[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 78 (Wednesday, April 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20022-20023]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-9987]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Public Meeting on the Harvest and Export of American Ginseng

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Announcement of meeting.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the time and place for a public meeting 
on American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). In preparation of the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service's current and future finding for the export 
of American ginseng, we are particularly interested in obtaining any 
current information on the status of American ginseng in the wild. We 
will discuss the Federal regulatory framework for the export of 
American ginseng and how these regulations control the international 
trade of this plant. We will also discuss the different CITES 
definitions as they are applied to American ginseng grown under 
different production systems and how these systems affect the export of 
ginseng roots.

DATES: The public meeting will be held on May 21, 2003, from 9 a.m. to 
4 p.m., in Lexington, Kentucky.

ADDRESSES:

Public Meeting

    The public meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn North, 1950 
Newton Pike, Lexington, Kentucky. Directions to the meeting location 
can be obtained by contacting the Division of Scientific Authority or 
the Division of Management Authority (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT, below) or by visiting our World Wide Web site: http://international.fws.gov/animals/ginindx/.html. Please note that the 
location is accessible to the handicapped, and all persons planning to 
attend the meeting will be required to present photo identification 
when entering the building. Persons planning to attend the meeting who 
require interpretation for the hearing impaired must notify the 
Division of Scientific Authority as soon as possible (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT, below).

Available Information

    Information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's American 
ginseng workshop, held in St. Louis, Missouri, February 19-21, 2003, is 
available upon request from the Division of Scientific Authority or the 
Division of Management Authority (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 
below), a copy of the workshop report will be available from our World 
Wide Web site http://international.fws.gov/animals/ginindx/. The 
purpose of the workshop was to meet with representatives of State and 
Federal agencies, as well as to recount the results of new research by 
academics, on the status and management of American ginseng and the 
CITES export program for the species. We worked cooperatively with 
representatives of these State and Federal agencies to develop 
recommendations to improve the management and the CITES export program 
of this plant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert R. Gabel, Chief, Division 
of Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. 
Fairfax Drive, Room 750, Arlington, VA 22203; e-mail at 
[email protected]; fax: 703-358-2276; or Dr. Peter O. Thomas, 
Chief, Division of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington, VA 22203; e-mail 
at: [email protected]; fax: 703-358-2298.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 
Fauna and Flora (CITES or Convention) is an international treaty 
designed to control and regulate international trade in certain animal 
and plant species that are now or potentially may be threatened with 
extinction by international trade. These species are listed in 
Appendices to CITES, copies of which are available from the Division of 
Scientific Authority or the Division of Management Authority at the 
above addresses, from our World Wide Web site http://international.fws.gov, or from the official CITES Secretariat World 
Wide Web site: http://www.cites.org/. Currently, 161 countries, 
including the United States, are Parties to CITES. American ginseng 
(Panax quinquefolius) was listed in appendix II of CITES on July 1, 
1975. The Division of Scientific Authority and the Division of 
Management Authority of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regulate the 
export of American ginseng, including whole plants, whole roots, and 
root parts. To meet CITES requirements for export of American ginseng 
from the United States, the Division of Scientific Authority must 
determine that the export will not be detrimental to the survival of 
the species, and the Division of Management Authority must be satisfied 
that the American ginseng roots to be exported were legally acquired.
    Since the inclusion of American ginseng in CITES appendix II, the 
Divisions of Scientific Authority and Management Authority have issued 
findings on a State-by-State basis. To determine whether or not to 
approve exports of American ginseng, the Division of Scientific 
Authority has annually reviewed available information from various 
sources (other Federal agencies, State regulatory agencies, industry 
and associations, nongovernmental organizations, and academic 
researchers) on the biology and trade status of the species. After a 
thorough review, the Division of Scientific Authority makes a non-
detriment finding and the Division of Management Authority makes a 
legal acquisition finding on the export of American ginseng to be 
harvested during the year in question. As of 1999, the Division of 
Scientific Authority has included in its non-detriment findings for the 
export of wild (including wild-simulated) American ginseng roots an 
age-based restriction (i.e., plants must be at least 5 years old).

[[Page 20023]]

    States with harvest programs for wild and/or cultivated American 
ginseng include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, 
Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New 
York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, 
Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
    During the week of February 17, 2003, the Divisions of Scientific 
Authority and Management Authority hosted an American ginseng workshop 
in St. Louis, Missouri, with representatives of State and Federal 
agencies that regulate the plant to discuss the status and management 
of American ginseng and the CITES export program for the species. The 
workshop provided an important opportunity for representatives of the 
States and Federal agencies to work cooperatively to develop 
recommendations to improve the management and the CITES export program 
of this plant. In anticipation of this year's and future findings, we 
are now seeking public input on the wild status, production, and export 
of American ginseng. In particular, we are most interested in any new 
information on wild ginseng, and the production and export of wild-
simulated and woods-grown American ginseng.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Patricia Ford, the Division of 
Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    Dated: March 27, 2003.
Marshall P. Jones Jr.,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 03-9987 Filed 4-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P