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Cactus Conservation Video Library
Echinocactus texensis (Horse crippler) in habitat.
West Texas
Cactus Conservation in South Texas
CCI thanks Joey Santore for the kind permission to use his videos on our website.
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Lophophora williamsii grows in South Texas on sandy loam soils under a light canopy of mesquite, and it has been cultivated and maintained by people in the Rio Grande Valley for thousands of years. Sadly, these plants have seen their habitat shrink with each passing year, as more land gets bulldozed by private landowners who view the plant community that Peyote is a part of – Tamaulipan Thornscrub – as useless and expendable.. better used for grazing cattle or worse, building strip malls and tract housing. More of that anthropocentrism and plant-blindness which is smothering Earth’s biosphere. The landowner here is an owner of a land clearing company and member of the Native American Church. He has been “rescuing” these plants for the last twenty years, in many cases stopping his bulldozers to remove plants. He has by default created a sanctuary for this species (as well as Astrophytum), and they occur naturally on his property (see pic with 2 year old seedlings) too. En route to filming we see a parcel he had just cleared for a client who was creating cow pasture. The land barren and the brush still burning.
CCI-Fundraiser
As it nears completion of its first land acquisition, CCI is entering a new phase in its mission to study and preserve vulnerable cacti in their natural range. Thanks to the generosity of a major donor in conjunction with a federal grant, CCI will be able to protect the last known pristine population of Star cactus left in the United States. This will enable CCI, as well as current and future generations of researchers, to study these and other species in their natural habitat.
Produced by Eugenio del Bosque, 2020
Cryptic peyote
Can you spot the peyotes? There are 11 crowns in this scene
An American citizen recently seen running towards the Mexican border
Lophophora williamsii in South Texas — 15 March 2016
A look at a small part of a healthy Lophophora williamsii population in South Texas seen in mid-March of 2016. This property has never granted access to commercial harvesters (but has allowed private NAC access for ceremonial purposes. We owe both our access to this land and our thanks to that indigenous spiritual leader).
Lophophora williamsii in South Texas — 15 March 2016
Some nice plants of Lophophora williamsii shown in habitat in South Texas during March 2016. These plants have never been harvested.
Harvesting technique
Bia Labate (producer). 2016. Youtube video featuring Dr. Terry demonstrating the proper technique for sustainably harvesting Lophophora williamsii that is intended for sacramental use.