Bellevue Reporter’s March 11 edition featured two articles about the city’s environment. “Masters In Training” addressed educating citizens on the need to recreate natural environments.

Second, Ryan Murray’s article on rats discussed how rodent populations can grow out of control (with potential impacts to us humans.) I believe the city’s “Masters In Training” program should consider a dichotomy represented here.

Many instances can be found where, in an effort to provide “natural” environment, we inadvertently create conditions with serious consequences. Runaway rat and geese populations are examples of imbalanced populations that can result. Beyond animal populations, efforts at re-vegetation can produce negative impacts on human populations, too.

The Sammamish River between Lake Sammamish and Lake Washington is an example where efforts to “naturalize” our urban environment has not worked. Unfortunately, an overgrowth of vegetation, installed for “environmental reasons,” has greatly reduced the river’s flood control capacity.

Exacerbating this, the river is often blocked by beaver that face no natural predators. Few Bellevue residents know that the Corps of Engineers has declared the Sammamish River no longer meets flood protection standards. The Corps cites efforts to “naturalize” this floodway as one cause of this problem.

Though well intentioned, actions to re-create “natural” environments must not be done in a vacuum. The city’s “naturalist” training program should include a component teaching the potential adverse impacts of well-intentioned environmental efforts.

Martin Nizlek, PhD

Bellevue