other than the auction, how active...

[chibae]

Other than the auction, how active...is this area?
I'm new to this board and had hesitated to join any CP organizations as I am already heavily involved with orchid groups. Yet, when I saw what NASC was trying to do, I decided to join even though between here and the website I found no recent activity, except as I said for the auction.
I live in the same county as the Arden Bog, where a few years ago over a thousand pitchers were lost to flooding. Ironically, also the same county that was home to the great snakehead "invasion".
If there is a way I can help, I want to do so.

[amphirion]

response time: 4 minutes....
you tell me

[Sig]

The forum will be as active as you want it to be. Make interesting threads and chat on irc, people will respond and you'll get lots of replies.

[chibae]

Okay, sounds good to me. Right now I'm raising mostly S.purpurea purpurea, northen varity as I wanted to fill my barrel bog with plants that grew lin my area to replicate what I could find in a bog. Of course that changed when I added some VFTs. Although my plants came from breeders probably far from Maryland, would their seed serve any purpose for repopulation?

[amphirion]

unless your pitchers represent the EXACT local population that is found in your area it is best NOT to reintroduce species into the wild. has to do with population genetics and gene flow.

that being said, i believe there are laws out there that prohibit reintroducing species even if they DID represent that local population. the only exception is if the local population already existing was wiped out i believe.

there are many cases where rare and endangered pitcher plants are extinct in their local populations due to gene dilution and hybridization. it would probably be best to keep your seeds in your bog.

[chibae]

Thank you, I know that the seeds saved legally from the Arden Bogprior to the flooding are being raised for repopulation. Well if the crop is good this year I'll have seed for donation/trading.

[meadowview]

Hi Chibae:

Good to hear you are in the area. Have you heard of our organization (Meadowview Biological Research Station)? We're located in Virginia and dedicated to restoring and preserving the pitcher plant bogs of Maryland and Virginia. In fact, we're raising the Arden plants and have the largest ex-situ population of this virtually extirpated population (9 plants survived the flooding).

I invite you to come visit our facility in Virginia and learn more about what we do. Please contact me privately at meadowview@pitcherplant.org.

Sincerely,

Phil Sheridan, Ph.D.
Director
Meadowview Biological
Research Station

[dashman]

Hey Phil!

Long time no talk. I posted pics of my trip to Meadowview a few weeks ago over here...
http://www.terraforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=123471

I was sure I took pics of the plants you mentioned, but it doesn't look like I added them to the slideshow.

EDIT: Actually, it looks like slide #27 may be one.

[chibae]

I saw your images before dashman, now i went back and looked at #27. I'd love to take a trip there some day. But recent back surgery, just last Friday, is preventing me from being in a car for more than an hours trip for the next three months. I do have the site book marked and refer to it often