Date: Wed, 13 May 1998 19:27:31 EDT From: k4zd@juno.com (Robert L Hanrahan) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1637$foo@default> Subject: Re: Retail CP's
Howdy,
Noticed a lot of press about the CP's at mass marketers lately. I'm 99%
sure of the original source (can't give out their name) and you need not
worry about field collected materials. You can tell by the species
offered that they are not field collected. Someone growing and selling
Nepenthes and foreign Drosera easily has the technology to grow
Sarracenia and Dionaea. And yes, India is producing Dionaea m. in
quantities and at rather low prices. They have been selling a lot of em
into Japan the last two years. However, they have had problems and
supply quality has been somewhat variable.
After growing plants for nearly 30 years, I still am not sure how most
CP'ers define "Field Collected." If it's plants that are removed
without permission from the properties owner, than that should be
condemned. If it's done with the full consent of the owner, then I don't
have any problem with that. What I am doing in LA (Lower Alabama) is
"field growing." It's basically not much different than raising corn.
In fact, it's better because I am raising a crop within it's natural
range. BTW, recent estimates suggest that between 50% to 75% of all the
Sarracenia habitats in Baldwin County, Alabama have been lost during the
past 50 years. If you translate the raw size (acres/hectares) of the
lost bogs to the total, perhaps as much as 75% to 90% of the total
Sarracenia's in the county have been wiped out. This was not due to
field collecting, but to land conversion for growing non-native Pines and
for other uses. In just the last two years, more Sarr's were lost than
could have been sold in decades. If you have never seen a few hundred
acre/200 hectare bog after it was cut and ditched, consider yourself
lucky. Don't think of the few million mature Sarracenia's that were
composted from the upheaval. It's not fun to drive by sites that are
now gone.
It seems that the tide is finally changing and most Dionaea m. that are
sold today are from commercial nursery crops and not from natural
habitats in North Carolina. This is due to a number of reasons and one
important one of course is public awareness to illegal harvesting.
Efforts by law enforcement officers coupled with Federal Endangered
Species programs have helped immensely. However, let's realize the value
of keeping plants within their habitats. This is the only way to insure
species survival over the long haul (may be only a decade in Baldwin
County!). So, support your local game preserves, Nature Conservancy
Programs, State and Federal Parks where CP are found. Commercial and
privately owned sites (including mine which may go to the Nature
Conservancy) are time limited in their protection efforts. And by all
means, do not seed areas with CP genetic material unless you have
permission to do so from the properties owner(s).
Guess these comments may generate some other thoughts...
BCNU-Bob Hanrahan in Powder Springs, GA
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