The difficulties faced by individuals who want to import plant material for personal hobby interests would be considerably diminished if specialty nurseries could bring these plants, seeds, and bulbs from abroad safely and economically, and then propagate them. However, large nursery operations tend to concentrate on plants that appeal to the mass market, and small nurseries usually have little spare cash to spend on the fees charged for air shipment, phytosanitary certificates, and CITES permits. Also, they may not have facilities appropriate for holding imported plants in quarantine, which I think is sometimes required. It would be appropriate for groups of enthusiasts to help fund the importation of plant material by permit-holding nurseries with a good record of maintaining and propagating the types of plants involved. The rewards might not come for several years, considering the time necessary to propagate stock, and there would inevitably be some losses, but this could lead to a wider range of plants available to specialist gardeners -- and even to the general public, as we have seen, for instance, in the mass appeal of South African species promoted by the Denver Botanic Garden. I don't know what the legal complications might be for nonprofit societies to give grants of this kind, but small groups of private individuals could do so. It would be somewhat similar to purchasing a share in a seed-collecting expedition. Sponsorship like this was usual in the early days of plant exploration in Britain, for instance. Someone mentioned the Nature Conservancy as an opponent of plant importation, but the most vocal institution in this regard may be the Natural Resources Defense Council, whose representatives can often be heard arguing against the introduction of any non-native species, including ornamental plants in gardens. I've long supported TNC and haven't noticed any opposition to gardening and farming among the staff members I've had contact with. Indeed, their publications (which use more resources than I think is wise, by the way) tout their collaboration with ranchers, fishermen, and other resource users. Jane McGary Portland, Oregon, USA