[MPWG] ginseng in the news
Robert Layton Beyfuss
rlb14 at cornell.edu
Mon Sep 9 09:38:52 CDT 2013
Dear Connie
Thank you for posting. This is a classic example of what harm can occur when good intentions are not thought out. When Ontario abruptly decided to ban all ginseng harvest, I was immediately contacted by a number of woodland growers whom I had worked with for years, either consulting or selling seed. They immediately found themselves unable to sell their roots. I wrote letters telling the authorities that these folks were bona fide growers and could prove they had purchased seed and had grown their woodland ginseng. Indeed I had visited some of these growers and had inspected their beds. I was told that since wild simulated and truly wild ginseng were visually indistinguishable, what was to stop the growers from secretly buying truly wild ginseng and mixing it with their wild simulated?
The intention of the ban was to protect wild ginseng, but in reality, the exact opposite occurred. The black market and the unscrupulous poachers who support it continued to dig and sell the wild roots. As everyone knows, all the regulations regarding wild ginseng harvest are impossible to enforce and our border is easy to cross. The growers mostly gave up trying to grow it, since they had no legal market and the status of wild ginseng in Ontario went from scarce to extinct in many of its historical locations. Ginseng is far worse off in Ontario as a result of this well intentioned, but poorly thought out regulation. It is astonishing to me that regulators seem to think that by passing a ban, that a ban will actually occur. The only result was to create many new "criminals" who previously were honest people. When people are faced with a regulation that makes no sense and cannot be enforced, it only serves to breed contempt for all regulations. Here in NY we have had buyers openly advertising in local newspapers that they are buying wild ginseng up to a month before the season opens . A simple perusal of Ebay shows diggers offering freshly dug, wild NY ginseng 3 weeks before the season opens. Numerous reports of this misbehavior to both state in federal authorities by at least a dozen individuals, whom I know personally, has had no effect. No one has been prosecuted.
________________________________
From: MPWG [mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] on behalf of Connie Kehler [shsa at sasktel.net]
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2013 10:03 AM
To: Susan; Jeanine Davis; MoonBranch Botanicals
Cc: mpwg
Subject: Re: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
On the issue of overharvesting of wild ginseng.
We in Canada have had an over reaction in Ontario. Many and in my humble opinion most of the wild ginseng in Ontario and much of Quebec has been planted by traditional pickers - not actual wild ginseng. There is also growers that plant ginseng in the wild and then harvest their own root that they have planted up to 10 years later.
The issue is can they prove it is theirs not true wild ginseng. In Quebec wild ginseng growers have documented their plantings and informed the authorities so they can prove ownership. Ontario was not so organized and thus when the Ontario ministry of natural resourses decided to without consultation make harvesting etc of ginseng illegal - both field planted ginseng and forest planted ginseng became illegal.
Because Ontario field ginseng growers have an organization - they were able to get an exempt. Wild planted ginseng growers were not so lucky.
We have and are working with both growers and governments to get practices in place to ensure that if they plant ginseng in the wild they can still harvest their own roots.
We have worked with CITES in Canada on ensuring that decisons about endangered plants are based in fact. Not all wildcrafters rape and pilage. Many are generational pickers that care for the the plants so their grandchildren still have the resource. Unfortunately they often get clumped in with those who do not take care.
Often the overharvest of plant are spurged by some overstated overenthusiastic study that takes the highest price of the plant and multiply that with the largest volumes to make it look like a fortune would be made by simply wandering into the wild and picking plants for free.
It is important to protect the plants and ensure they are not endangered but we need to do so with thought ...... the facts are important and we must ensure that this is the basis we work from - on all sides.
Connie Kehler
CHECK US OUT AT www.saskherbspice.org<http://www.saskherbspice.org> www.nationalherbspice.com<http://www.nationalherbspice.com>
Want to learn more about Good Agriculture and Collection Practices for Canada? Email us!
On Mon, 9 Sep 2013 00:23:33 -0400 (GMT-04:00), MoonBranch Botanicals <moonbranch at earthlink.net> wrote:
And be careful....
https://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/03/11-2
-----Original Message-----
From: Susan <susan at unitedplantsavers.org>
Sent: Sep 8, 2013 5:11 PM
To: Jeanine Davis <jeanine_davis at ncsu.edu>
Cc: mpwg <mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org>
Subject: Re: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
Yes the time is now to speak up.
Sent from my iPhone
On Sep 8, 2013, at 3:32 PM, Jeanine Davis <Jeanine_Davis at ncsu.edu<mailto:Jeanine_Davis at ncsu.edu>> wrote:
Oh Randi, how dreadful...and now they want to frack in NC, too. This all makes me so angry. I do think it is time for more of us scientists to speak up.
Jeanine
Jeanine Davis, Associate Professor & Extension Specialist
Dept. of Horticultural Science, NC State University
website: ncherb.org<http://ncherb.org>
Sent from my Droid
On Sep 8, 2013 3:19 PM, "Randi Pokladnik" <randi at clover.net<mailto:randi at clover.net>> wrote:
Hi folks!
I did my dissertation on poaching in 2008 and it is an issue in Ohio. I am worried now because we have out of state people swarming the area fracking! If the frack pads themselves and out of state vehicles (carrying invasives back and forth) are not bad enough, we have invasive people so to speak, crossing properties without any thought to privacy issues. We had one lady find dynamite charges set up on her land in Belmont county Ohio... she was going to build a house and took a walk around, the company claims it was all a big mistake but beware, I see fracking trucks withdrawing water illegally from hidden areas as well as the local MWCD lakes. This is so ridiculous! And then the earth quakes as well as spent frack fluid being poured out in wooded regions.
The medicinals seem to be off the radar as far as ODNR is concerned when it comes to getting out that natural gas.
Randi Pokladnik
-----Original Message-----
From: MPWG [mailto:mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org<mailto:mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org>] On Behalf Of Jeannie Dunn
Sent: Friday, September 06, 2013 9:05 AM
To: Colin Donohue
Cc: mpwg
Subject: Re: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
Colin and Jeanine,
Thanks for all you have just put out there. Agreed.
I really believe WNC residential and commercial development and periodic forest service/DOT maintenance probably do more damage to annihilate our herbal medicines in the area, more than poachers ever will.
I also think that we will still have ginseng in 10-20 years because the old-timers and their generations who harvest know how to proliferate the species as they harvest, scattering seeds and spreading roots.
It will be "wild cultivated" ginseng but it will still be considered wild. I believe Robert Eidus is trying to bring attention to the industry and he has a right to his opinion. I hope he's wrong and we can sustain our wild ginseng but if more people are moving into western NC and the developments sprawl outwards, we may not have much of a forest to grow it!
Jeannie Dunn
Red Moon Herbs
828-301-3010<tel:828-301-3010>
On Sep 5, 2013, at 8:28 PM, Colin Donohue wrote:
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<http://ncherb.org>
Sent from my Droid
On Sep 5, 2013 7:46 PM, "Michael McGuffin" <MMcguffin at ahpa.org<mailto: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<http://www.ahpa.org/>
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 918 | Silver Spring | MD | 20910
MD Phone: 301.588.1171<tel:301.588.1171> x201
CA Phone: 310.745.8401<tel:310.745.8401>
30+ years of working for you!
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From: MPWG [mailto:mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org<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<http://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<http://change.org> letter, also you can go to the UpS website www.unitedplantsavers.org<http://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<tel:703-667-0208>
susan at unitedplantsavers.org<mailto:susan at unitedplantsavers.org>
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Robin Alton Suggs
MoonBranch Botanicals
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