first, it's absolutely ok and great to save stuff when it's going to be destroyed as long as you get permission first, which you've done.

the gingers will be just fine. they are really tough and great plants. get as many roots as you can and i'd do it pretty soon while the soil still has some moisture before it gets hot. if you have gingers and pink lady slippers, there may be other things to watch for and get, too.

the PLS are a really big pain in the ___ to transplant. you want to get a big chunk of the soil around them and try to relocate them into a very similar suituation. since you live close, you have a good chance of having the same kind of soil, etc. i would do some serious research online first- there's lots of info if you look. if they manage to make it 5 years or more, you know you've been successful- it takes that long for them to die sometimes. if they don't come back the next year, just be patient. one of the sites i ran across in my research found that each plant only produces leaves every 4 years or so, which is why they thought they were short lived and moved around. the plants are actually very long lived- like 80 years! and each plant only typically blooms every few years, too. you may find a lot more in the ground once you start digging. if you can wait, i'd wait til you can tell exactly where they are, once thy start sprouting in a month or so. they have very thick, brittle but shallow, wide roots- we had the best luck with lifting up the dirt around them like you'd lift sod, with a flat shovel or fork slid underneath. they really don't like those roots to get broken, so take your time and work carefully. we took 12-18" circles that were about 6-8" deep. if there are too many for you alone, you could contact someone with NC Native plant society and they can arrange a group to come out and help, but i'm sure they'd want some, too.

i got some from a save a few years ago and they did well, amazingly, BUT, even with putting down and inch or more of vole bloc, doing the proper soil, and then encasing the top and sides with 1/4" hardware cloth, the voles got most of them last winter (their 3rd year). i know a guy in the NCNPS who's tried 3x now , each time getting more creative and serious about protecting them, and the voles keep getting them. i'm going to lift the few of mine that are left and make little cages like for bulbs and put them in those while they are dormant. i will make them wide but flat almost to the crown so that the leaves come up through the hardware cloth while they're small. i've had several blooms on mine. unfortunately, the voles got most of the big ones that bloomed. i haven't checked this winter to see how things are going. i planted mine in 3 separate areas to hedge my bets. one of the spots is a good ways away from the others and they came through untouched.

please follow up and let us know how it went! good for you for trying to preserve this precious resource. it would be a shame to let them die. good luck!

Yes, the NCNPS has a rescue group that, with permission, will dig plants from the wild. Members donate to public gardens or keep for themselves. Permission is most important! I have been on a rescue when a local deputy showed up and wanted to know what we were doing. Good thing I had our permission, signed, in the car! Our local group is near you, so if you want any "help" because the property is so large, email me directly, as I am the one more or less in charge in this area. (Any member can approach a property owner, get permission, and let the rest of us know when to go.) Yes, PLS is difficult, but we have all had good success as long as you do not cut the roots. The newer thinking is not so much about the fungus but about proper digging, as Tamelask indicated. The Piedmont area around us has fabulous plants if one takes the time to look. We don't believe in digging unless the property will be destroyed. Trying to rescue/move the plants beats the bulldozer any time, in my opinion.