[MPWG] MPWG V1#1 -- ginseng

Wed Sep 11 14:41:46 CDT 2013

Very very well put!!!

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On 2013-09-11, at 1:33 PM, herbalogic at yahoo.com wrote:

> Bravo Bob!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On Sep 8, 2013, at 7:45 AM, Robert Layton Beyfuss <rlb14 at cornell.edu> wrote:
> 
>> Here is he letter as it was sent out yesterday. My thanks to my friend Scott Persons for editing!
>> Dear CBS News,
>> I was troubled to read and watch the segment you aired the morning of September 5th regarding North Carolina wild ginseng. It contains factual errors and shows a bias towards sensationalism that is disappointing.
>> Your choice to interview only one dealer, Mr. Eidus, was a poor one, since he does not represent the majority of ginseng dealers. Indeed, his opinion -- that 90% of the wild ginseng he purchases has been poached – is certainly not shared by the majority of other ginseng dealers. His willingness to purchase it nevertheless is a bad example, which reflects poorly on the industry in general. His opinion that ginseng will be gone in 10 to 20 years is pure nonsense, as a simple “fact check” with state or federal regulatory officials would have easily revealed. Is it the policy of CBS news to quote unsubstantiated sources when legitimate sources of information are readily available?
>> What is even more troubling is your lending credence to the proposition that the major threat to ginseng is posed by poachers.
>> This erroneous assumption is so often repeated by the media that it is now widely accepted as fact, but a recent article published in “Science” magazine by the leading Ginseng Conservation Biologist Professor, James McGraw of West Virginia University, states that predation by white tailed deer is the most serious threat to the species and not poachers.
>> Most individuals who harvest wild ginseng also replant seeds, thereby expanding existing populations, often relocating them to areas that are more secure from deer or development. I can understand your ignorance regarding the population dynamics of a wild plant, but published data by Professor McGraw, as well as other legitimate researchers, suggests that stewardship of wild populations by harvesters can significantly increase populations, Ironically, even poachers, such as Mr. Hurley, sometimes aid in the preservation and perpetuation of the species (although those who hunt out of season, take every plant they find, and fail to plant the berries certainly do not).
>>  
>> Finally, Charlie Rose’s, comment wondering why it is not widely grown, is a thoughtful and legitimate query. Unfortunately, cultivated ginseng is not worth very much and suitable habitat for growing “wild simulated” ginseng is rare and increasingly threatened by development. Ginseng populations may recover from poaching events, but they will never recover from being paved. The fact is that most so called “wild” ginseng is “grown” by people who return to the same areas regularly to pick berries and replant seed as they harvest mature roots.
>> Ms. Leopold’s comments regarding the lack of interest in conservation are accurate in the sense that it is more “newsworthy” to report the  misdeeds of a few individuals, while ignoring the real issues that should be addressed.
>> I am saddened that CBS did such a poor job in reporting this story.
>> Sincerely,
>> Bob Beyfuss
>> Retired American Ginseng Specialist for Cornell University Cooperative Extension.
>> Licensed NY State Ginseng Dealer
>> Rlb14 at cornell.edu
>> 136 Schuessler Lane, Preston Hollow NY 12469 
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> From: MPWG [mpwg-bounces at lists.plantconservation.org] on behalf of Michael Schenk [schenkmj at earthlink.net]
>> Sent: Saturday, September 07, 2013 9:19 PM
>> To: mpwg at lists.plantconservation.org
>> Subject: Re: [MPWG] MPWG V1#1 -- ginseng
>> 
>> While we might argue about details and dates of extinction (hey, what do you expect from tv?), wild ginseng is definitely heavily threatened, by a synergy of factors.
>> 
>> "Poaching". There are gray areas here, where traditional harvesting might cross a paper border, but there are clear signs that the nature of ginseng harvesting has changed. Here's one anecdote: a friend who grew up digging sang found a good bed. He harvested from that bed for years, but made the mistake of disclosing it to an in-law with drug issues. The entire bed disappeared. Combine this anecdote with the ongoing recession and the spread of meth and painkiller addiction... So traditional diggers are also stewards, but there's another, newer ethos going on here.
>> 
>> Habitat loss. Population's increasing, and an awful lot of people of means want a lawn in the country. Mountaintop removal coal mining buries Appalachian coves in waste; prime ginseng habitat is used as a landfill. Interstate highways just have to be built. I'm sure MPWGers can fill in many other habitat issues.
>> 
>> Invasive species. I know we've argued this over in the past, but I've seen with my own eyes how stiltgrass and tearthumb can completely dominate forest edge areas, as well as interior areas. With habitat fragmentation, there's lots more edge, too.
>> 
>> Climate change. Another hot button, but it's happening. Plants are especially vulnerable to rapidly changing ecosystems, especially slow-growing plants with modest seed dispersal. Ginseng likes it cool. I've seen it grow best near the foot of a ridge, flushed with rain runoff. As the coves and hollows warm, the cooler zone moves higher towards the peak, plus it gets drier. Eventually, we run out of mountain. Animals and birds can migrate to the next ridge over, but how many of those will be passing ginseng seed? 
>> 
>> Deer. Many populations are out of whack. "Browse lines" are familiar to many or most of us, where there's nothing but thick woody stems below reaching height for a hungry deer. Not only forest-floor plants, but future generations of trees, are disappearing there.
>> 
>> These factors make it critical to have protected areas for wild ginseng. Cultivated ginseng isn't the same. Commercial seed sources can be chemically dependent on pesticides after generations of cultivation. I grow wild simulated, but this is indeed simulated, not a distinctive population adapted to a locale over thousands of years (even if wild simulated does sell as "wild"). Ginseng has been shown to develop many isolated, genetically distinct populations. Each time we lose a bed, we could be losing the equivalent of an entire subspecies. 
>> 
>> These problems are beyond the scope of any single or easy solution, but we definitely need to protect as many wild populations as we can. Even from a commercial viewpoint, this makes sense, to maintain genetic diversity as insurance against blight and inbreeding. Traditional diggers who replant probably do more than anyone in this regard. The government is limited in what steps it can take, but it does have statutory responsibility in National Parks, as well as responsibility for the trade of endangered species per CITES. I've also heard horror stories from private landowner/growers who have had years of work dug up in a day, with very limited legal recourse. Maybe we could use more rights for small growers.
>> 
>> What do folks think about instituting isolated, single-population ginseng growing refuges, clearly identified as to source and lineage? (similar to the seed bank Marla proposes on change.org) This would be an active step beyond the necessary but somewhat passive protection of wild populations. I tend to buy seed from a single grower, but I have mixed some seed from another source.
>> 
>> Bob, for some reason I didn't see your letter in your post, the attachment may not have survived the digest format.
>> 
>> Mike Schenk
>> 
>> PS: Let's not point fingers about the video, after all this is "television journalism" - low info content, short attention span, high drama. 'Nuff said <grin>.
>> 
>> >
>> >Today's Topics:
>> >
>> > 1. ginseng in the news (Susan Leopold)
>> > 2. Re: ginseng in the news (Colin Donohue)
>> > 3. Re: ginseng in the news (Michael McGuffin)
>> >
>> >
>> >----------------------------------------------------------------------
>> >
>> >Message: 1
>> >Date: Thu, 5 Sep 2013 17:15:39 -0400
>> >From: Susan Leopold 
>> >To: mpwg 
>> >Subject: [MPWG] ginseng in the news
>> >Message-ID:
>> > <5DE76C5A-A955-4B6D-BCC9-A93B83BEB7CB at unitedplantsavers.org>
>> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>> >
>> >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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> 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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