Another route to seeds is to join a good horticultural society with a seed exchange. For example, I've seen yellow lady slipper seed offered in the Ontario Rock Garden Society annual seed exchange (you don't have to be an Ontario resident to join, either - there are members living in Norway!). I don't know what societies you might have in Alberta but I'm sure there is a chapter of the Rock Garden Society there, and believe me they don't limit their seeds to just rock garden plants! Or botanical gardens sometimes sell seed or plants - have you checked out the Devonian Gardens website?

You could try the sources listed in this thread: http://www.slippertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1007 Some of the links are dead, probably because they are for companies offering "rescues", which is a nice way of saying they bought land and dug up the orchids to sell. Others are reputable companies that offer Cypripediums grown from seed. You may have to wait awhile but laboratory propagated orchids will have the best chance of survival and do not impact wild populations. I've been considering trying to grow this species in vitro. Will probably fail but might be fun to try.

Dottie, though I live in Colorado, S of Colorado Springs, I experiment in Zone denial, and have many pleasant discoveries. The arid climate allows us to get away with things and grow a wider range of plants. The orchids grow in the moist, shady microclimates provided by numerous exotic conifers. The rattlesnakes are indeed Goodyera- oblongifolia and repens. Both are about to bloom now. Flowers are greenish white and insignificant. Foliage is more interesting than flowers. Calypso bloomed a few weeks ago, and Cypripedium is just finishing. By growing these in sunken pots, the soil can be made perfect - like in the wild. For Calypso, that means lots of almost totally decomposed wood and loam. These are dormant in summer, growing a solitary leaf in late summer, early fall, and maturing a flower bud over winter, under snow, that blooms as soon as the snow melts and medium thaws. Cypripedium are in loamy granitic soil with good drainage, clay in the very bottom of the pot. Much easier to grow than Calypso. Commercial Bletilla and Pleione are the least fussy, grown in mix of bark and loamy humus that drains fast. Corallorhiza require pine roots, from which they may steal a little food. These are really hard to establish, and even then, don't appear every year.

"Can we transplant them to somewhere else on the property?" Yes "Will they survive the transplant?" If you are careful w/ digging and site selection, if they are currently healthy/robust they should survive nicely. "I remember hearing that it is illegal to dig them up but if it is on your own property is it still illegal?" No, it is not illegal to move them on your own property. There is a lot of misinformation about this.... which is good in some regards. "what is the best way to transplant them?" Mark them now. Find a suitable site w/ soil/light conditions similar to where they are currently growing. They generally like airy, moisture retentive but freely draining soil that never gets too hot or dries out completely for too long. Addition of sand or perlite sometimes helps create freely draining soil. A very light mulch can sometimes help keep soil cool and moist. Dappled sun or sun during cooler parts of the day (early morning/late afternoon) is best. Transplant them when they are dormant in cool early spring or fall. When digging try to get all the lateral roots without severing them or distubing them too much. Roots can spread a foot or more in all directions in the top inch or two of soil. Plant at a similar depth to how you found them with roots spread laterally and root tips pointing slightly down. Lab propagated plants are increasingly available for purchase. If responsible growers are supported hopefully some of the pressure on wild populations will be reduced. Rescue is a good thing. These plants should never be taken from the wild just for cultivation. Good luck!