Cactus Conservation Institute has long held and voiced our belief that the Native American Church should control its own destiny — including in regard to cultivation. Unfortunately, our letter to the Senator’s office was interpreted by some to indicate that CCI was independently attempting to dictate to the Native American Church how to approach and conserve their sacred medicine. It has been made known to us that many felt it was hurtful. We are deeply sorry for our own missteps and any offense we have caused and wish to reiterate our dedication not only to the conservation of peyote, and other threatened and endangered cacti, but also to the cultural and religious rights and interests of the Native American Church. 

It is not our intent to dictate that NAC members should cultivate peyote, only that they should be able to cultivate it themselves, should that be their desire, and not rely upon others to do so.

We would also like to clarify some points of misunderstanding that are incorrectly being promoted online. Based on our original letter, which has since been amended, it has been claimed that CCI is a supporter of decriminalization. It has been our long-standing policy not to make political statements or to take political positions as neutrality best serves our interests and ability to engage in conservation of threatened and endangered cacti. Our comments on cultivation are the first exception. CCI takes no position on the aims or political goals of Decriminalize Nature and has no official stance on decriminalization for personal use.

Another misunderstanding has led to a claim that CCI intends to create or operate peyote greenhouses. CCI has no interest in engaging in cultivation, either through management, oversight, or any other manner. While we believe cultivation can be an important conservation tool and will continue to publish research related to cultivation, cultivation itself falls outside the purview of CCI’s mission and activities as a non-profit organization.

The circulation of this claim appears to be based on a misunderstanding of our paper exploring the logistics and production capacities of greenhouse cultivation. This paper was intended as an example to help people grasp what is involved with producing enough plants to satisfy current demand for ceremonial use and to help them visualize how many plants are involved for cultivation to be sustainable.  Without the proper context and details it can be difficult to grasp what it means to cultivate a million plants or what is involved in a rotating sustainable harvest of a million or even millions of plants.  We stand by these estimates.

The numbers presented in that paper are useful not just for examining a greenhouse scenario producing a million plants but for examining wild harvesting as well. The footprint can easily be increased from greenhouse spacing to an average spacing of a healthy wild population. This can give a nice estimate of how many square miles of habitat will be required for sustainable harvesting using good harvesting practices and a fully informed harvesting rotation. By the latter comment, we mean that the prior harvesting history of a given field is known to the harvester. This concept is invaluable; without knowing how many plants are needed to fulfill the needs of the Native American Church and without an ability to make plans accordingly, there is a risk of falling short.

It is also worth clarifying the who and what of CCI. We should first start with what CCI is not. CCI is not a government agency and is not involved in policy making or the creation or implementation of government regulations. CCI is a 501(c)(3) educational organization. CCI engages in research and shares its observations, research findings, thoughts and evidence-based suggestions with parties invested in the preservation of at-risk, threatened, and endangered cacti, including peyote, and does so at no charge.

CCI offers one voice and one view in a field where there are multiple. It is to be expected that in any field where multiple perspectives are held, or are possible, that disagreement will occur, particularly when there are cultural and ontological differences. There is also opportunity for discovering common ground and collaboration that draws on the expertise, views, and values of multiple stakeholders. As a conservation-based organization, CCI prioritizes its mission of conservation and believes that advocating for conservation is where the expertise and experience of CCI is best applied. 

For the sake of clarity, CCI would note that conservation of peyote does not imply that people should not have access to peyote for religious ceremonies. Rather, it requires that there be enough peyote to support both religious custom and the future vitality of the cactus in its native habitat. In this regard, discussions about sustainable wild harvesting and about the logistics of greenhouse production are important parts of CCI’s activities. The actual details of how peyote cultivation greenhouses are created and operated are not within CCI’s mission. Decisions and details relating to these activities are (and should be) entirely under the direction of the people doing so.

In closing, CCI would like to make clear that CCI supports the full autonomy of the Native American Church. Efforts towards cultivation by the Native American Church should be celebrated. Most importantly, the autonomy of the Native American Church as a religious organization arising from sovereign federally recognized tribes should be recognized and respected. America’s Indigenous peoples (those recognized and those not) must be allowed to chart their own course. 

We forward to future productive dialogue with those interested in the preservation of peyote and related cacti.

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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 ago and despite the difficulties of growing in the highly alkaline mineral soil the plants were healthy but very slow growing. Similarly the same conditions made seedling recruitment difficult yet a small number managed to establish themselves. It was the only such site ever discovered in such a soil and has been known for well over half a century.

This and all of its companions in that old Native American garden site were recently discovered to have been taken by a poacher.The lack of evidence of cut stems suggests that they may have been removed by a cactus collector rather than harvested. The poacher took every single plant so this unique site is now extirpated.This was the last remaining example of the three known deliberate plantings of peyote by Native Americans prior to modern times so more than just the plants were lost.

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Conducting and publishing good scientific research on the cactus species which are experiencing human pressure is our passion. To perform field work involving those cacti commonly requires the willingness to brave thorny vegetation and the ability to tolerate intense sun, high heat, and wind-blown dust that can be extreme enough to interfere with the functioning of cameras, computers and other electronics. These working conditions frequently impose some challenges for botanists, not simply from those discomforts, but also due to the sometimes lengthy road travel that is required to get to and from a research site.

Imagine the benefits of a research station that was located in typical Chihuahuan Desert cactus habitat. With the area immediately around the site being capable of and suitable for providing long-term and short-term study opportunities for many types of cacti and desert plants. AND with an added advantage of bringing the researcher closer to many other sites in the area containing threatened or endangered species — adding hours of productive time to their days. We are envisioning the CCI Research Station to be that resource in Presidio County, Texas.

We are creating a space that can accommodate a very small number of botanists at one time. Not in luxurious conditions but someplace providing shelter from the sun and elements, with basic camp facilities for preparing a simple meal, a composting toilet and a pad for a bedroll.  This can be accomplished off-the-grid using rainwater collection for water, with solar panels and possibly a small wind turbine for electricity.  Finding a suitable spot for such a research station and then acquiring the property could be a daunting task but fate has provided us with a one-acre donation of land to use as the permanent site for this facility. We have already broken ground by clearing the site — with the pouring of a concrete slab scheduled for later this month (i.e. September 2018 — construction delays have pushed this into January 2019).

We will be posting updates of our progress throughout the process of its construction.

Cactus Conservation Institute will be funding the majority of the costs involved in creating this valuable resource, but additional help from the public is welcomed.  Cactus Conservation Institute is a 501(c)3 educational organization, so all donations are tax-deductible. Substantial donors of $5000 or more should contact us directly; we are quite happy to discuss the plans in more detail. For all other levels of interest, there is a PayPal donation button conveniently located on this page. No amount of support is too small. A thousand dollars is only fifty $20 donations. Thank you for your interest and for your support of this exciting project.

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