Poaching problem

I wasn't sure where this should go, so I'm putting it here.

I've been doing wildlife restoration in my area (under the radar & without technical permission, of course) & I think I just encountered my first problem with poaching.

We have some plants which I was pretty sure was Pipsissewa, which is critically endangered here, growing in a couple small patches on the railway line by where I live. The other day, I happened to find that, probably due to my wandering around the area, some of that Pipsissewa had popped up in my good woods- the one that still has its natural topsoil layer- right on the dge of the walking path. I went to try to get some work in before whatever we're planning for Easter & the Pipsissewa is gone. Nothing but a bare patch of earth with two small, perfect holes in the ground. I don't own this land, technically, it belongs to the city I live in, I believe.

Not sure what to do about it. I don't even know if the city itself knows that this spot exists, or that they'd be willing to do anything about protecting it if I brought it to their attention & I'm not sure what to do otherwise. Obviously, that plant isn't going to survive outside of where it grew, given the way Pipsissewa is & the reason it's endangered right now. The leaves can likely be sold for a good penny, though that depends entirely on whether the person who took it knows what to do with it to deliver the leaves to a buyer in good condition, unless they planned to use it for themselves. Not sure why people care, as it's supposed medicinal uses (I've tried it myself) seem pretty limited to the point of not really being worth the trouble.

Other possibilities are someone misidentified it as an invasive garden plant & took it, assuming they were saving its or the forests' life. I just don't really know what to do right now.

A lot of folks feel that digging up plants when they find them is okay.

I have had a lot of my rare Thompson Yucca taken from my West texas property,

There is nothing I can do.  I have "no trespassing" signs.

What you might do is contact your state's Parks + Wildlife Biologist.

That person is a good person to get to know and have a good relationship with.

If the Biologist knows of the person to seek for plants he/she will tell you.

I live near a Seed Company.  In their catalog, they state that this (rare) plant was found growing along a roadway or something like that.

I feel fairly certain that this person who owns the seed co. has a good relationship with the biologist and had permission to take the plant.

That also could be what happened in your situation.

My suggestion of getting to know the biologist (or whoever that person would be) so the next time you find a rare plant it would be wise to call and let them know.

Anne Miller wrote:A lot of folks feel that digging up plants when they find them is okay.

I have had a lot of my rare Thompson Yucca taken from my West texas property,

There is nothing I can do.  I have "no trespassing" signs.

Is there a face on those signs?

It sounds weird, but study after study has shown that people are more likely to obey a sign if the sign has a face on it. Psychologists think it's because the primitive part of the brain can't distinguish between a real face and a fake one, so it thinks the face is really watching them. Who knows if that's the real reason? But, whatever the reason is, a sign with a face on it is more likely to be obeyed.