LETTERS AND NEWS continued from 11
Harvard Announces Closure of Primate Research Center Harvard Medical School issued a statement in April announcing that its New England Primate Research Center in Southborough, MA, will be closing within two years. While the school cites financial reasons for the closure, the facility has also been the subject of controversy and investigation after the deaths of four monkeys between June 2010 and February 2012. According to the Boston Globe, U.S. Department of Agriculture investigators found numerous violations of animal welfare rules. Animal rights activists, who have repeatedly criticized the facility, welcomed the news. “The closure of Harvard’s Primate Research Center is the best news I have heard,” says Michael A. Budkie, Executive Director of SAEN (Stop Animal Exploitation Now!). “The potential now exists to bring freedom to many monkeys and to redirect millions of dollars into clinical and epidemiological research, which will more directly benefit humans.” HMS said it has begun working with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which funds eight primate research centers across the nation, on a transition plan for sending the primates to other sites. Budkie said his organization will contact the school’s administration to explore the possibility of placing at least some of the primates in sanctuaries. “These primates have suffered enough,” added Budkie. “They deserve a chance to have a new life in another environment where their needs will be put first.” — Source: Earth First! News
Letter from Rosemary Gladstar: United Plant Savers 20th Anniversary
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12 Spirit of Change | SUMMER 2013
These are exciting times for herbalists! We are witnessing the art of herbalism rapidly regaining its rightful place in the American tradition of health and healing. However, as herbalism flourishes and winds its way into the mainstream of America, it is eliciting a unique set of problems and concerns. Where once only a small handful of people wildcrafted plants in the wild, ever-increasing numbers are now heading to the hills. This increased usage along with habitat destruction is causing an alarming shortage of plant resources, including some of our most treasured medicinal species. Furthermore, other countries with an uninterrupted tradition of herbal healing are experiencing a severe shortage of medicinal plants and look to the North American continent for supplying these herbs. United Plant Savers’ (UpS) mission is to protect native medicinal plants of the United States and Canada and their native habitat while ensuring an abundant renewable supply of medicinal plants for generations to come. Our mission includes the conservation and preservation of native medicinal plants and the habitat they grow in, with a focus on organic cultivation and long term sustainability. United Plant Savers is nearing its 20th anniversary! One of our goals this year is to increase our membership so that we are a larger voice for the plants. Please help us reach our goal of 2000 members by 2014! Membership entitles you to free seeds and plants, discounts at events and conferences, the Journal of Medicinal Plant Conservation, quarterly bulletins and the opportunity to be a voice for the plants. Please visit www.unitedplantsavers.org to join us! — Rosemary Gladstar Editor’s note: Interested in herbs? The International Herb Symposium, June 28-30 and the Women’s Herbal Conference, August 23-25 are two outstanding herbal events organized by Rosemary that benefit UpS and are not to be missed! Visit www.sagemountain.com. See page 5.