I did send the following letter to Carl Harper and Joe Collins of the UK Office of State Entomologist/Kentucky Nursery Inspection:
"I just wanted to make you aware of a situation going on in your state that you should be aware of. An entity known as Chase's Plants and Prints in McKee, KY is auctioning on eBay very large quantities of Cypripedium acaule, the pink ladyslipper orchid. I'm not talking about a few plants either. They are offering up to 15 lots of 300 plants along with large lot quantities of 100's and 10's. They are also offering massive amounts of ferns and moss. I suspect that the majority of these plants are being stripped from the wild and sold without remorse to the gullible. They do not appear under this name in the list of KY certified nurseries or dealers that's on the website of the UK Office of State Entomologist/Kentucky Nursery Inspection. Would that violate KY laws 249.060 and 249.090? Their username on eBay is telling: kyatvrider (Kentucky All Terrain Vehicle Rider)." As you probably already know, this orchid species while locally abundant in some areas, is quite rare throughout the country. It's also extremely difficult to transplant due to the symbiotic nature of the plant and a fungus in the soil. Failures to thrive over one year can exceed 90% after transplantation. They state right on one of their auction pages for a lot of 300 orchids, "The difference in our plants and others is they are grown in the woods at our farm not in a nursery and they transplant and live so much better plus we will replace any plant that does not live up to one full year." This page's URL (link may wrap) is: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=42218&item=4315104383 The fact that ferns are mosses are also being auctioned in mass quantities means the possibility of erosion problems, not to mention the sheer rape of the woods that these are located in. Even though I'm not a resident of Kentucky, I live just over the mountains in Northeast Tennessee and greatly treasure our unspoiled woodlands and their diverse offerings. If these plants are not being sold legally, I would appreciate your investigation of this matter. At the very least, what they're doing is morally reprehensible and they should be enlightened by someone in authority. Here's the link to their storefront page on eBay. You may click on any of the items listed to get the details (URL may wrap): http://stores.ebay.com/Chases-Plants-and-Prints_W0QQsspagenameZl2QQtZkm It is possible as a state agency/law enforcement body to get their address info from eBay." ==================== David A. Sizemore Kingsport, TN [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "CC" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 9:08 AM Subject: [OGD] stripping the woods > REPORT THEM! > > Cody Cruise > Valley Pest Consulting _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
