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hundreds of pounds of salt annually per household into groundwater <br />through septic system drain fields. Salts are also a component of <br />agricultural fertilizers. <br />Soil health is being compromised by a lack of vegetative cover and <br />diversity, excessive cultivation, removal of topsoil, application of pesticides <br />(e.g. fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides), and compaction. Healthy soil <br />provides a stable matrix that resists erosion, infiltrates water, cycles <br />nutrients, adsorbs pollutants, provides drought tolerance, drives plant <br />productivity, and sustains a complex food web. Healthy soils support a <br />diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi, invertebrates (e.g. worms and <br />arthropods), and other microscopic organisms in a matrix of mineral and <br />organic matter that provides structural stability. All soil ecosystem elements <br />are interdependent and comprise a living system that needs to be nourished <br />with water, organic matter, nutrients, warmth, and atmospheric gases. <br />Maintaining healthy soils is critical to maintaining healthy terrestrial and <br />aquatic ecosystems and is the foundation of a robust food web. <br />Declining pollinator populations threaten to undermine food production <br />and native ecosystem functions. In 1991 a new type of insecticide was <br />developed that works in very low concentrations and functions as a <br />systemic pesticide, being taken up by plants and migrating throughout <br />every part of the plant. Neonicotinoid based insecticides provide full plant <br />protection and one treatment can last for many months and can remain in <br />the soil for years. This combination of persistence and systemic function <br />make all plant components poisonous to insects for as long as the plant <br />lives; even the pollen. Neonicotinoids are known to disorient pollinators that <br />consume it, making them less resistant to disease and contributing to <br />honeybee hive collapse. <br />Invasive species threaten native ecosystems and the functions they <br />provide. Invasive species can compromise fisheries and aquatic recreation, <br />degrade water quality, diminish forest products, and denude habitat for wild <br />game, often by displacing native species and reducing species diversity. <br />The only viable long-term strategy is to slow the spread and reduce the <br />damage until biological controls can be developed to keep invasive species <br />populations in check. Well -established invaders consume many technical <br />and financial resources. Emerging threats include: wild parsnip, Palmer <br />amaranth, Asian silver carp, and emerald ash borer. <br />5 <br />