If Ginseng Could Scream

As I sought to write a letter to my congressman about the conservation of American ginseng, it occurred to me to post a formula for others who might like to write their congressman but might be intimidated by the process.  So today I am sharing the formula I used for petitioning my congressman to act on behalf of American ginseng!  In coming up with this formula, I meshed together some resources from two of my favorite fun websites: Bureau of Communication and The Art of Manliness.

This post will be updated frequently with several facts that can be cherry-picked in formulating a letter petitioning for the conservation of American ginseng.

At any point before you send your letter, you need to know to whom you will address it.  Here is some contact information for representatives of the State of West Virginia and Mercer County.

US Congress

Nick Rahall 601 Federal St., Room 1005 Bluefield, WV 24701 Phone: (304) 325-6222 Fax: (304) 325-0552

Shelly Moore Capito Charleston Office 4815 MacCorkle Ave., SE Charleston, WV 25304 Phone: 304.925.5964 Fax: 304.926.8912

WV Senate For Mercer County

H. Truman Chafin (D - Mingo, 06) CONTACT truman.chafin@wvsenate.gov Capitol Office: Room 257M, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 Capitol Phone: (304) 357-7808 Home: P.O. Box 1799 Williamson, WV, 25661-1799 Home Phone: (304) 235-6123 Business Phone: (304) 235-2221

Bill Cole (R - Mercer, 06)   CONTACT bill.cole@wvsenate.gov Capitol Office: Room 200W, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 Capitol Phone: (304) 357-7843 Home: 404 Oakhurst Avenue Bluefield, WV, 24701 Home Phone: (304) 324-0040 Business Phone: (304) 3270511

WV House of Delegates

Marty Gearheart (R - Mercer, 27) CONTACT  marty.gearheart@wvhouse.gov Capitol Office: Room 4R, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3179 Home: 131 Henderson Drive Bluefield, WV, 24701 Home Phone: (304) 320-0879 Business Phone: (304) 320-0879	John Shott (R - Mercer, 27) Assistant Minority Whip CONTACT john.shott@wvhouse.gov Capitol Office: Room 6R-A, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3187 Home: 422 Oakhurst Avenue Bluefield, WV, 24701 Home Phone: (304) 325-7534 Business Phone: (304) 327-0573
Joe Ellington (R - Mercer, 27) CONTACT  joe.ellington@wvhouse.gov Capitol Office: Room 225E, Building 1 State Capitol Complex Charleston, WV 25305 Capitol Phone: (304) 340-3172 Home: 613 Pigeon Roost Trail Princeton, WV, 24740 Home Phone: (304) 487-6526 Business Phone: (304) 425-3800

 

Your letter should have this heading:

Date

The Honorable ______________

Office Address

United States House of Representatives/United State Senate

City, State, Zip

FIRST:  Greeting:  To the honorable Theodore Cobblepot, Mayor of Gotham City (Choose your representative),

SECOND:  State your case.  These are just a few examples.

I am writing to ask you to help put an end to the poaching and overharvesting of the endangered American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) in West Virginia.

Or

I am writing to ask for your help to support the rights of landowners to protect their property, and the protected, at-risk wildlife species on their property (such as American ginseng).

Or

 I am writing to ask for you to support landowner’s rights to protect their property from poachers/trespassers.

THIRD:  Why are you concerned?

The rate at which American ginseng is being harvested threatens sustainability of the plant and the ginseng trade industry. 

Those who wish to cultivate ginseng in the wild face the challenge of not being able to deal efficiently with poachers.

Those who trespass onto private property for the purpose of poaching ginseng know that the benefits outweigh the risk they take. 

FOURTH: Twist the knife with facts, not emotion. 

American ginseng is an at-risk species. 

American ginseng is listed under the Convention for International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

Trespassers on private property are subject to the following West Virginia law:

§61-3B-3. Trespass on property other than structure or conveyance.
http://www.legis.state.wv.us/wvcode/Code.cfm?chap=61&art=3B

West Virginia Code §61-3B-3 is limited in that it does nothing to empower landowners to protect their property in real-time.

FIFTH: What would you like the representative to do?

I ask that you create legislature giving landowners the protection they need from the law to stand up to ginseng poachers on their property. 

Or

Please make landowner’s rights in protecting their ginseng population a higher priority by adjusting the laws to allow for landowners to take action.

SIXTH:  Close your letter with courtesy and respect.  Thank you for your attention. 

Sincerely,

Your Name

Title

Your Address

Your City, State, Zip

Your Phone Number

-     END OF LETTER     -

I wanted to address this issue of American ginseng before moving on to other subjects of Herbal Medicine.  It is important to remember that we must be wise about harvesting the plants that serve to maintain our vitality.  We have to take care of our amazing plants if they are to take care of us.