I thought it was great how you illustrate that immigration destroys the habitat. It's something that people don't really think about, but everyone entering your state will need homes, roads, etc. In my area, it's been termed "Piedmont Sprawl" and has removed 40% of our open spaces since 1990, if I recall correctly. The damage that has caused to our ecosystem is really immeasurable. As Dr. Doug Tallamy notes, the fragmentation of local ecosystems is deeply problematic and adds up quickly. And, yes, most definitely, homogenization is a horrible thing! I often tell folks that you can travel from Idaho to Ireland and find the same plants being planted in landscapes. Everyone shops from the same few growers who put out what's been popularized by the same few designers and published in the same few magazines. It's completely stripped areas of their "Sense of Place". One thing I'd say, though, is that the homogeneity wasn't necessarily caused by the homes and their lawns, but by the connecting of those lawns by grass borders on every road. It used to be that the roadside was a fairly wild place and when you pulled up to a home it was like an oasis of "clean and tidy". Now, though, I can drive down every main road in my area, and the borders are turf grass that has to be mowed once a quarter. No native wildflowers to be seen.
I would love to explore round pond but I'd prefer to go with other people than go by myself. Are there any nature hikes planned in the near future? Grantsburg swamp (Bell pond) is another swamp I would like to explore
