Wildlife officers hunt for ginseng poachers

Greed in the pursuit of Ohio's "green gold" might lead to the arrests of dozens of diggers and dealers who are illegally profiting from the harvest of wild ginseng.

[Jon H]

Don't we have better things to do than worry about people who dig up wild plant roots?

[Response]

Could ask you the same question about your criticizing a state agency doing their job of enforcing a law.

[Donn Griffith]

I am so glad that the State is trying to protect Ginseng. The gingseng on my property was illegally collected and destroyed years ago. I have to buy Ginseng back from Asia or buy the product grown in Wisconsin. Why don't people respect the law and property rights? Why do they want to kill the future of this plant by ovec rharvesting?

[SteveVC]

Jon H wrote:

Don't we have better things to do than worry about people who dig up wild plant roots?

Yeah, we do but it's still an important issue and that's why we have a division of law enforcement that focuses on protecting wildlife and native plants.

[DrC]

Glad to see them taking this seriously. It is awkward for a private property owner to confront strangers at night who are trespassing.

[SEO]

Funny they say "3,626 pounds of ginseng were legally harvested"

They don't KNOW if it was legally harvested. The folks who were arrested would have had their roots counted as "legal" even if they were not.

[Theodore Adorno]

It's so ridiculous to dig these up. The whole notion they have "powers" is as ludicrous as believing that rhino horns are an aphrodaisiac. It is purely ignorant superstition.

[Balls Deep]

"It's so ridiculous to dig these up. The whole notion they have "powers" is as ludicrous as believing that rhino horns are an aphrodaisiac. It is purely ignorant superstition."

Be thankful that at least we Ohioans have a natural resource to export to Asia which Asians are willing to play a premium for to purchase. I just wish these 'poachers' would plant more bulbs/roots/seeds (dunno which) whenever they're harvesting.

[ed snorker]

glad to see the state getting to the root of all a this

[Sucker punch]

30 people face arrest. The poor victimized ginsing root will be called to testify. ROFLMAO Why do we prosecute victimless crimes. We're in a recession for Chrissakes. Oh, wait a minute. Ben Bernanke said the recession's over. Never mind.

[Shagapotimus]

Why is this important?

[DrC]

Sucker punch wrote:

30 people face arrest. The poor victimized ginsing root will be called to testify. ROFLMAO Why do we prosecute victimless crimes. We're in a recession for Chrissakes. Oh, wait a minute. Ben Bernanke said the recession's over. Never mind.

I don't know about you, but those who trespass on others property in search of ginseng pose a threat to that land owner. So, it is not a "victimless" crime. Not to mention the ginseng is there for a reason it is part of the ecosystem and plays a role in it.

[RACER93]

Trespass around where I live and you might get your self shot! I live back in the woods, the sticks, boonedocks, BFE,...if you are on someone elses land you ask permission or you go missin' Even the local Game wardons ask before entering our properties.

[Stopthewars]

RACER93 wrote:

Trespass around where I live and you might get your self shot! I live back in the woods, the sticks, boonedocks, BFE,...if you are on someone elses land you ask permission or you go missin' Even the local Game wardons ask before entering our properties.

while the warden is talking to you-10 dea agents are in the air and already on the back forty laughing at you. It's called officer discretion, they can do whatever they want. Bork and the Supreme Scalia court says nothing in the constitution about privacy including property.You don't own that land outright-you and the county treasurer CO-OWN the land you pay property taxes right??

[DrC]

Interesting wildlife officers are the only law enforcement agents that can "trespass" with out a cause.

[what a crock of]

sorry, but people today are so stupid. It is truly amazing that we now live in a society where people have less rights than plants or animals. If your beloved law enforcement agency wants to do something helpful why not go after the meth-makers and marijuana growers.I find the drug dealers and growers a much bigger threat to these private land owners than someone who is your average joe just trying to make enough money to buy his kids something for christmas by digging a few roots. Why not get off their backs and go after someone who is really breaking the law... oh, I am sorry, I guess that would be to much work!

[Tough Love]

DrC wrote:

<quoted text>
I don't know about you, but those who trespass on others property in search of ginseng pose a threat to that land owner. So, it is not a "victimless" crime. Not to mention the ginseng is there for a reason it is part of the ecosystem and plays a role in it.

Private property is one thing and trespassing is not a victimless crime. It should be prosecuted. This is about ginseng on public property. It IS a victimless crime. And I don't give two flying f***s about ecosystem hiccups. It's not going to make a difference.

[what a crock of]

The problem at hand is not that our state and fedral agencys are worried about protecting ginseng and private property owners from the dreaded and dangerous ginseng poachers. The real problem is not even that ginseng is an incredibly endangered species. The problem is simply that the goverment wants to regulate ginseng digging for one reason... "so they can get their hands in the cookie jar". All they really want is to simply find a way to make money off ginseng diggers. It really gripes them to see something that generates money that they cannot get their hands on. Come on people; wake up to the truth. They are not the least bit concerned with protecting your land or the giseng that may or may not be growing on it.

[what a crock of]

As an adendum to what I have already said, let me say this. If you think that ginseng is really threatened by those who collect it you are sadly mistaken. Where I digg "sang" it has not been depleted even though I have been digging the same spots for the last 30 years or so. There is just as much in the remote areas that I digg as there has always been. The fact that ginseng is disappearing does not ly on the shoulders of the collectors as much as it does on the shoulders on developers. Land developement has done more damage to the species than any other thing that I know of. Once a piece of land has been dozed and and built upon, the ginseng that was once there will never be back again. Here where I live the real threat to ginseng is developement, and I am sure there is just as much destroyed through the same means in every ginseng producing state in america.