[MPWG] Berry Picking - Wrap-up

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

The Alaskan blueberry harvest was much-discussed on another listserve.  It
was a very interesting and passionate exchange of information that provided
insight into the range of issues that the Medicinal Plant Working Group
(MPWG) strives to address - from issues of sustainability to the importance
of involving the entire range of the supply chain.

As you can see from the news article below, the matter is at rest, for now.
Many of the salient issues are summarized in the article and I encourage
folks to post any follow-up thoughts on the issue.

Thanks,
Patricia

Patricia S. De Angelis, Ph.D.
Botanist - Division of Scientific Authority
Chair - Plant Conservation Alliance - Medicinal Plant Working Group
US Fish & Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Dr., Suite 750
Arlington, VA  22203
703-358-1708 x1753
FAX: 703-358-2276
Working for the conservation and sustainable use of our green natural
resources.
<www.nps.gov/plants/medicinal>

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Here's an article that came out in the Peninsula Clarion today,

Web posted Thursday, July 14, 2005

Blueberry harvest falls through



By MARK QUINER
Peninsula Clarion


A company that wants to commercially harvest wild Alaska blueberries is not
going to pursue an application to harvest on state lands — for now.


Denali Biotechnologies produces a health supplement from blueberries called
AuroraBlue that its producers say is an antidote to a variety of ailments,
such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.


The company applied for permits to commercially harvest blueberries on
large tracts of land in June that included the Kenai Peninsula.


"There's been some public groups that are concerned about this," said Scott
Haines, president and chief technical officer of the company, which is now
based in Soldotna. "We're not just here to rape the land."


Haines said he was not sure if his company would apply again to harvest on
state lands. He added that when this berry picking season is over, he wants
to sit down and talk with concerned groups and "have a logical discussion."


The application to harvest berries on public lands was in a public comment
period until last Monday.


The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Mining Land and
Water received more than 50 comments on the application, said Clark Cox,
natural resources manager for the division.


Stephen Bethune, natural resources manager for the division, said more
information was requested from the applicants. Denali responded that it is
in the middle of a berry-picking season and asked if the application could
be put on hold until October, Bethune said.


He said the division decided instead to discontinue the application. If
Denali wishes to pursue this more, it will have to submit a new one, he
said.


In the meantime, Denali is receiving berries from private landowners around
the state and berry pickers who sell them to the company, he said. He added
that Denali Biotechnologies currently does not employ berry pickers.


At a meeting in May about the venture, Maureen McKenzie, chief executive
officer and founder of the company, said the company hoped to harvest
between 50,000 and 150,000 pounds of blueberries this year. She said she
hoped to harvest more than 1 million pounds by 2007.


Haines said to meet increased demand, his company hopes to start ranching
cooperatives where people can farm their own berries.


Denali Biotechnologies also has received a $1.1 million federal
appropriation through the fiscal year 2005 agricultural appropriations bill
to start a nutraceutical industry in Alaska.


The money will be used specifically to build a drying facility for the
berries somewhere on the Kenai Peninsula, Haines said.


That appropriation is being administered through the University of Alaska
Fairbanks.


Bobbie Jo Skibo, wild forest program coordinator for the Alaska Center for
the Environment, said her organization had not yet taken a stance on the
proposal to harvest on state lands.


She said they were going to talk to citizens and wait to see if Denali
applies again. She said she wants to mitigate potential conflicts with
other users and wildlife.


Chugiak resident Alan Kurczynski said the plan to harvest on state lands
concerned him. While there are businesses that harvest small quantities of
berries in Alaska, he said he feared the large volumes Denali proposed to
harvest would have an impact.


Kurczynski makes wild berry jams and sells them at the Anchorage Market and
Festival.


"I just couldn't see how that was not going to really impact personal-use
pickers," he said.
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