A summary of the introduction of a PPT presented at PALTA 2016. The two basic concepts contained is a redefining of native vs. non-native and that Ag needs to be transformed into viable parts of functioning ecological systems. Land trusts can take the creative leadership in this transformation.

1. Thoughts on Sustainable ecological systems:
Permaculture from the rural farmer to the urban gardenerand relatedsubjects
Walkmore
Tinkerless
Original Proposal:The future of foodproductionandecologywill be learningwaystoworkwithecosystemsto develop
sustainable agriculture whichisafunctioningpartof the local ecologies,notdestroythemasisbeingdone atthe present time.
Land trustsare ideal organizationstodevelopthese conceptsintopractical applicationsandserve asthe leaders of this
transformation.
Biotechandbioengineeringare engineering,notscience.Theydonotseektounderstandthe world,butchange itwithoutfull y
understandingthe consequencesof whattheyare doing,oftenwithdisastrousconsequences.
A hierarchy of mutualisticecological relationshipswe needtoaccountfor whenthinkingaboutlandscapes:
One of the mostimportantquestionswe needtoansweristhe difference betweenanative plantanda non-native plant.
Hybridizinganative plantwithanothernative plantcreatesanon-native plant.
In Invasive PlantEcologywe have the EnemyRelease Hypothesis.
In part,this statesthatan overwhelmingnumberof native organismscannotuse non-nativeplantsbecause theydidnotcoevolve
together.
Therefore,hybridizinganative plantwithanothernativeorespeciallyanon-nativecreatesanon-nativeplantof littleorno
ecological utility.
By changingthe gene structure of a native plantthroughhybridizingwithanon-native inhopesof “improving”the plantor
makingitresistantto(introduced) diseasesorpestsisdoomedtobe an ecological failure because fewif anynative organisms
usingthe native plantwill be adaptedoradaptto use thishybriddue the unnaturallyrapidchangesinthe physical andchemical
propertiesof the plant.
In otherwords,we donot want to create non-native plantsbecause itdestroystheirecological utilityasa foodsource for
pollinators,ceasestobe a foodfor larvae,changestheirutilityfordecomposersandorganismsthatdependonthisrelationship,
may destroytheirfunctionalitywithsoil fungiandalonglistof othernegative impacts.
Onlygeneralistorganisms,suchasvariousinsects,mammalsandbirds,canutilize non-native plantsandothernon-native
organisms.

2. Thismeansthe extinctionof manynative specialistorganismsandtheirinterrelationshipswithotherorganisms.
Wildorganisms,suchas pollinators,withinaspeciesandbetweenspecieshave geneticvariabilityinsize,shape,maturityrates,
growthrates,foodpreferences,habitatpreferencesandtheirabilitytouse differentindividualswithinthe same speciesof aplant
population.
The differencesmayappearsmall tous,but can be large inthe local ecology.
For mutualisticrelationships tothrive suchaspollinatorsandfloweringplants,native floweringplantsneedheterogeneitywithin
the speciestomatch the same heterogeneitywithinapollinatorspeciesandamongspeciesusingit.
These photosare examplesof colorheterogeneitywithinawildazaleaspecies, Rhododendronpericlymenoides,foundwithin100
yards of each othernearhome on May 19, 2016:
For example:
A large diverse meadow of flowersbenefitsfromalarge diverse groupof pollinatorsinthatmeadow.
Anotherexample:
Last fall I watcheda monarchbutterfly(Danausplexippus) migrationonBlue Mountainnearhome.
Of the dozensof butterfliesIwatched,one preferredthe white floweredBoneset(Eupatoriumperfoliatum) while allthe others
preferredyellow floweredGoldenrod(Solidago) species.
Limitingthe phenotypicdiversityof resource plantsbyreducingthe sourcesof geneticmateriallimitsthe numberof (pollinator)
speciesandindividualswithinthose specieswhichcanutilize aparticularplantspecies.
The furtherfrom wildstocka native plantbecomesthe lessecological utilityithasbecause we naturallycollectseedsfromwhat
appearto us to be the bestlookingplantswithinadefinedtime window.Atthe same time,plantswhichdowell incultivationmay
have lostthe robustnessandothertraitsnecessarytosurvive inchangingwildandsemi-wildconditions.
Simplyput:

3. No matterhowsuccessful ahybridor cultivarappearstobe itis an ecological failure. “The operationwasasuccess,butthe
patientdied.”
Linkinglandscapesisalimitedshorttermvision.Whereas,the transformationof the presentapproachtoagriculture and
gardeningisa longtermphilosophical andpractical change necessarytoprovide healthyfoodlocallyandforthe world while
preservingthe diverse nativeecosystemswhichsupportouragriculture.
The integrationof native organismsatall trophiclevelsintoecologicallysoundlandscapeswill provide the necessaryecosystem
servicestoenhance notonlyfoodproductionbutotheraspectsof a healthyenvironmentsuchbreathable air,drinkablewater,
openspace and aestheticlandscapes. Inthe process,dependence onagricultural andlawnchemicalswill be eliminatedas
environmentallysoundmethodsandpracticesof meeting the needsof all stakeholderswillbe used.Thiswillinvolve radical
changesinthoughtpatternsand actions,butbenefitswill swiftlyaccrue toall stakeholdersfromthe tiniestorganismstothe
largest.
Simplyput:
Agriculture atall scalesinsteadof beingecologicallydestructivecanfunctionasan integratedpartof natural systemsthrough
understandingandworkingwithinthe multiple levelsandmultipledimensionsof natural systems.