You may recall this beautiful specimen of Lophophora williamsii that had been planted in weathered volcanic tuff in what is now Big Bend National Park. This was part of a tiny population growing near an archaeological site showing evidence of long-term historical use. A small peyote garden had been established by an unknown indigenous person long […]
2019 Update. 17 May 2019; summary by Keeper Trout, Anya Ermakova & Martin Terry. The last two visits to the study group (15 March 2018 and 1, 2 & 4 May 2019) have provided us with an unexpected opportunity to study the effects of harvesting even further than we had planned. CCI’s original goal was […]
Rather than make a new post for a single image, here is a visual update from the beginning of May: 2 April 2019: The construction of the new Cactus Conservation Institute research center is moving ahead well. The pouring of the slab went great and we are already framing and putting up the walls. Here […]
We welcome Kevin Feeney to the CCI Board of Directors as our newest member. He brings not just legal knowledge but also a passion for peyote conservation that includes a well-informed familiarity with the world of peyote harvesting and commerce. Kevin Feeney, PhD., JD., is educated and trained in the fields of law and cultural […]
Reflections and transitions The end of the year — after the last cactus flower has folded its petals inward (in West Texas that would have to be Ariocarpus fissuratus), and many weeks before the first spring bloomers (like Echinocereus spp.) will surprise us with their spring bursts of incredible colors — we pause momentarily, at the “still […]
At the Cactus Conservation Institute, we are passionate about thepreservation of vulnerable cactus species and, toward that end, we perform original research to enable and guide much-needed cactus conservation efforts. As part of our educational mission, we perform critical botanical research and support the dissemination of accurate, science-based information about peyote, in the Peyote Gardens of South […]
This is the total of legal peyote sales that were reported to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) during 1986–2016 The values below do not include any private harvests by individual NAC members or those of NAC peyote harvesters who do not report their activities to the DPS. 2016 was the last year that […]
Alvaro Cespedes recently created a nice news article about peyote that included interviewing Dr. Terry. See the story in the Texas Standard
The wall materials have been delivered! The material shown for the exterior walls is essentially a white-painted sheet of steel on the exterior and interior surfaces, with 4 inches of styrofoam sandwiched in between, to provide both security and effective insulation from the maximum heat of early summer weather (often above 100 degrees Fahrenheit/40 degrees […]
