Now, lets say that I have a 4+ acre bog in my back yard and it has the capability of producing 10000+ venus flytraps a year. Now, from what I understand, it is illegal to collect these things, unless it is on ones own property. So, it would be legal for me to sell the 10000 plants on my own property. If this is true, why wouldn't I use this bog to produce plants for resale. Each year cuttings or divisions would be used to restock the production bog.
Do any of you know if there are any privately owned bogs that are in production of VFT bulbs? What I am getting at here is that it is possible that VFTs are being farmed just like corn, wheat, etc. Someone could have a large bog, or several people can have bogs, and be farming the plants. Selling 1000s of VFTs and then replanting the harvested sections of the bog. If one has 1 acre of such land, they have that right to do so and can produce large amounts of VFTs.
What I see here is that everyone is against taking a plant from the wild. If its private property, the owner has the right to do what he wants on his land. If filling in a bog is what he wants to do, then they do it. To me, it would be more productive to use that bog to produce more plants. If you have a pond in your back yard, natural or man made, why not stock it with native fish for people to eat? If someone has a bog that otherwise is no use to them, why shouldn't they be able to use it to farm carnivorous plants ( better than filling it in ). Sphagnum moss is harvested and allowed to re-grow before the same section is re-harvested ( better management methods than in the past ).
Isn't it possible there are VFT farms that are not being recognized as such because people say they are field collecting their plants. I believe people are doing just that. Someone makes some extra money of what their land can produce naturally.
As for the people being contacted to collect plants. I am glad you did not take up the offer.
I see a big problem with the term "field collecting". People grow crops in fields. So, by the term "field collecting", one can get confused. Corn and beans are field collected because they grow in fields. We don't tissue culture corn and beans, its just not cost effective. What is wrong with the owner of a bog putting that bog into a harvesting routine and sell the plants produced? This method keeps plants growing in the bog at different stages producing many different ages of bulbs for resale.
I am not for poaching plants. I am saying that it is legal for people to turn a naturally occurring bog into productive land or otherwise. They do this by either filling in the bog or turning the bog into a renewable source of income by selling field cultivated plants.
For me to visit the nursery it would be 408.8 miles, 8 hours 12 min one way. Possible on a weekend.
This quote is taken from the Carnivorous Plant Discussion board in regards to field collecting (should be called poaching).
http://www.ourcpsite.com/wwwboard/messages/452.html
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Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I have heard this too, but alot of the people complaining feel that *any* field collecting should be illegal. I think that more than half their(Peter Paul's) troubles are with over-zealous ultra environmentalists.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
ICPS only has two posts in the archives about Peter Pauls. None stating problems.
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Wed, 11 Aug 1999
[snip] They get it [ sphagnum moss ]from a bog there in Canadiagua. There's another privately
owned bog in Mendon, NY where some collecting is allowed, if you are
willing to seed the collecting site. The Mendon bog is open to the
public, but monitored. The Canadaigua bog is not accessible to the
public, nor university students, except by special arrangement. I
have seen a lot of anger here about using natural bogs as plant
sources. While I don't want any more of them drained, I think that
using them for cp production is a way to keep the private owners
interested in maintaining them. If Peter pauls couldn't use private
bogs, I KNOW the Canadaigua one would have been drained for mosquito
control in '72. As it has been, several privately owned bogs generate
money for their owners, and have survived development.
I'm a conservationist. BUT first, I'm realistic. New York State has
thousands of bogs, and the state is not going to buy nor manage them
all.[snip][/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
