<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=US-ASCII">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name=GENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY id=role_body style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: #000000; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"
bottomMargin=7 leftMargin=7 topMargin=7 rightMargin=7><FONT id=role_document
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV>
<DIV>Hello,</DIV>
<DIV>I'd just like to chime in, not all wildcrafters are doing so for
market. Some (an undocumented amount) are doing so for medicine.
</DIV>
<DIV>Also, though Robyn makes some good points, I am wondering if it's true that
"uncommon species may not look familiar to the wildcrafter, who is used to more
common related species."</DIV>
<DIV>Actually, every wildcrafter I know has a good knowledge of botany and local
plant identification. The wildcrafters I know are plant nuts and they are
very familiar with the rare and unique plants of their locales. I suppose
it's all dependent on local circumstances. For example, here there
is no problem locating Lobelia inflata, it self-seeds and scatters
excellently. Here, the wildcrafters are the members of the native plant
society and sierra club and rare plant forum and so on. People who don't
know the plants just aren't out there gathering them. People who don't
have that certain affinity for the plants don't know their value, at market
or as medicine. This is a rather affluent area, though, so perhaps
it's unique.</DIV>
<DIV>An additional point I'd like to make is that each plant has specific
use/s and a specific energetic. If you need coptis, you need coptis.
If you need goldenseal, you need goldenseal. There are of course some
applications where barberry might suffice in the stead of either but, generally
speaking the "law of specifics" counts for something, and at times
(frequently) it is the rule and not the exception. </DIV>
<DIV>Additionally, though of course this varies as well, but in many cases, the
wildcrafters are working to help the plant community sustain itself.
Steven Foster has a marvelous example of gentian collectors in Montenegro
replanting and attending to the resource BECAUSE OF their collection
activities. </DIV>
<DIV>Here where I live -- and this too is perhaps because of the area's relative
affluence -- it's not traditional wildcrafters but the nursery /
landscapers who are out there taking plants away seemingly without concern
for replanting / reseeding. We have (had) a wonderful wild azalea in
the woods here, all but gone now to nursery scavengers. One giant stand of
hepatica I used to visit frequently around this time of year as the ephemerals
come into blossom is gone completely, the slope where they were growing is
now eroding badly right into the creek. A good sized stand of rare bottle
gentian nearby also disappeared in the same week. Sorry but, that had to be
a landscaper. </DIV>
<DIV>At any rate, I don't think it's fair to assume that wildcrafters are
unfamiliar with their local flora, or that they are all commercial gatherers, or
that they are not engaged in stewardship. Also, it might be unwise to
assume that just because sundew is hard to find there are not commercial
wildcrafters out there seeking it specifically BECAUSE it is rare and might
therefore bring a better price.</DIV>
<DIV>Best regards everyone, Jennifer Chesworth</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In a message dated 3/28/2006 12:25:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
Efletcher@skybest.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>Hello Patricia,
Robin and all,</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>Robin brings up a
good point of the wildcrafter's logic about digging 'rare' and
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>endangered
plants. They are 'rare' because there are not abundant,
which</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>makes them less
desirable for a wildcrafter to spend his/her time </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>searching for and
digging for medicinal products. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>Medicinal
products are formulated with a certain amount of an herb in
them</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>but if the
companies can not obtain a consistent supply </FONT></STRONG><STRONG><FONT
face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>in the quantity
needed,</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>they will
either drop the product or if a multi herb blend </FONT></STRONG><STRONG><FONT
face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>they will
reformulate</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>and take the
'rare'(hard to get herb) out. Thus no demand for the 'rare'
plants.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>So now the 'rare'
plants are left alone to fend for themselves. So <EM>all</EM>
we</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>have to do is
protect them from the ever growing human expansion that
</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>destroys
their habitats. </FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>Once there homes
are gone there is no chance for them to </FONT></STRONG><STRONG><FONT
face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>propagate and grow on their
own!</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>Rare plants need
our help with Preservation of their native habitats and if necessary
cultivating them</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000 size=2>to have them for
generations to come.</FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000
size=2><BR>Genuinely,<BR>Edward J. Fletcher<BR>Strategic Sourcing,
Inc.<BR>Botanical Division, C.O.O.<BR>115 Snow Ridge Rd.<BR>Banner Elk, NC
28604 USA<BR>828.898.7642<BR>Fax.898.7647<BR><A
title=mailto:Efletcher@StrategicSourcingInc.net
href="mailto:Efletcher@StrategicSourcingInc.net">Efletcher@StrategicSourcingInc.net</A><BR><A
title=http://www.strategicsourcinginc.net/
href="http://www.strategicsourcinginc.net/">www.StrategicSourcingInc.net</A></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT face="Lucida Bright" color=#008000
size=2></FONT></STRONG> </DIV>
<DIV>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From: </B>rrr@montana.com<BR><B>Sent:
</B>3/28/2006 6:13 AM<BR><B>To:
</B>mpwg@lists.plantconservation.org<BR><B>Subject: </B>Re: [MPWG] Public
input requested by March 26, 2006: Initiation of 5-Year Reviews of 56 Species
in California and Nevada<BR><BR><BR>Hello Patricia and all,<BR><BR>In my
experience, most Endangered and Rare plant species are not likely<BR>sought by
wildcrafters for use in producing medicinal products. It could<BR>be that even
if these species have medicinal uses, they are too hard to<BR>find because
they are not common. If a population is found, there may not<BR>be enough to
make it worth the collection.<BR><BR>These uncommon species may not look
familiar to the wildcrafter, who is<BR>used to more common related
species.<BR><BR>In any case, some years ago I perused the Plant Species of
Concern in<BR>Montana (via the Montana Natural Heritage Program) and did not
find any<BR>species that might be pressured by harvesters.<BR><BR>Lobelia, for
example, or Drosera are both difficult to locate, as well as<BR>too sparse (in
Montana) to catch the attention of wildcrafters.<BR><BR>However, wildcrafters
have been known to dig Endangered or Rare species of<BR>Echinacea during the
Echinacea boom in the 80s and 90s. I don't know of<BR>any other
examples.<BR><BR>I suspect it is not the experienced wildcrafter that is a
threat. Rather<BR>the inexperienced ones who don't realize they are losing
money by going<BR>after small populations, if they can even key them out or
recognize them.<BR><BR>Best Regards,<BR>Robyn Klein,
Montana<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>