven for not focusing on plant species.

What all of these species have in common is that they were introduced by humans. In many cases, the purpose for their initial introduction was commerce, and then their further dispersal (in the case of animals at least), irresponsible animal owners.

Thanks for listening.

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