TV Documentary:  Plants Out of Place

TV Special premieres on March 24

TECHNO 2100: "Plants Out of Place" premieres nationally on Saturday, March
24, 2001 at 1:00 PM Eastern, 12:00 PM Central,
11:00AM Mountain and 10:00AM Pacific Time.  For station information or to
order a VHS copy of  the program, call 1-888-380-6500, or visit
www.itvisus.com on the Internet.

Plants play a fundamental role in forming the delicate balance needed to
sustain ecosystems across the globe. Unfortunately, not all green is good.
Introduced invasive plant species are taking over natural habitats, silently
destroying millions of acres.

In modern times, trade and travel by mankind has proven to be a highway of
sorts for thousands of these alien species. When plants are moved from one
part of the world to another area, they often leave behind most of their
co-evolved predators and parasites that kept them in check. In their new
environments, some of these new species can flourish unhindered and crowd
out native vegetation. The effects can be devastating, with disastrous
consequences for native plants and animals.

Why are some of these introduced plants so hard to control, and why are they
such a threat to native ecosystems and endangered species?  What can we do
to limit the destruction? To get to the root of the problem, an upcoming
edition of TECHNO 2100 on Plants Out of Place takes a look at the dangers
these "green invaders" pose to the environment.  See how scientists,
citizens, landowners and policy makers are working together to prevent their
spread, and why action at this time is so critical.

This 60-minute TV special is produced by Information Television Network in
collaboration with the Great Lakes Commission and is made possible by: the
Environmental Protection Agency; BP/Amoco; Conoco; El Paso Field Services;
FICMNEW; the Gulf of Mexico Program; the National Fish & Wildlife
Foundation; Syngenta Professional Products; the USDA; USDA Forest Service,
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Division of Fish and Wildlife Management
Assistance and Division of Habitat Conservation.

TECHNO 2100: Plants Out of Place is co-hosted by Randy Westbrooks of the
U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior, and Lee Otteni of
the Bureau of Land  Management.

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