This emil was sent to my by ICPS President, Carl Mazur:
Greetings group.
I took a quick look at the forum, and I'm afraid of what I'm seeing here.
There is a lot of unfocussed energy, and a lack of vision! As I've mentioned to you before, there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. What I'm seeing is a wrong way happening. I spent many hours talking to
Barry about this idea, and I'd ask that people don't bother him with this.
If you guys want this to be a bonefied, recognized, endorsed and legitmate NSC, then you can't go about it this way.
I realize I've not been working feverishly on getting a proposal
together, but It is important that certain steps are followed in a certain order!!!! In order for this have even a chance of getting endorsed as a legimitate undertaking, it has to start with the ICPS. I would have to be the person
to communicate with the board. Assuming the ICPS endorses it, upholding all legalities that are intertwined into such a thing, then it can move forward.
Without the endorsement of the ICPS, I believe that this cannot move forward as a "recognized" national collection by botanical gardens etc. Especially if distrubition of the plant material is involved. Without all this, it will just be a large list of plants that a bunch of CP enthusiasts are growing in their yards! Hardly the status this deserves.
The other thing, is that I think we all see things from a different perspective here. What is the vision of a National Collection. That is what has to be agreed on and persued. In my lengthly conversations with Barry, taking the point of conserving genepools from rare populations is not
the approach to take. This will make no sense. Basically, you would just have to put a rope around the South East and say this is our national collection. Keeping representative plants from each possible populations make no sense, unless they are appendix 1 plants, or extrememly rare populations, like the GA leuco population or the GA purpurea venosa or
montane populations, but having a flava from every possible ditch, roadside, savannah, make no sense. This is not a conserve the genepool, its conserve the heritage.
Here's how I see it, and how Barry sees it. If this doesn't sound like what y'all want to happen, then you will have to organize this on your own. My understanding of what y'all are invisioning is bascially represntation of every possible population of sarracenia in existance put into someones
backyard. Here's how I see it.
The Southeast is home Sarracenia, and as such, representatives of sarracenias should be conserved as part of the Natual Heritage of the USA. Firstly, all the rare plants should be included, jonesii, alabamensis and oreophila from all sites (sites to be coded, like the codes used by the ICPS
in the alabamensis project) From there, representatives from rare populations should be included, montane purps from GA, NC, flavas from VA, leuco from GA, purpurea venosa from GA etc. This plant are worth depositing just because these particular populations are rare for the state. Then
representative plants from each state should then be deposited, all NC species, all SC species, all GA species etc. From there we should have recognized taxonomic forms and varities and ssp of the species from each state. Next representatives of natually occuring hybrids from each
state. Then we should include interesting color forms, mutations, unique color forms (yellow flowered mutations, antho free forms etc). The fact that a particular plant came from a site 3.2 miles s of RT20 on SR65 in libery co.
FL is NOT important! the fact that another slightly different looking one came from 3.5 miles S or RT on SR65 is NOT imporant! The fact that an anthocyanin free form of S. rosea came from liberty Co. in FL is just fine!
This collection needs to be a collection that represents the diversity of Sarracenia throughout its range and historic range if plant material is avaible, not a snapshot of every possible population is exhistance! If this is what is visioned then its clear, that all the plant material we would need is in personal collections of many growers right now. There is NO NEED
to go out and dig plants, or collect seeds. I'm not saying that if something completely new is found its not worth collecting it (like the albino alata my wife and I found in 2001), but rather, I'm confident that between all our collections, we could have represtation of pretty much
all the sarracenia species, spp, vars, f, and mutations that exist! I consider that my personal collection alone pretty much represents most of what's out there, minus site specific apprendix 1 stuff, but all the material we need
is already in cultivation!!!!! You will never get support for any
project
from the ICPS, or any organization that says, "in order to have a national collection we need to go out collect a bunch of plants/seeds or every population of pitcher plants in exhistance to deposit there" IT WILL NEVER FLY!
Please think long and hard of the vision above, Barry and I have spent many hours discussing how to make such a project fly, in the scenario I presented above, its likely possible to get the support of not only the ICPS but
possible the support of Natural Hertitage programs in various states as well as possible USFW and TNC. Assuming there is support from many of the leaders, I'm sure places like the ABG, national botanical gardens in DC and other Botanical gardens in North America to by in.
There is my 2 cents. If this is the route you want to persue, one of you please email me back and let me know. If that is case, you need to put the ropes on that discussion on the forum, and let me take charge and get it moving (I have been slow, I realize that)! I need to create a very logical proposal to present to the ICPS and other organizations. This proposal
needs to establish a REAL need to establish such a collection and specifically outline all the logistics of how it will start, what will be included, how it will be maintained, by who and where. It will have to be a very well thought out and well prepared document. Assuming I can rally support, I will then come back to you all to start discussing logistics and
soliciting volunteers to aid in the establishment of the collection. If this is not the picture y'all see, then please accept my resignation from this project. What I think you see as vision is not going to fly other than in the backyards of a bunch of growers, (at least in my opinion). I don't think it will be credible unless its supported by a bonefied organization.
Carl
I have replied to Carl that I am willing (gladly) to step out of this if he is willing to assume this pro tem presidency. Carl has made some very good points, and I agree with most of them. Although I feel he has jumped to conclusions in some regards, I feel this is his vision and hope that all will work to support it
We have broached the concept in Forum, and stand ready to assist. This is enough for me for now. IF the ICPS officers truely wish to organize and direct our consitiuancy, let them come forward and take the gavel and proceed.
Brooks and Steve: this is the best I can do for you at present. I see no sense in organizing in a way that is antiproductive to the percieved goals of those who have a clearer focus regarding means and ends. I would ask that members here stand down, but be ready to assist where and when needed on request from Bugweed, Books, or Carl if he will be so kind as to join this Forum and provide such direction.