Invasive Non-Native Species

While this term is usually reserved for critters and plants, today I am relating it to people. We just found out that the cattle ranch up for sale over the ridge facing our house has sold - to some real estate developers who have already chopped it up into plots and cleared many many many trees. Every day I now hear the rattle and rumblings of big equipment, and it makes me sad. Unfortunately, we live in an area for sale, and an area which has really become popular with retirees. All of it seems to be for sale...farmers and ranchers can't afford to stay in business anymore, and thanks to ETHANOL, which has driven up the cost of corn so high that feed is absolutely ridiculous, the death knell is sounding for a lot of farms. In this area near the lakes, that translates to being bought, chopped up, and sold at horrendous prices to all these retired imports from Chicago, Wisconsin, Florida, and California. Areas where land prices are jacked up anyway, so what seems absolutely ridiculous for us is pocket change for them. I guess Florida got too crowded and expensive, so now they're going to crowd and carve up Arkansas. If the Ozarks have to be carved up and crowded, it would be easier to swallow if it were at least people from the genaral area with the same ways and attitudes.

These are the folks I'm referring to in the title. Invasive Non-Native Species are usually unwanted and detrimental to the native species. Now, I don't meant to fault anyone for wanting to spend their retirement years in a nice quiet place, but it goes way beyond just settling down somewhere to blend in with the local population. These Invasive Non-Natives, (or INNS, as I now call them) seem to comprimise at least 60%-70% (in my estimate) of the local population, so running into one is a pretty high percentage. I've noticed definate undesirable trends with the INNS. First, they seem to see real locals - people who grew up in Arkansas, and even Missouri (yikes - that's me), or I've further found out - anybody in the general southern regions, as backward, ignorant, redneck slobs who are just DARN LUCKY that people from the northern civilized areas are moving in to save us from ourselves. I overheard one talking the other day...saying something about had northerners not started moving down here, for goodness sake we'd still be driving around on dirt roads living in cabins, "don'tcha know"...and "those ignorant locals don't know how thankful they should be."

I just about said something...maybe I should have, but I don't know what it would've been. But this attitude amongst the INNS seems very common, so yes...I'm generalizing and stereotyping. This isn't to say there aren't nice imports...I don't count them into the category of INNS. However, the majority have left a really bad taste in my mouth, and when is enough enough? They want to move away from their native north, but then want to make things here just like up there. Recently I was asked by a native local where I was from originally. When I said "Southwest Missouri", he said, "whew! That's kind of a breath of fresh air...I'm so sick of yankees coming in here telling us how to do things I could scream." Not only was I glad I didn't fit the "yankee category", I can see how he's reached that attitude. I also heard recently that a former Chicago-ite got together a petition to ban livestock near his home because he was bothered somehow. Never mind that the livestock was there before he built his retirement dream home. That's like moving to the desert and then complaining that there are too many cactus..

But, it's really a catch-22. Hubby's family owns a large, very pretty farm not far away, minus the lakes. Very few INNS are moving into the area...there's just not much to do. Unfortunately for us...there's not much for us to do either. Local economy is really struggling, not helped at all by all industry having now pulled up stakes. I expect that had the lakes here not been built, this area would be just as depressed. No INNS, but nothing else either.

I guess I'm wanting that perfect utopia. To have our little farm without worrying what's going up across the road...to go fishing without looking up at the bank to see that they are cramming yet ANOTHER house onto the bank (likely built by an INN with money), and also mowing down the bank trees so house residents will have their nice uninterrupted view of the water. To be able to have cows, chickens, pigs, and whatever else we want without worrying that someone is going to petition for a ban against livestock near their home. I'm not sure there is such a place...

And we're totaly hypocrits. Our 20 acres was once part of a cattle farm.

Anyway, it's not just going on here...it's pretty much everywhere, just more accelerated in some areas. I heard a few days ago about a pig farmer near North Little Rock. He'd been farming pigs for years, but lately big sub-divisions went up around his farm...and you guessed what happened. Those snooty suburbanites (and there are a LOT in Little Rock) wanted to move out "to the country", but didn't like the country smells that were there first. So they did what any American now with an entitlement issue does - they sued.

However, they lost. Pig farmer was there first...and he DOUBLED his herd. Heh. You go pig farmer.

No that I'm a big fan of pig farmers...mom and dad have the opposite problem. They had a neighbor put in a pig farm amongst neighbors who'd been there for years. Now there's a lovely fragrance when the wind is from the right direction. That is completely different...that's just being incredibly rude to your neighbors. It all comes down to who was there first and the general attitude.

And that's my social commentary for today.

On to other brighter news. Yes, I am happy to report another dry day here, and the little cold snap seems to be over. Let's hope it's over until Fall. We're still seeing a lot of effects from all the rain, though. Dams have been running at full power plus, with water coming out of the flood gates. Norfork Lake is still the color of chocolate pudding. Every time I head into town and cross the lake, I think of Bill Cosby saying, "Eat the puddin." I haven't made it over to Bull Shoals, but I'm betting that lake is also brown. And really high. Which translates to constant water generation from both dams, which further translates to TERRIBLE TROUT FISHING for me. I guess that's preferrable to a broken dam, but still. Well, things are looking brighter...poor Daryl is worried about his new dock at the State Park, though. However, I'm pretty confident that it'll be ok. Think positive Daryl!