New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers Richard Franke and Lt. Rob Morse reported they were patrolling Alder Lake in the Town of Hardenburgh, Ulster County, on May 7, 2020 following a complaint about individuals picking ramps (wild leeks, Allium tricoccum) on State land.
The Rangers say they witnessed numerous individuals with packs and bags full of ramps throughout the day and determined that they were not intended for personal consumption.
The individuals did not have a DEC permit. Two tickets were issued for depositing trash on State land, six tickets for defacing, removing, and destroying plants on State land, and one ticket was issued for violating the penal law on State land. Forest Rangers seized approximately 100 pounds of ramps that the officers reported they offered to local food banks.
In New York State, it is legal to harvest ramps on state land for personal consumption (with the exception of a sub-species found in Chautauqua County). Conservation groups recommend limiting the harvest to 5% of a patch, and only taking the greens and allowing the bulb to remain. Read more about ramps at North Country Public Radio.
Photo: Ramps courtesy user Hardyplants at English Wikipedia.
I moved from NY to Germany 2+ years ago. I live in Northern Barvaria (Franken) and not only dowe have ramps in our gardens but a short walk in the forest and there are thousands of ramps (Bärlauch in German). Folks here know that you pick what you need and only the leaves and some of the flowers (the most beautiful, IMO). Same for wild shrooms. Berries are everywhere. Same. Farms grow ramps for consumers, no need for commercial foragers (rapists). Ours looks much healthier than the fotos in this report. Wish i could share some pix!