The feds have come up with a plan to unleash killer wasps along Texas' border with Mexico to help combat illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
The idea is not to sic Tetramesa romana wasps on humans trying to sneak in, but instead to have them do battle with Arundo donax, a giant bamboo-like invasive weed that reaches 20 feet in height along the banks of the river, and provides wonderful cover for those up to no good.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which wants to issue permits for the release of the wasps, says the tiny insects adore A. donax both for dinner and as a nursery for their eggs, and would, in short order, either stunt the weed's growth or kill it altogether.
So far no opposition has surfaced to the plan. The same can't be said for the Department of Homeland Security's idea to eliminate the same stands of weed -- also known as carrizo cane -- by spraying it with the herbicide Imazapyr. Mexican officials raised such a stink that DHS put the plan on hold in late March.
X ... X ... X
It may be counterintuitive, but a new survey has found that Republicans are willing to pay way more for government services than Democrats.
On average, Republicans said they would gladly shell out an average of $9,980 per year for all services provided by government, according to a national survey by Harris Interactive, which was commissioned by The Tax Foundation. Democrats said $7,600 was a fair amount.
X ... X ... X
Blame the bait. Wildlife scientists at Arizona State University have found that the use of tiger salamander larvae by fishermen angling for largemouth bass and channel cats are a major source of amphibian disease-causing viruses and fungi in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico.
A big part of the problem is that bait shops collect salamanders and mix them in tanks with already infected amphibians while they harvest the larvae, then release them to different fishing waters from where they were first caught.
X ... X ... X
The West's pinon pine trees are five times more likely to die off during future droughts if the climate drives average temperatures up by 7 degrees F., researchers at the University of Arizona's Biosphere 2 project have found.
The scientists note that even a short-duration drought is more likely to kill the trees under higher temperatures, which could change the landscape of vast stretches of the Southwest. And climate models predict longer droughts and more intense insect attacks coupled with higher temps.
X ... X ... X
If you live within about 10 miles of a commercial nuclear power plant, you'll be glad to know the Nuclear Regulatory Commission intends to buy 9 million potassium iodide tablets to stockpile in the event of a major nuclear accident.
The NRC says it would distribute the tablets -- which, if taken in time, can reduce the risk of thyroid cancers stemming from exposure to radioactive iodine from a nuclear accident -- to sites in 34 states that house the plants.
The agency is requesting bids for supplying the 65 mg tablets, which would be suitable for children.
(SHNS correspondent Lee Bowman contributed to this column. E-mail Lisa Hoffman at hoffmanl(at)shns.com.)
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)
Washington Calling
Post new comment