Two Western States Enforce Plant Protection

HELENA, Mt.—In an effort to protect overpicked medicinal prairie plants, the Montana State Legislature passed a bill placing a three-year moratorium on the wildcrafting of certain species and formed a governor's task force on the issue. Legislators approved the bill in April and the governor signed it into law on April 20, 1999.

The new law protects wild echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia), bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva), lady's slipper (Cypripedium spp.), desert parsley (Lomatium dissectum), osha (Ligusticum spp.), sundew (Drosera spp.) and trillium or beth root (Trillium ovatum) on state land. Violators can be fined $1,000 per day.

Montana's law is not unique. For example, North Dakota recently passed a law enforcing a $10,000 fine and vehicle confiscation for echinacea poachers on state and private lands.