Peyote Cultivator and Plant Whisperer - Leonardo "Leo" Mercado

This time, this meeting, I think we've got a speaker with something to say. There is no cost to those attending.

Leonardo (Leo) is a member of the Native American Church, former director of the Peyote Conservation Organization, and cultivation director and liaison for Morningstar Conservancy.

I have the utmost respect for this man, though I don't know him as well as I should. Leo is totally open about his plants and the Native American Church, which is a Native run church that welcomes all people, all races. Leo is a very approachable and humble guy. Feel free to ask him about the church, the plants, and his efforts to help preserve the peyote plant.

Peyote is a relatively diminutive, slow growing spineless cactus that can be potently psychoactive. It is native to both Mexico and the United States, though its range is very small domestically. The cactus is constantly threatened by development, global warming, as well as feral and domestic animals. In it's native habitat it typically takes several decades to reach maturity, so some sort of habitat preservation is needed, especially in light of its very small size and uncanny ability to blend in to the desert landscape. One can often stand next to peyote in the desert and never see them.

How can you help?
Donations are always encouraged, and we'll certainly "pass the hat" at this event. Offer whatever you can afford.

Might there be other ways to help?
If only people had the ability to grow these plants, then when used as a sacrament, only domestically grown plants could be utilized, and wild plants could be left to grow, untouched, unharvested. It's certainly not an answer to Peyote's preservation in nature (think asphalt, concrete, and Subway Sandwich Shops), but every little bit helps.

In Arizona, the plant is legal to possess, cultivate and use if used as a true religious sacrament. Ideally, the plant should never be harvested from the wild, nor should other cacti, similar in size to peyote and often growing in the same areas.

Let me cut and paste a short biography on Leo here:

Leonardo is a practicing ethnobotanist and plant whisperer whose specialty is cacti and succulent propagation. He was professionally trained as nursery manager for the University of Arizona's Boyce Thompson Southwestern Arboretum and in landscape management for the university's main campus. As a former director of a not-for-profit peyote conservation organization and a practicing member of the Native American Church, Leonardo has accumulated decades of observation and personal research into practical methods of propagation of conservatory sacramental gardens. It is Leo's deeply held belief that assisting others in learning to respectfully and effectively cultivate the medicine is a necessary devotion and continuation of his personal prayers.

In his many years as a custodian of peyote gardens in both the US and Canada, Leonardo has served an active advisory role in the establishment of several personal and organizational cultivation projects. It is his deeply held belief that assisting others in learning to respectfully and effectively cultivate the medicine is a necessary devotion and continuation of his personal prayers. As cultivation director and liaison for Morningstar Conservancy, Leonardo is eager to share his experience and expertise with other individuals and organizations who share his reverence for the medicine

I hope to see you all at this meeting. It's one with substance, and has importance for many.

Nyles