Edacious Deer Endanger Ginseng

[NickB79]

"The bane of many a gardener, Bambi may be nibbling ginseng and other forest-floor plants into extinction, scientists say. New study results suggest that ginseng will largely disappear from the woods of eastern North America in the next 100 years if white-tailed deer populations are not reined in.

To gauge the population viability of American ginseng, James B. McGraw and Mary Ann Furedi of West Virginia University tracked seven populations of the plant in West Virginia for five years. They determined that to have a 95 percent chance of surviving for another century, a population would have to contain a minimum of around 800 individuals. Yet in a second, eight-state survey of 36 ginseng populations, the maximum size was 406 individuals--that is, none were viable."

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa003&articleID=000A1518-E233-120B-A23383414B7F0000

Yet another reason to break out the 12-gauge this fall and make a trip out to the farm.

[idiosyncratic]

1. Since they introduced wolves in Yellowstone, endangered plants

are recovering. The elk were staying in areas too long and overgrazing endangered plants until the wolves came along to keep the elk moving around to avoid the new predators.

I know wolves can't be reintroduced back east where the population density is much greater, but reducing the deer herds should be done in whatever way is practical.

The incidence of Lyme disease is much higher in the areas were the deer populations have exploded.

[happyslug]

3. West Virginia and Wolves possible

Remember when you are talking of West Virginia you are talking of an area with the least population per mile east of the Mississippi (i.e. the whole Appalachian Mountain Chain).

I live in the same mountain chain, wolves could survive in these mountain and did till the 1850 when rabies wiped them out of Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania has extensive State Forests and State Game Lands which along with forest owned by timber companies gives a nice size area for wolves to roam in. The biggest problem would be the various small farms in the area. Many already have extensive anti-deer fencing and anti-bear fencing (paid by the Game Commission) but with some additional fencing to keep the wolves out of certain areas it is a plan that could work. Pennsylvania and West Virginia already have a problem with Coyotes and the best way to get rid of Coyotes is the wolf. The wolf is bigger and goes after the same game, thus drives out the Coyotes. Coyotes evolved in the Great plains where there was NOT enough food to maintain a full-size wolf. Coyotes only spread from the Great Plains with the disappearance of the Wolf.

Thus in the Mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia Wolves are a viable thing to be introduced, the biggest concern will be the price. Remember when a new animal is introduced into an area any cost of introducing that animal must be incurred by the person or agency that introduced that animal. On the other hand if it comes in on its own that no one has to pay. The Pennsylvania Game Commission is willing to pay for Deer Fencing, and Bear Fencing, but it refuses to pay for damages done by Deer and/or Bears for the Game Commission did not Introduced either into Pennsylvania (The Game Commission doe SO some payments but that is to encouraged farmers harmed by the Deer and Bears not to shoot the Deer and Bears). The same with Wild Turkeys (Who cause very little damage). While Elk was native to Pennsylvania the Last Elk was killed in 1869 by a native American. Thus when the Game Commission re-introduced Elk in the 1930s it had to pay for any damage to the local farmers the Elk Caused. Due to financial concern of having to pay to much the Pennsylvania Elk head was kept Small from the 1930s till the 1980s when the Game Commission decided to risk the costs and leave the number of Elk to increase (and with that increase money the Game Commission had to pay out).

My point here is someone will have to pay for losses if the Wolf is reintroduced to the Appalachians (unless a couple of wolves migrant from Canada). In many regards you can see that the Game Commissions would like the wolf back into the State but prefers to wait and hope for some immigrants. West Virginia seems to have the same view, a good thing but can not afford to introduce wolves themselves. Wolves are in Quebec and Ontario and reported to be in the Adirondacks of New York State. If wolves are in the Adirondacks it is may take couple of decades but the Erie Canal and the New York Thruway is all that is between them and the rest of the Appalachians Mountains.


For the report of Wolves in the Adirondacks see:
http://www.gobacktothebasics.com/information_and_stories_on_the_adirondack_wolf.htm

More on Ginseng:
http://mdc.mo.gov/nathis/plantpage/flora/ginseng/

Pa Game Commission:
http://www.pgc.state.pa.us/?dsftns=30149
(Includes on line Topo Maps of Various State Game Lands)

Pa Bureau of State Forests (Includes State Forest's Maps):
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/
State Forest are located in "Regions" thus you have to look at the actual topo map to see what areas in State Forest, State Parks and Game Commission lands (Game Commission maps do the same, i.e. indicate State Parks and State Forests in Addition to State Game Commission lands)

Pa State parks (Includes State Park Maps):
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/index.aspx

West Virginia Department of Natural Resources:
http://www.wvdnr.gov/

Here is a Typical Pa State Forest map. the State Forest is in light Green, State Parks is in darker gree, and the State Game land is in Brown. Other property is in white:

[Kolesar]

4. Scientists should create a Coyote-Wolf hybrid, tasked to cull the deer

I have read of ranchers shooting wolves and claiming that they are a mixed Wolf-Coyote because of the tufted ears. Well, maybe we should exploit that genetic combination. Deer are taking over the place in Ohio. There was a thread in DU about the 25 Million deer in the US, and how they are destroying the understory flowers and tree shoots. Coyote normally do not take down deer, but perhaps we could breed into the population the collective hunting skills of the wolf, but on a scaled down size to exist in smaller islands of forest. These animals could live in the metroparks and fallow empty farmlands of post-agricultural America and take care of the deer.

P.S. I backpacked that trail that ends in Hooverville on that map.

[happyslug]

5. Wolf-Coyote breeds have always occurred

But the result does not last. Either the Coyote dominates after a few generations or the Wolf dominates after a few generations (The Red Wolf of the American South is now believed to be such a combination). The Coyote and the Wolf fill in two different niches. Except on the Great Plains where these overlap the Wolf "drives" out the Coyote by its superior size. The Cross breeds are still smaller than a true wolf so also lose out to the Wolf.

The Coyote only survives in those areas where there are no wolves either because man killed off the wolf (most of the US) or they was NOT enough food for the Wolf to survive (The Great Plains). Please note the Great Plains did have Wolves, but they followed the Bison herds. The Coyotes did NOT follow the Bison and once the Bison had moved on there was NOT enough food for the larger wolf to survive. Similar situation in the near-east lead to the evolution of the Jackal, a smaller version of the Wolf, and the South American Mane Wolf (For more on the Mane Wolf see http://www.cosmosmith.com/maned_wolves.html).

Thus the plan is a non-starter, either introduce the wolf straight up or do nothing (the wolf-Coyote crossbreeds without protection for the true wolf will favor the Coyote genes and the Coyote part will survive and the Wolf part will die out).

P.S. I have day packed the upper part of that trail (I live in Johstown). I have back backed the middle. The Laurel Mountain Trail is a rough trail.

Here is the web cam on the trail: It rained last night and 60 degress today and there is STILL SNOW ON THAT MOUNTAIN.
http://www.paccsa.org/webcam.htm

[Kolesar]

6. Great webcam

I could review the images and see a new coat of snow at 11:30 this morning. I took my mountain bike up to that mountain a few Octobers ago and recall riding past the ski warming hut there. Thanks for the info on the canines.

[happyslug]

7. I did the same about 15 years ago

A hard tail with NO front shock, I ended up breaking a pedal and had pedal on watch was left of the pedal till I was back in Johnstown. I had biked from Johnstown. Should know better than biking on a trail closed to biking.

[Kolesar]

8. I think I cruised past the warming hut on an unpaved road

It has been a few years. I took a snowmobile route up from the Linn Run State Park (huff!) then rode around on top of the mountain a while before whizzing back to Linn Run on the paved road. While I was on top, I tried to ride my bike down the Wolf Rocks hiking path. I got halted abruptly when my tire dropped into a hole, then I fell over sideways before I could unclip from my pedals. Oooof! That hurt. Stay off the hiking trails!

Linn Run Park sure is beautiful.

[htuttle]

2. Wow, a new word!

It's not often that I get the chance to look up a new word.

"Edacious: Related to eating."

Thanks!

Ginseng is hard to grow even without the deer eating it. Is North American Ginseng the same as what is grown domesticated for sale, or is that the Chinese stuff?

[ChemEng]

9. I believe a 30-30 would also be useful...n/t