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Sunday, June 24, 2018

Ocotillo outrage

Coming to town today I passed this semi load of ocotillo. Ocotillo is an important food resource for Lucifer Hummingbirds. I endured eight years of a banding project in hopes that what was learned would help protect Lucifer habitat. How naive I was!




UPDATE: I have since learned that these plants came from a ranch between Big Bend National Park and Alpine, at least according to Linda Walker. The rancher wanted them removed, supposedly. The Migratory Bird Act makes it illegal to destroy a bird's nest on your property. Many species of birds nest in ocotillo during this time of year. So technically, this removal was illegal. No telling how many bird nests were destroyed.

Check out Linda's wholesale plant website. It's shocking to me.

http://www.westtexasplants.com/




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6 comments:

  1. Marlin AndrusJune 24, 2018 at 3:52 PM

    I hope those came out of Mexico through the cactus and yucca dealer that's in Terligua. Still not good but better than Brewster County.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Carolyn Ohl-JohnsonJune 24, 2018 at 4:03 PM

    I agree, but too many people have visited their property in the Big Bend only to discover it denuded of ocotillo and cacti, etc. And Lucifer Hummingbirds are a Mexican species the depend on ocotillo, likely during migration, though I don't know that for a fact.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Judd PattersonJune 24, 2018 at 7:16 PM

    What is the purpose of taking the ocotillo? Will it be replanted somewhere or is this harvested for another use?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carolyn Ohl-JohnsonJune 24, 2018 at 7:50 PM

      The person who deals in the Big Bend plants sells them to nurseries for city folks to xeriscape or whatever.

      Delete
    2. Carolyn Ohl-JohnsonJune 24, 2018 at 7:53 PM

      I posted these pics on a Big Bend Facebook group and the discussion got so heated that the moderators removed my post. I wasn't part of that discussion that caused the removal, but I understand. People just can't act civilized. They started personal attacks that really had nothing to do with the issue.

      Delete
  4. Carolyn Ohl-JohnsonJune 28, 2018 at 6:38 PM

    I talked to the sheriff and the game warden. Don't know if it'll help but can't hurt. The sheriff says that they are not responsibly harvesting as the website claims. He owns property near Black Gap WMA where there's a ranch where they are being cleared completely off the land. I know the rancher he's referring to. Not of good character. Has been in trouble with the law more than once. He inherited the ranch and selling the plants is his livelihood. I'll bet when the plants are all gone he'll still manage to survive. Supposedly the game warden is going to investigate. We'll see.

    ReplyDelete

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