[Source: Brandi Grissom, Austin Bureau] -- Pilfering desert plants for profit could mean punishment and penalties under a bill the Texas Senate unanimously approved today. "We have unique Chihuahuan desert heritage that deserves protection," said state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, who wrote the bill. The legislation aims to end so-called "cactus rustling" in Texas by subjecting those who try to sell plants yanked out of the desert to hefty fines and even jail time. With the increasing popularity of xeriscaping, a landscaping method that conserves water, Shapleigh said native plants like barrel and rainbow cacti are selling for a pretty penny. In states like California and Arizona, he said, a single barrel cactus could go for upwards of $300.Cactus rustlers, he said, swoop into areas like Sierra Blanca and round up hundreds of plants to sell for big profits. Since Arizona and New Mexico have adopted tough anti-cactus rustling laws, Shapleigh said, the practice has proliferated in Texas. Almost 100,000 cacti worth about $3 million were shipped from Texas to Arizona from 1998 to 2001, according to a Senate analysis. Often the plants rustlers dig up are ones birds, bats and other animals use for food and shelter. "The Chihuahuan desert does have one of the highest diversities of cacti species on the planet, so it's something we need to keep an eye on," said Kevin Bixby, executive director of the Southwest Environmental Center in Las Cruces. Bixby said he has seen rustlers in action in his own Las Cruces neighborhood, though he and some neighbors were able to scare off the succulent stealers. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
