How do I get permission to rescue plants from construction?

21 years ago

I'm assuming I could start with the real estate company that has their signs all over the doomed area, but I've never done this before.

Approx. 200 acres of land that currently is building-and-parking-lot-free is soon to become a giant shopping "village." This land is adjacent to the Augusta Canal, which is itself adjacent to the Savannah River of GA/SC. I know there are a lot of really interesting native plants struggling to hang on through the masses of invasive plants marching steadily up the canal area, so I'm guessing there are probably a lot of natives in this soon to be developed area, too, under all the Jap. honeysuckle, wisteria, English ivy, and Eleagnus that is undoubtedly there. I'd really like to have the opportunity to go through at least part of the area and see if there's anything I can carry away before the bulldozers move in. Has anybody had experience with plant rescues in scheduled construction sites? How should I go about getting permission? Thanks for any tips!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

Judy_B_ON
21 years ago
You need to contact the land owner and ask. The real estate company should be able to tell you who the land owner is. The owner may well want you to have liability insurance in case anyone is injured during the rescue, so contacting your local native plant society or local naturalist society to see if they would sponsor/help may be needed -- these groups will carry insurance.

See below for a "how to rescue" check list. Go to the home page of NANPS and look for links to native plant societies in your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Rescue
Scbnymph
21 years ago
You need to talk with the land owner / construction company that will be taking on the project. This can usually be found out by talking to the towns building department as they HAVE to apply for building permits etc. You might also want to talk with the local enviromental department as the builders HAVE to follow strict rules regarding enviromental standards to prevent all sorts of things

The contruction owners / contractors may be willing to listen to you and leave the area alone. HOWEVER you have to show them that there is a benefit for this and I don't just mean "because its good for the environment", you will need a strong argument, usually involving saving them money! Remember MONEY TALKS! Find out who their landscaper will be, you might be able to persuade them to replant in a habitat style

Also bare in mind that this project will have been in the works for a while which means contracts will have been signed making life very difficult. Get the enviromental department involved as the company HAS to listen to them regarding their requests. If you can get the environmental department involved you may be able to get a "habitat / native" consultant to say what needs saving
Related Discussions
help my lucky pachira is dying, how do I rescue it?
Q
Comments (17)
Thanks to TheJungle, I read the article. I took a couple of extra leaves, put one in water and one in the soil mix, so now I have 2 of each, crossing my fingers that they will take. I added a little bit of charcoal to the tree and off spring, I guess it is good for drainage along with the perlite. I removed the paper between the inner pot and ceramic pot and lifted the inner pot up onto a few rocks to get more air flow. I stuck a rod into the dirt for a couple of minutes and found it completely dry so I watered and gave it a little nutrition as well, some of the stems were getting droppy too. All of the roots look good and are hard and don't smell, however a couple of the trunks are a little soft and flaky in the middle of the stems... I was going to add bark as well, but I don't want to disturb the roots anymore, so I think I will do that in the spring or summer. I'm crossing my fingers. Thank you konni
...See More
Where to Get Rescue Plants
Q
Comments (10)
I work with plant rescues for NCNPS, and believe me, it is NOT easy to get developers to give permission. Most do not want anyone on the property, even if it means bulldozing wonderful plants, a heartbreaker, to be sure. However, we keep trying, and every once in a while we luck up and get permission and find a fabulous site. (Never dig on someone's property without permission! But everyone can help by letting me or another NCNPS member know of land to be developed, so thagt we can get permission.)) We have had access to a trillium site for three seasons now, although they are starting to work there. And yes, sometimes individual homeowners will share, as most gardeners do. As already mentioned, the price of membership gives you access to meetings, hikes (this weekend a big one in Brevard) annual picnic, etc. We have area chapters with which you can affilitate. We have plant auctions, which is a great way to get plants that are not available at most nurseries. For people who don't like poison ivy, ticks, snakes, or other creatures you will find on rescues, the auction is wonderful. Auction money, as well as most of the membership fees, helps support scholarships we give to people who are studying native plants in an approved academic setting OR scholarships to Cullowhee Native Plant Conference, which is the best place in the south, in my opinion, to gain much information in only a few days in the NC mountains. If anyone had told me years ago that I, a person who used to like jewelry, art, and great clothes, would spend hot sweaty days on plants rescues, I would have laughed. Now I am addicted to the idea of "saving" plants from the bulldozer. Don't join NCNPS just for the rescues, however. Join to meet like minded people who enjoy the out of doors and all that is found there. You may be surprised how it will change your perspective, as it has mine. Here is a link that might be useful: NCNPS Website
...See More
Has anyone here rescued a plant from blight? How?
Q
Comments (3)
DL, I know it can be confusing but Early Blight due to A. solani and Late Blight due to P.infestans are two very different diseases caused by two different pathogens and either disease can appear early or late in the season. If it were Late Blight, which is found only in certain geographic areas, your plant would have been a stinking mass of black tissue within two weeks, so it's my opinion that your plant had Early Blight which is very common and can be found almost anywhere. And near the end of the season plants can be down and out with Early Blight and then show new foliage growth near the top of the plant. I see it all the time. I don't think the Serenade had much to do with the new foliage since it can happen without any treatment at all. The best way to prevent the common fungal foliage diseases of Early Blight and Septoria Leaf Spot is to start treatments from the time you put the seedlings outside. Carolyn
...See More
Rescued Plant: what to do with it?
Q
Comments (17)
I agree with Ben about the new growth, but your plant looks good and can wait until next spring. If you could get a larger basket that would help. You could also soak the clay pot in water for an hour then hit it easily with a hammer to crack it.You might be able to tease roots stuck to the pot off without too much damage. You have new growth on one side of the plant. It should be given more room as that is the area where your plant will continue to grow. In a year the basket will be too small. You live in Florida. Can you collect rain water? I live in Sarasota and it pours each afternoon in the summer. I have numerous rain barrels which I use for my orchids. If you don't have the space for a rain barrel, cut some soda bottles, a few buckets and you should have plenty of water during the rainy season. Dens, when in active growth love lots of water in a very free draining mix or no mix at all. Fertilize about once a week to encourage that new growth to grow large. It will provide the flowers this winter. As I said, you can leave it as is, but in the early Spring, move it to a larger basket, fill the empty spaces with some rocks to stabilize the plant until the roots take hold. The objective right now is to protect those new roots from getting damaged. The less you fool with the plant the better. Take care of the new roots as they need to grow and will stop growing if damaged. New growths and new roots start in the Spring. Good luck, Jane
...See More
razorback33
21 years ago
You may want to contact the GA Native Plant Society for information & guidance(www.gnps.org/abtgnps.htm). They have a very active rescue program, but don't know of a coordinator in your area. I believe there is also a Coastal GNPS, located in Statesboro at GSU.
Rb
joepyeweed
21 years ago
the largest objection a land owner would have to someone taking plants is potential liability if someone were to get hurt. so be prepared to quickly offer a release of liability in your request. you can simply sign a waiver release the landowner of any liablity should you be injured while on his property.
garden4wildlife
Original Author
21 years ago
Thanks everybody,

I contacted the GA Native Plant Society a few days ago; I'm still waiting for a reply. From their website, it seems that they do nothing or very little outside of the Atlanta area, so I don't know if they're going to help. I'm going to try to contact the developer this week so I can at least let them know I want to go out there before the bulldozers; I don't know when they're going to start, but I'm sure it will be soon.
Iris GW
21 years ago
Yes, GNPS does not schedule rescues outside of the metro Atlanta area. The best they could do is give you some guidance on how they have successfully wooed developers into giving permission.

I'd say contact the developer directly, offer to sign a liability waiver and just be real nice and appreciative.

How do I get permission to rescue plants from construction?

Comments (6)

Judy_B_ON

Scbnymph

Related Discussions

razorback33

joepyeweed

garden4wildlife
Original Author

Iris GW

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

How do I get permission to rescue plants from construction?

Comments (6)

Judy_B_ON

Scbnymph

Related Discussions

razorback33

joepyeweed

garden4wildlifeOriginal Author

Iris GW

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

garden4wildlife
Original Author