Buffalo River Officials Fighting Plant Thefts

[Phil Lilley]

Buffalo River Officials Fighting Plant Thefts

By: Wayne Powell
Posted: Monday, January 07, 2013

The Buffalo National River Parks is combating the poaching of ginseng that grows naturally in the park with a new marking system.

The marking system uses a permanent adhesive that includes a dye color specific to the park. The identification system also has a magnetic component and a florescent light signature. This id system allows positive identification of native ginseng illegally removed from the park. The marking system has already proven useful in the apprehension and conviction of ginseng poachers.

Ginseng Panax Quinquefolius is a native perennial plant that is highly valued for its medicinal qualities in the herb trade. The dollar value of the root makes it a prime target for poaching.

http://www.khozradio.com/16200/buffalo_river_officials_fighting_plant_t.html

[jdmidwest]

Sounds like alot of tax dollars wasted.

What exactly is the ecological value of the ginseng plant to the overall ecology of the area??

Why not just outlaw the trade of ginseng in the state??

Maybe tax the ginseng collectors $200 for a license to collect it?

Create a large government entity like the GEF to control the substance?

Or you could just let them dig it to extinction, and not worry about it as the whole idea of ginseng is about as corny as Horny Goat Weed.

Don't Waste My Hard Earned Tax Dollars on BS....

[gotmuddy]

Sounds like alot of tax dollars wasted.

What exactly is the ecological value of the ginseng plant to the overall ecology of the area??

Why not just outlaw the trade of ginseng in the state??

Maybe tax the ginseng collectors $200 for a license to collect it?

Create a large government entity like the GEF to control the substance?

Or you could just let them dig it to extinction, and not worry about it as the whole idea of ginseng is about as corny as Horny Goat Weed.

Don't Waste My Hard Earned Tax Dollars on BS....

inb4 tree hugging hippies.

[fishinwrench]

No kidding, that's one of the stupidest things I ever heard. 5 pounds of the stuff dried isn't worth the gas it takes to to get it to a buyer.

Isn't there something a little more worthwhile they could be doing or worrying about?

[Bird Watcher]

Have any of you heard that Missouri re-introduced elk?

[gotmuddy]

No kidding, that's one of the stupidest things I ever heard. 5 pounds of the stuff dried isn't worth the gas it takes to to get it to a buyer.

Isn't there something a little more worthwhile they could be doing or worrying about?

it gives them something to do while high on meth.

[fishinwrench]

Have any of you heard that Missouri re-introduced elk?

Yeah. That's why I said "one of"..... LOL

[Outside Bend]

Bees like ginseng.

So do deer and turkeys.

Not sure what all the fuss is about- the Riverways are there to protect our our cultural, recreational, and natural resources. Sounds like that's exactly what they're doing. Their mission is preserving the whole ecosystem, top to bottom- they don't get to pick and choose what gets priority. Wild ginseng may not be a keystone species, but tearing up hillsides looking for it damages the park and disturbs many of the other plants and animals within the ecosystem.

And it is cheap- $150 of the material will mark thousands of plants - and the plants can live for nearly 100 years. That's cheaper than sportfish tags, as cheap as waterfowl bands, and wayyyy cheaper than propagating trout, sturgeon, paddlefish, hellbenders, mussels, or other critters in hatcheries. I'm a big fan of cheap & easy conservation- and these folks figured out how to save a species from regional extinction for less than a lot of folks spend on a fishing trip.

To me it's the exact opposite of a waste of my taxpayer dollars- it's a simple, effective, and cheap way to make sure resources like the Buffalo aren't further denuded by human activity.

[fishinwrench]

I had no doubts that the idea of spending 150.00 (plus wages) to help protect a potential 40.00 worth of a plant was "Defendable".

My question is more along the line of.... Is this harvesting of ginsing within the state forest REALLY an ongoing problem? Really?

I'm thinking there's more money to be made (via plant theives) by picking up pine cones. Or beer cans.

[Gavin]

Its not entirely about the ginseng...Its also about folks stealing the public's property in order to produce untaxed cash income. You might be surprised at the amount of cash that comes from illegal activities on national lands...Meth, Moonshine, Mary Jane, Timber theft, Ginseng theft, Illegal harvest of fish & game...There are lots of ways to make a buck on the peoples lands.