Endangered Plant Cattails Taken Home in Bundles, Illegal Harvesters in New York Charged

When two illegal harvesters in New York attempted to bring home bundles of the endangered cattail plant, they were charged.

An endangered plant was allegedly being illegally cut down by two people in Upstate New York.

Following the discovery of extensive cattail harvesting in Wayne County, New York, the Department of Environmental Conservation DEC recently launched an investigation.

The Town of Huron's Lakeshore Marshes Wildlife Management Area was the focus of Forest Ranger Raffaldi's extensive patrol after he discovered a significant amount of cattails being harvested.

According to DEC, cattail leaves have been used for caulking wooden barrels for centuries and can be sold for a profit.

Endangered Flowering Plants Cattails

According to the New York Natural Heritage Program, cattails are an endangered species of plant.

There are six known populations, but only one of them has more than a hundred plants, according to the New York Natural Heritage Program. Small populations of this plant are typically found in moist wooded areas, and they may be affected by invasive species, hydrological changes, or changes in land use.

According to officials, the plant is extremely "rare" in the northeastern United States and Canada. The flowering plant used to be prevalent around New York City.

At least nine populations were discovered in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx many years ago. However, they're all gone now, probably as a result of urbanization.

Additional 10 populations haven't been observed in over 50 years, according to the New York Natural Heritage Program, but it is unknown if they still exist because neither their whereabouts nor search efforts have been made.

Illegal Harvesters in New York

A couple of harvesters were recently spotted by Ranger Raffaldi while he was on patrol through a cattail marsh. The Ranger believed he saw the two gather and bundle cattails while he was standing back from them.

According to DEC, this is a legal activity if done with a permit. The 63-year-old man from Sodus as well as the 32-year-old from Lyons, however, were given tickets for illegal cattail harvest after Ranger Raffaldi found they lacked the necessary permits. Hudson Valley Post reports.

Not Extinct, but Stopped Growing

The roots of cattails prevent the soil along the banks of rivers from eroding, which benefits river ecosystems. Insects, fish, and birds all use cattail plants as cover. Even some pollutants can be removed by their roots from any nearby body of water.

Beyond the size of their stems, leaves, and flowers, these species don't appear to differ much visually. Cattails with narrow leaves and hybrid varieties are more prevalent. These species can grow in wetlands, such as broadleaf wetlands, as well as ditches and stormwater basins, which makes it easier for them to survive in urban settings. Although the cattail is not in danger of extinction, it had stopped growing in some areas. However, these species can grow and bloom in the artificial wetlands that the canals and wasteways provide.

According to the National Park Service, The shoots, rootstock, flower spikes, and sprouts of cattails are all edible when properly prepared, and both native peoples, as well as early colonists, used different parts of the plant for food.