Tyler, you hit the nail right on the head. People need to be careful about what they buy and how they deal with live animals when they get too large for captivity.

Invasive species are a huge problem, not only in the U.S., but all over the world. As a plant biologist, I studied invasive plant species (anyone ever heard of Kudzu?) and the problems they create in the eco-system. The problem with invasives is they have no natural predators, which results in easily growing populations. Every spring, I have to fend off house sparrows who want to use my bluebird boxes for nesting. House sparrows were introduced in the 19th century and are very aggressive birds who will fight and kill bluebirds for their box. The same holds true for any introduced species - it can find itself in a situation where it can reproduce without problem, soon taking over the environment.

People need to understand when they plant exotic plants and/or purchase pets that these things are bought until they die in captivity, and need to be guarded against "escaping" via young, seeds, etc. They can't be introduced to the local environment. They simply don't belong there.

Before Europeans populated this "new land", there were no dandelions here at all. They brought them over for their gardens. I can only imagine what a yard would look like without dandelions.

It's too bad that Congress is taking the legislative means to protect the environment. Not that we don't need to protect the environment, but we really need to be educated on how to do so on our own.