Re: conservation ethic

Phil Semanchuk (semanchuk~pj@glaxo.com)
Thu, 07 Mar 96 14:49:01 -0500

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Andrew Marshall wrote:
> I have in the past offered several hundred seedling
> S. oreophila "sand mtn." and S. r. jonesii "maclure
> bog" to the nature conservancy as well as the
> wildlife folks of Ga. N.C and S.C. They were refused
> flat out and not for any legal reason. They were
> refused because to paraphrase what the folks said
> repeatedly 'we are not interested in putting plants
> back'. They are interested in keeping frozen in
> time what they have and that is it.

I'm sorry that your kind offer was refused. When I spoke to TNC
about McClure's Bog, 'keeping what they have frozen in time' was
not their attitude at all. They have already spent some time
there working on restoring the bog to more bog-like conditions
and plan to continue to do so. The bog is currently overgrown
with trees and is receiving runoff from a nearby farmer's field
(==fertilizer). Both of these situations need to be addressed
before Sarrs can flourish again in the bog, and TNC is taking
steps to do so.

Disclaimer: I'm a member but not a representative of TNC. My
conversations with them about McClure's Bog took place about six
months ago.

Michael.Chamberland wrote:
> I'm not an expert on the Nature Conservancy, but I
> think what they told you is true. They don't work
> on reintroduction programs.

I recently spent a weekend jointly sponsored by TNC and the USFWS
(US Fish & Wildlife service) replanting a peat bog in bald
cypress and Atlantic white cedar. According to local history,
this is what grew there about 100 or so years ago before it was
first logged. Does this qualify as lending support to a
reintroduction program? Note that USFWS owned the land, not TNC.

Phil