[MPWG] ginseng in the news

Fri Sep 6 14:03:40 CDT 2013

Bob, there is a difference between most wild harvesters and poachers. Many
wild harvesters try to replant and leave plants for the future. Poachers
are thieves. They steal from public and private land and they are not
concerned about the future. In western NC there is a high influx of
outsiders, often working in groups that are poaching ginseng, galax, ramps
and moss. Poachers are a major reason why wild simulated ginseng growers
give up in our region.

I agree with most else in your letter. Thank you for writing it but please
consider distinguishing between a wild harvester and a poacher.

Jeanine

Jeanine Davis, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist
Dept. of Horticultural Science, NC State University
website: ncherb.org
Sent from my Droid
On Sep 6, 2013 1:55 PM, "Robert Layton Beyfuss" <rlb14 at cornell.edu> wrote:

>  Hi All
>
> I have attached a letter that I am considering sending to CBS about their
> "news" story. I don't mean to glorify poachers at all, but there is a
> difference between poaching and stealing.
>
> Bob
>  ------------------------------
> *From:* MPWG [mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] on behalf of
> MoonBranch Botanicals [moonbranch at earthlink.net]
> *Sent:* Friday, September 06, 2013 12:53 PM
> *To:* mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org
> *Cc:* Jessica Bernier; Frank T. Adams
> *Subject:* Re: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
>
>   Where to start…
>
>
>
> For sure, as in many contemporary issues, this “situation” is what happens
> when a complex and multi-faceted issues meets a 30 second sound/video bite
> passed off as “news” by the MSM. Unfortunately (and perhaps striking more
> closely to “the root” of the problem) a 30 second allotment meets the
> expected attention span of most of their viewers, so I can’t put all the
> blame on the media I suppose.
>
>
>
> That said, UPS shares a most valid concern with all, or at least most of
> us in this community. While plants in general do not elicit the same “warm
> and fuzzy” feeling in the so-called environmental community as do the
> “charismatic mega-fauna” like the bald eagle or perhaps the timber wolf,
> American ginseng is perhaps our best candidate in terms of reaching
> “charismatic mega-flora” status. Now if we could just all focus on how best
> to use that status to sustain it in the wild.
>
>
>
> Once again, I find myself beating on the “policy does not work” drum.
> Unfortunately, policy as a management tool is all our bureaucrats and
> technocrats understand. The use of force and the threat of use of force is
> not only undesirable in terms of effecting long term change, it is costly,
> ineffective and unsustainable. Consider for a moment the failed “war on
> drugs”, Prohibition, and the illegality of prostitution as a few prime
> examples for comparison here. In all cases the negative fallout from
> “unintended consequences” were and are far worse than the social ills that
> the policies were put in place to remedy. The prevailing prohibition policy
> thinking in our society never solves any problems or social ill, it only
> serves as a mechanism in forcing them to retreat to the shadowy recesses of
> societal fringes where they “metastasize” and get really, really ugly. Too
> bad that only treating the symptoms of our problems is the order of our day.
>
>
>
> I believe Thoreau got it right in this, as he did with most things, when
> he stated: “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who
> is striking at the root.” *I for one believe it is high time to do some
> root cause analysis here. *Is that too much to ask? Or is it, as an
> approach, too grounded in logic, common sense, and realism to be
> considered? OR, perhaps is there here, as in many areas, another agenda at
> play? I have to ask…
>
>
>
> Perhaps it is simply just too profitable for some of our “leaders” to
> resist supplying state, federal, and local governments with tax dollars for
> armored personnel carriers, guns, ammo, night vision, GPS units, body
> armor, uniforms, and on and on in the name of protecting the Natural World
> from us, along with us from each other. Is it, much as in the warning
> contained in President Eisenhower’s farewell address regarding a then newly
> emerging “military-industrial complex”, that poachers and poaching are just
> another point of profit for the state and their corporate minions feeding a
> very well documented “prison/judicial industrial complex”? Has
> “corporatism” (fascism really) so engulfed the political system of our
> Nation that policy is enacted with expectation for profit and not much
> else? I have to ask as I see no other reason for the insane continuation of
> such a short-sighted and ineffective way to affect change and steer human
> behavior.
>
>
>
> There are many productive ways to address this and many issues of our
> time. All of them require the establishment of an open dialogue and active
> participation of ALL stakeholders. This is, and will continue to be the
> only way to safeguard our future, the future of American ginseng along with
> a broader total bio-diversity, and indeed our planet.
>
>
>
> In closing, pragmatism forces me to touch briefly on the subject of
> cultivation. By “cultivation” I am referring to the intentional growing of
> ginseng (or anything really) in a landscape or scenario greatly altered to
> maximize the production of one, or perhaps just a few species. While I do
> believe that cultivation in the narrow sense as just stated has its place,
> it is not the answer. Consider this on your next visit to the zoo of your
> choosing. Is relegating the plants of the world to some carefully
> controlled, yet contrived existence really your vision for our future? Of
> what is sustainable?
>
>
>
> If not, then let us join forces through a voluntary marketplace to build
> value, both economic and abstract, for all life, before we reach a point
> where we cannot or perhaps will not be “allowed” to turn this ship around.
>
>
>
>
>
> Respectfully submitted for due consideration and with the most benevolent
> of intents,
>
> Robin
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Colin Donohue
> Sent: Sep 5, 2013 8:28 PM
> To: Jeanine Davis
> Cc: mpwg
> Subject: Re: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
>
> Absolutely.
>
> That would be great. I regret I'm not in the role I once was, but this
> issue is still dear to my heart.
>
> A meeting of the minds, and forging of common strategies and efforts could
> be a great thing in both stewarding 'sang in the wild and supporting
> lifeways of the responsible ginseng stewards and harvesters out there.
>
> C
>
>
> On 9/5/2013 8:23 PM, Jeanine Davis wrote:
>
> On an open forum all I am willing to say is that I am not amused and this
> story could have been more accurate and hopeful. We do need to brainstorm
> on strategies to reduce poaching to conserve wild populations and encourage
> more wild simulated production.  I have some ideas, that are built on
> consumer demand and pressure.
>
> Jeanine
>
> Jeanine Davis, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist
> Dept. of Horticultural Science, NC State University
> website: ncherb.org
> Sent from my Droid
> On Sep 5, 2013 7:46 PM, "Michael McGuffin" <MMcguffin at ahpa.org> wrote:
>
>>  Hello Colin,
>>
>> I could not agree with you more that the information presented by Robert
>> Eidus was unfortunate, at best. But Susan Leopold was exactly correct in
>> calling attention to the very limited resources that are applied to plant
>> conservation. This was an important message, and an appropriate message
>> from United Plant Savers.
>>
>>
>>
>> Michael
>>
>>
>>
>> *Michael McGuffin*
>>
>> President
>>
>> American Herbal Products Association | www.ahpa.org
>>
>> 8630 Fenton Street, Suite 918 | Silver Spring | MD | 20910
>>
>> *MD Phone: *301.588.1171 x201
>>
>> *CA Phone: *310.745.8401
>>
>>
>>
>> *30+ years of working for you! ***
>>
>> **
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* MPWG [mailto:mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] *On
>> Behalf Of *Colin Donohue
>> *Sent:* Thursday, September 05, 2013 3:02 PM
>> *To:* Susan Leopold
>> *Cc:* mpwg
>> *Subject:* Re: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
>>
>>
>>
>> This is great, other than being wrong.
>>
>> I'm amused to see Robert Eidus as the spokesperson for the survivability
>> of Ginseng. It will be gone in 10-20 years?   That's idiotic.
>>
>> I'm sure Mr. Eidus didn't mean what he was cast as saying on the clip,
>> but it's still incorrect information.
>>
>>
>> I'm very disappointed to see UPS trumpeting this incorrect and
>> sensationalized clip.
>>
>> Yes, there are issues with ginseng harvest, and I'd be the first to shout
>> from the mountaintop that poaching is a real issue that needs attention,
>> and that more resources should go into plant conservation. But putting
>> incorrect information out to spur public concern is disingenuous.
>>
>> Colin
>>
>> On 9/5/2013 5:15 PM, Susan Leopold wrote:
>>
>>  United Plant Savers has started a change.org letter to bring awareness
>> to our members and the public and to show various agencies that the public
>> cares and supports ginseng conservation efforts....
>>
>>
>>
>> Below is a link to the CBS story and to our change.org letter, also you
>> can go to the UpS website www.unitedplantsavers.org for links to several
>> recent news articles and ginseng recently published research.
>>
>>
>>
>> Please join this campaign: http://chn.ge/15Eon5H
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505269_162-57601454/ginseng-poaching-threatens-survival-of-plant-species/
>>
>>
>>
>> Susan Leopold, PhD
>>
>> Executive Director, UpS
>>
>> 703-667-0208
>>
>> susan at unitedplantsavers.org
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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>>
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>>
>>
>>
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>> Disclaimer
>> Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc.
>> reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The
>> information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a
>> substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific
>> medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information
>> that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the
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>
>  Robin Alton Suggs
> MoonBranch Botanicals
> 5294 Yellow Creek Road
> Robbinsville, North Carolina 28771
> USA
>
> Telephone: 828.479.2788
> Email: moonbranch at earthlink.net
> Websites:www.moonbranch.com  &  www.localharvest.org/store/M16074
>
> Member:
> Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project; Farm Partner
> Green Products Alliance
> North Carolina Consortium on Natural Medicines
> North Carolina Goodness Grows/NCDA&CS
> United Plant Savers
>
> There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. - Henry David Thoreau
>
>
>
>
>
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>
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>
> To unsubscribe, send an e-mail to MPWG-request at lists.plantconservation.orgwith the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.
>
> Disclaimer
> Any advice given on this list regarding diagnosis or treatments etc.
> reflects ONLY the opinion of the individual who posts the message. The
> information contained in posts is not intended nor implied to be a
> substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific
> medical condition or question. All medical and other healthcare information
> that is discussed on this list should be carefully reviewed by the
> individual reader and their qualified healthcare professional. Posts do not
> reflect any official opinions or positions of the Plant Conservation
> Alliance.
>
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