What is Morning Star Conservancy
Doing to Help?

Morning Star Conservancy has established a two-tier conservation approach to address the damaging effects of outdated policies and nearly overwhelming circumstances that threaten peyote’s future:

In Situ

conservation in the natural habitat

Ex Situ

conservation outside the natural habitat

Ex Situ Conservation

Due to various ecological threats and bureaucratic obstacles in peyote’s native habitat of Texas, several conservation oriented organizations and individuals have established ex situ conservation projects in less restrictive states. In March 2023, Morning Star Conservancy launched the Seedling Sanctuary Project. Our primary and daily religious devotion is to care for seed-producing mother plants and their offspring. This proof-of-concept pilot project serves as a genetic bank of seed lineages sourced from various localities. This initiative is crucial for ensuring seedling stock for in situ land remediation while also providing sustainably grown, ex situ medicine for future ceremonial needs, reducing extraction from limited wild populations.

In Situ Conservation

For many years, Morning Star Conservancy has sought land to establish safe zone sanctuaries where peyote can thrive undisturbed in its natural habitat. Recently, in cooperation with the Tamaulipan Thornscrub Sanctuary Project, Cactus Conservation Institute, and other non-profit conservation organizations, this critical in situ project has become a reality. Additional sanctuary spaces are in the process of being secured. This historical step is essential in stopping the desecration of surviving peyote populations in designated conservation land trusts. We urgently request your financial support to help safeguard these areas in perpetuity.

At the current time, prejudicial and outdated regulations restrict cultivation and re-wilding efforts in Texas. These policies need to be updated to reflect 21st-century environmental realities. While this complex process evolves, these designated lands will function as sanctuaries, providing protection until proactive remediation methods can be implemented without the threat of potential legal conflicts.

Although the best time to start these projects would have been thirty years ago, the time to take action is now, and we welcome your support.