-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Thrift <[log in to unmask]>


>Tim Flannery (The Eternal Frontier, An Ecological History of
>North America and Its Peoples) might be considered to have a
>neo-paleo approach to ecology management, with a shift back to
>a "hunter gathering rancher enterprise", repopulating the
>plains with bison, llama, tapir, elephants (!), ...,


Hi, Philip.  Your post reminded me of an article in my southern New Mexico
newpaper today.  Eleven counties in S. NM are plagued by a very invasive,
poisonous weed from Africa.

Scientists are scrambling to understand the weed's life cycle so they can
figure out a way to stop it.  Ranchers are begging for help as the weed
becomes rampant on their ranches, not only crowding out scarce forage for
cattle, but actually being poisonous to the cattle.  BTW, it takes 11 acres
here to support one cow.

The researchers think that the weed (a half-shrub) was introduced here by
camels brought from Africa by a rancher who wanted to bring in an
alternative meat source.   :)

Kath