[OGD] conservation
Back in 1976 my wife and I purchased 15 acres (a little over 6 hectares) of a typically degraded and overgrown pineland in deep south Dade County, Florida. At the time, the County told us that it would be impossible and impractical to try to restore it. Well, no one tells us that!! Through various practices like hypo-hatchet herbicide treatments and being the first private individuals to reintroducing prescribed burning, we restored the property to the point that we received the Forest Stewardship Award for the entire State of Florida a couple of years ago. Most importantly, our piece of property is now listed S1 and G1 as being one of the most globally endangered ecosystems in the World. Our herbaceous biodiversity has increased to a little over 380 species of plants, 16 species of which occur here and no where else, and are State and Federally endangered. We are on the County's list of people that they call for rescuing plant material when a site is going to be developed / bulldozed / destroyed (for whatever reason). We have rescued plant material (that was historically actually on our piece of property, so that we are preserving the proper genotypes), established them, and then distributed the plants to other County sites or conservation institutes such as Fairchild Tropical Gardens. What is kind of typical in our situation is the phrase "locally abundant but globally endangered." After Hurricane Andrew in 1992, when we lost 3,500 Pinus elliottii var. densa that were approximately 125 years old (the overstory species), our property went from a virtually solid overstory to no overstory at all. We lost the most prominent plant on the property - the plant that not only made the property a "pineland," but also the plant that many scientists thought produced the fuel (pine needles) that would carry a prescribed burn through the property. That was not the case, as the many varieties of grass actually do this. We replanted pine tublings, but in the meantime, another species of plant sprouted that no one has seen anywhere since it was classified around 1900, with the spotting of a single plant in the Everglades National Park area by a taxonomist (Smalley). It now is thriving on our property. I'm just putting forth some of my experiences that may supplement the discussion on plant conservation. Terry A. Glancy Pine Ridge Orchids, Inc. 21100 SW 300 Street Homestead, FL 33030-7812 ph (305) 247-4839 (305) 247-3086 fx (305) 247-8853 Email = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc Email = [EMAIL PROTECTED] Website = www.PineRidgeOrchids.com ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation
Let's hear a big cheer for the Glancys for a great conservation success story. It goes to show that these efforts are not as complicated to effect as we might be led to believe. I moved a number of Cyp. acaule on a Delaware, USA shore area across the road to our property when it became obvious that their habitat was about to have a landscaped house dropped on it. They are now flourishing in our undisturbed forest "yard" and are a great sight when in bloom. Bernard C. Gerrard ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Conservation
objective. The url below will take you to a presentation that I made to the Orchid Safari group in November 2003. This conservation effort is ongoing each year until the bulldozers move in. http://www.orchidtrek.com/aussie/aussieconservation.html Tony ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Conservation
Good message Alan Stephenson. You are doing a good job. Ruth, now too old. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Conservation
Oliver writes that we are headed toward a population of 9 bn people. I would like to suggest a population control project to keep things in check: Keep President Bush in office. There is no telling how many more people he can kill off if given the chance. One 'encouraging thing' is that the next three generations of U.S. citizens will be so busy working to pay off the national debt they won't have time to make babies. PAX, I wish. But to reverse paraphrase Chaimberlain I fear it is, "Not for our times." Jerry in IN Oliver, 1. I think I read that Bird Flu is coming back. 2. The only reason biofuels are so big in the US is because Senator Lugar of Indiana (along with a few others trying to get re-elected) are stroking the CORN farmers. And of course the Norte' Americano is too egotistical to drive a small car that actually meets her/his needs. I think I will just go out and smell my Miltonia Laurie Kathleen and C. Bob Betts. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Conservation
I happened across a web site that I think most interesting. Please give it a try. http://skytruth.org/ Jerry in IN ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Conservation
I cannot understand what is happening in Australia at the moment. We have had two decisions in favour of the environment in the past two weeks. Firstly a proposal to clear 102 hectares (47 acres) of good bush land for an extra runway at Jandakot Airport near Perth in Western Australia, has been rejected by the Commonwealth Minister for Infrastructure and also referred to the Minister for Conservation. The land in question is habitat for a threatened orchid species, Arachnorchis huegelii (Grand Spider Orchid) and several other significant flora and fauna species. The people responsible for this result are Friends of Ken Hurst Park and the Western Australia Native Orchid Study and Conservation Group and my point of contact as far as information goes has been Dr Eddy Wajon who is the Convenor of the first group and is Conservation Officer for the second. I have compiled several submissions from information sent to me by Dr Wajon and am delighted he now has a positive result. The next piece of good news relates to another threatened orchid species Diuris aequalis (Buttercup Doubletail). This species numbers about 250 plants in total and for over three years a battle has raged to protect its habitat from a landholder who calls himself "The Firewood Baron". His proposal to log the remaining trees in his section of the Mt Rae Forest under the guise of a Private Native Forestry Operation was rejected unanimously by the Upper Lachlan Shire Council. The proposal was to log trees with no replanting to replace those logged for firewood. The "Firewood Baron" has played a very physical game in that letterboxes have been blasted by shotgun and one opponent was told his house would be burned if he continued his opposition. However some locals were made of better stuff and managed to convince several landowners and the council to reach this decision. This was done by sheer hard work and intestinal fortitude on their behalf and their efforts have so far been successful. As this situation is only 200km (120 miles) from my home, I have made several visits to the area and written several submissions and countless letters to the Council but the concerned locals are responsible for the decision. The Mt Rae Forest has been declared an Endangered Ecological Community in that it is considered rare Tablelands Basalt Forest, containing a wide range of birds, animals, orchids and other significant flora. This result can also be challenged but the unanimous decision is one the Council will find hard to reverse. Alan W Stephenson National Conservation Officer Australasian Native orchid Society (ANOS) ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation efforts
Thanks Carson [E. Whitlow] for your comments about Tom Nelson and his conservation efforts in Minnesota. As mentioned in the article about Tom Nelson, "some ... believe collecting plants from the wild is unethical and encourages poaching". [http://www.startribune.com/stories/418/5525283.html] Carson expresses another point of view : "those who criticize him ... would prefer the plants be destroyed than have them salvaged." Personally, I remain skeptical about selling salvaged plants to nurseries. Of course, if our orchid societies and institutions (botanical gardens and government agencies) are passive about the conservation of wild orchids, we should not be surprised that others would collect and sell them, be them individuals or nurseries. ** Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Conservation
O'Byrne wrote: >You'd probably hope that humanity had learned what happens when wild >resources get exploited on a commercial scale. [...] We are heading for 9 bn people, and the world economy will be twice as large in 2037 as it is now (3%, 20 years.) There was an area the size of Australia under cultivation world-wide in 1900; there will be a wilderness area (excluding oceans and deserts) about the size of Australia left in the 2030s. However, one plays this, a great number of habitats will be erased, and those which remain will be thoroughly altered. For example, combustion fixes around twice natural background levels of Nitrogen from the atmosphere, will falls everywhere as Nitrate. By 2030, this will be four to nine times background. The same sort of thing is true of Sulphur and trace elements. Tree growth rates have roughly doubled in a century as a result, and as we all know, epiphytes like sparse, slow growing forest and open stable shrub land. So even the conserved areas will change quite radically. Now, there are three approaches to this. One is to demand that It All Stops, which - excepting bird flu and bioterrorism - is not going to happen. The second is to shrug, to erect some glass houses and to fence some reefs, and then hope for the best, rely on seed banks and gene pools. The third is to set up conservation programs so that key areas of biodiversity are preserved, and ringed by areas which have some degree of preservation as a key part of their management. Scale is essential, as small areas - 'islands' - are insufficient to retain the complexity and resilience to natural cycles that habitats undergo. Happily, policy seems to have embraced the third option, at least to the extent of study and definition. (Mind you, some of them - southern Sri Lanka as a centre of forest diversity, for example, seem more political than real, but there you go.) Whether this analysis will be followed by investment has yet to be seen. Biodiversity is a poor cousin when compared to climate change (where one can earn carbon credits, for example) and environmental management is anyway a poor cousin when compared to the sincere desire to get rich. >But how about the environmental-related industries ? Surely the >Greens would avoid such catastrophic errors ? [..] >A Malaysian company has started building a biofuel plant in Perak to >convert the sap of the Nipah palm into export-quality ethanol for >biofuels. What is inexcusable, however, is the adoption of lunatic policies under a seemingly green guise. One of these is the current approach to biofuels. At risk of boring this audience, there are two approaches to this. One - as currently adopted - is to take a food crop such as oil palm, sugar cane, corn - and extract a more or less pure chemical (such as oils or ethanol) and burn this. The resulting overall efficiency is a few percent energy recovery from the original solar input, and usually a net production of greenhouse gasses. However, subsidy makes the whole thing economic, and drives a further expansion in land use. The second approach still uses biomass, but sets out to use the entire plant in an efficient manner. This involves burning to syngas and reconstitution into hydrocarbon fuels or electricity, at much, much higher efficiencies. The cropped area is smaller, and is usually cycle-cropped on a four year rotation, allowing wild life to live in it. All this is well known and -proven (e.g. the 250kTpa Shell plant in Germany) but somehow evades legislator attention. And why? Subsidy to conventional crops is easy to understand. Rural votes are important to some political parties; so does one need to say more? __ Oliver Sparrow +44 (0)20 7736 9716 www.chforum.org ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Conservation
Gerald wrote: > Oliver, > 1. I think I read that Bird Flu is coming back. > 2. The only reason biofuels are so big in the US is because Senator Lugar > of Indiana (along with a few others trying to get re-elected) are stroking > the CORN farmers. > And of course the Norte' Americano is too egotistical to > drive a small car that actually meets her/his needs. hey, HEY! I drive a Saturn SL2. and this after convincing several people at work that "no, I don't want my next vehicle to be a truck. no, I'm not a truck person. no, if I need to haul something I'll go to UHAUL and rent a van. no, I still feel cool driving a Saturn and not a GMC Denali or a Hum Vee." Gas mileage is for me. I'm an average north american,... (well, maybe not). ; ) : ) and another point is that from what I've read or heard, biofuels are trendy but they use more energy than what they create. What is the point? Another one of those things that seem great on paper or in the boardroom. Of course, we in the horticultural wholesale business know that the best way to get rid of a weed is to domesticate it. I think we can propagate oxalis, dandelions, golden rod and other plants notable as invasives and make great biofuel out of them. Just about the time those plants get domesticated they will get all sorts of pests and diseases, people will dig them up, and they will become rare. (tongue slightly in cheek) to make this an orchid post, my yellow phrag besseae is in flower again (with even a third bud on the way). Phals sumatrana, schilleriana, stuartiana, several equestris' and venosa all in flower. Phal sanderiana flower spike still growing into lights and burning back, and last but not least fragrant Burrageara Kilauea 'Hawaii' is in flower after benign neglect after acquiring at orchid club raffle table (neglect because I didn't know what to do with something that wasn't a 'phal', wasn't a species and was probably a box store orchid). Despite all of those points, I've decided I like it and will keep it. Winter has decided to make a comeback, I just hope it doesn't decide to stick around as long as Rocky Balboa. regards, charles -- charles ufford oriskany, ny usa ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Conservation (Panama)
"La comunidad de El Valle plantea declarar a los cerros circundantes enter ellos, el Gaital como area protegida... lo que mas perjudica los bosques y cerros que rodean el crater en donde se localiza la region de El Valle de Anton es la deforestacion, el movimiento de tierra y vegetacion bajo el uso de maquinaria para desarrollar proyectos habitacionales, el desmonte, la quema y la extraccion sin control de especies de la flora... del lugar, entre ellas... las orquideas." URL : http://www.prensa.com/hoy/nacionales/1093555.html other news in Spanish, Portuguese and French : http://pages.infinit.net/viateurb/nouvelles_sur_les_orchidees-accueil.htm *** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation / commerce
[in Spanish] URL : http://www.elnuevoherald.com/noticias/sur-de-la-florida/story/147672.html * Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation (Guatemala)
"solo en las calles de La Antigua se ven... ventas de orquídeas nativas... Un trozo de chipe con media docena de bulbos a Q40 o Q50. Este trozo de chipe con orquídeas, sin embargo, es ilegal, es contrabando. En teoría, si el Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (Conap) encuentra un vendedor con bulbos silvestres, debe decomisarlos... en Guatemala es ilegal tener orquídeas nativas desde 1948, cuenta Bernd Martin, director de la Asociación Guatemalteca de Orquideología. Ahora es más fácil ir a un supermercado o a un vivero especializado y comprar una orquídea híbrida, a más del doble del costo, pero dentro del marco de la ley. Es legal comercializar orquídeas producidas en viveros, donde usan semillas o puntas de hojas [???] para cultivar híbridos por propagación artificial. No obstante, el contrabando sigue siendo un problema, por dos razones. La primera, porque muchas veces las orquídeas de viveros son caras; toma tiempo criarlas y la tecnología puede ser costosa. Es más barato, fácil y rápido obtener orquídeas ilegalmente de la naturaleza. La segunda razón es que los coleccionistas de orquídeas valoran especies únicas. Algunos viajan a países tropicales solo para buscar raros especímenes; otros utilizan los servicios de contrabandistas profesionales. Algunos guatemaltecos simplemente deciden no acatar las leyes ambientales y tener especies nativas en casa. ... las orquídeas silvestres... Hoy son protegidas por leyes nacionales y tratados internacionales. De las 734 especies diferentes que crecen en el país, unas 550 están en peligro de extinción. La única forma de combatir la amenaza del contrabando es no comprar orquídeas de las que venden en la calle, ya que muchas veces las han arrancado de los árboles, dice María Silvia Palmieri, gerente administrativa de Orquídeas S y M. Bernd Martin está de acuerdo... La mejor forma de conservarlas es multiplicar artificialmente las semillas. La verdadera amenaza es la tala de bosques, y las leyes de conservación no ayudan porque prohíben que se rescaten las orquídeas de los bosques talados y se reproduzcan en viveros, expresa." URL : http://www.elperiodico.com.gt/es/20080621/temasdeinteres/58564/ *** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation (Bolivia)
"VIII Festival de la Orquídea... municipio de Concepción... el Gobierno Municipal en... colaboración con el Centro para la Participación y el Desarrollo Humano Sostenible, CEPAD, va a impulsar... actividades dirigidas a concienciar a la población sobre la importancia que tiene cuidar el medio natural en general y proteger las orquídeas, en particular... este municipio está declarado Santuario de la Orquídea Boliviana. ... iniciativas... se incluye la aprobación de una Ordenanza Municipal que tiene como fin... la conservación de las orquídeas, por lo que se prohíbe la extracción de plantas del bosque, quedando... prohibida su comercialización salvo que éstas provengan de viveros comunitarios o privados que aseguren la reproducción sostenible de las plantas. El incumplimiento de esta Ordenanza conllevará el pago de una multa. Los fondos recaudados en este concepto serán utilizados para el establecimiento de programas educativos, de sensibilización, redoblamiento y conservación de la orquídea en el territorio municipal. Los centros educativos del municipio... serán los encargados de explicar a los escolares la importancia de preservar el patrimonio natural y muy especialmente las orquídeas." URL : http://www.diariocritico.com/bolivia/2008/Octubre/ocio/101785/orquideas.html ** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation - news story
subject : orchid research that will be presented at the International Western Prairie Fringed Orchid Conservation Conference on Nov. 17-18 in Ashland, Neb. http://www.times-online.com/articles/2004/11/12/news/news01.txt *** Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Conservation Funds Available
Orchid Conservation Grants The Conservation Committee of the San Diego County Orchid Society asks for proposals from people actively involved in orchid conservation. We are deeply concerned about the ongoing loss of orchids and orchid habitats worldwide. We want to support efforts to: 1. Protect orchids in the wild 2. Establish and maintain organizations that protect orchids and orchid habitat 3. Conduct studies related to orchid conservation 4. Educate the public about conservation in general, orchid conservation in particular, and encourage public participation in conservation Please send us: 1. A description of the project to be funded. Please address the following questions: A. What are the goals of your project? B. What methods will you use to achieve your goals? Please include a brief description of sampling techniques and approaches for data analysis, if appropriate. C. How does your project relate to our objectives, as stated above? D. How will the requested funds be used to fulfill your particular needs? E. How will you evaluate the success of your project? F. How will you publicize the results of your project? 2. A detailed budget, specifying a definite amount of money and specific use of the funds. Please do not just ask for a contribution toward some larger, overall budget. We encourage requests for up to US$2500. However, larger requests will be considered. There is no minimum request. Although we will consider applications related to multi-year projects, our funding is uncertain from year to year and we cannot make commitments for more than one year. We will consider requests from previous awardees, as well as people and organizations whose previous requests for funding have been declined. We also would appreciate a brief description of how you learned about this funding opportunity. The deadline for submissions is September 10, 2005. We hope to notify applicants by December 1, 2005. Inquiries and applications should be sent by regular mail or e-mail to: Peter S. Tobias Conservation Committee San Diego County Orchid Society 564 Arden Drive Encinitas, CA USA 92024-4501 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Additional information about the San Diego County Orchid Society can be found at www.sdorchids.com/conservation.htm ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] conservation efforts
I have to side with Carson on this if someone is going to the work of finding out where the road work is going to happen, if there are orchids to be salvaged and then salvages them, they should be allowed to sell the plants under state supervision and make some money to pay for the work. I meet Tom Nelson once, years ago, he is a great guy and is trying to both save orchids and make a living doing something he likes. If plant societies and botanical gardens want to raise groups of volunteers to do the same, great, but both groups are working to save the plants that would be destroyed by the bull dozer. They should not look down their nose at someone who is out there doing the same work, but making money at it. He is not making a fortune selling these plants. I have seen here in Iowa, where the State Department of Natural Resources has built parking lots over beds of Cyp. calceolus and not bothered to move any of the plants to other sites in the same park. Why no one who cared know the project was going to happen and those who did were not worried about the plants as there were so many. --Tom / | Tom HillsonAgriculture Computer Services Manager |(515) 294-1543 College of Agriculture | Iowa State University - |"The only thing I have too much of is too little time" At 12:09 PM -0400 7/29/05, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Thanks Carson [E. Whitlow] for your comments about Tom Nelson and his conservation efforts in Minnesota. As mentioned in the article about Tom Nelson, "some ... believe collecting plants from the wild is unethical and encourages poaching". [http://www.startribune.com/stories/418/5525283.html] Carson expresses another point of view : "those who criticize him ... would prefer the plants be destroyed than have them salvaged." Personally, I remain skeptical about selling salvaged plants to nurseries. Of course, if our orchid societies and institutions (botanical gardens and government agencies) are passive about the conservation of wild orchids, we should not be surprised that others would collect and sell them, be them individuals or nurseries. ** Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com -- ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation in Australia
A note of thanks to Alan W Stephenson for informing us about conservation activities in Australia. Every country would need such dedicated conservation officers. Congratulations and best wishes Alan ! Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation congress - report - thanks
Icones : Thanks for the note about the International Orchid Conservation Congress 2004. Will the proceedings of the congress be published ? If so, I would certainly like to get a copy. Thanks, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] Conservation in Australia - thanks
A note of thanks to Alan W Stephenson (conservation officer, Australian Orchid Council) for providing us with the elusive info about the rare orchid which is presumably threatened by lyrebirds : the Elbow Orchid, Arthrochilus huntianus. Alan wrote : "Personal comments from a Tasmanian contact indicate at this stage there is no reason to be alarmed about the well-being of the orchid." At this web address, http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/a-huntianus-nothofagicola.html the following info is provided : "The species exists in extremely low numbers, five mature individuals in a single population. The geographic distribution, area of occupancy being 0.5ha and extent of occurrence, 0.005km2, is precarious for the survival of the species. The population is in an easily accessible location and continuing decline in the species is likely due to the vulnerability of small populations to stochastic disturbance events." See a photo of a flower : http://www.users.bigpond.net.au/crowan/OutNow%20January05/IMGP3556crop.jpg *** Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation in Manitoba [Canada]
"Allison Krause is helping conserve Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the country. ... In southern Manitoba, Krause has been surveying vegetation on valuable remnants of Tall Grass Prairie. Her work includes preserving such rare flowers as Small White Lady's Slipper [Cypripedium candidum] and the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid [Platanthera praeclara]." source : http://torontosun.com/Money/2006/08/16/1758281-sun.html Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation / Everglades, Florida (US)
"Botanist Bruce Holst... director of plant collections at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, is working with the Institute for Regional Conservation and Everglades National Park to save species that are dying out and to reintroduce plants in parts of the Everglades where they've disappeared. He is also on the hunt for plants, once abundant in the Everglades that have become extinct in Florida. ... As many as 20 percent of the world's plant species are in danger of becoming extinct. South Florida, one of the most biologically diverse regions of North America, has lost about 8 percent of its native species because of changes to the ecosystem. Another 244 native species -- about 17 percent -- are critically impaired. ... The Everglades is host to 162 plants listed by the state as endangered or threatened. Of those 45 are critically impaired. There are another six native plants that are no longer found in the Everglades. It's not just housing developments and strip malls that are threatening the native plants. Thieves are also taking a heavy toll. Two orchids... once found in the Everglades, have disappeared -- largely because plant collectors have pilfered them. Habitat destruction from rising sea levels in the southern part of the park and man-made changes, such as controlling fires and diverting water, contribute to losses. The trend prompted a group of scientists to form the Institute for Regional Conservation to catalog the rare plants and to save species endemic to South Florida. That group brought Selby, and Holst in particular, into its project to save 12 plants in the Everglades, including the mule-ear orchid [Trichocentrum undulatum] . They also have targeted five other orchids... Since 2003, Holst and others have collected... seed from one mule-ear orchid capsule. They hope to continue the efforts for at least another five years, time enough to cross breed the orchid and to begin placing it in the wild. It's an important investment, said Keith Bradley, assistant director for the IRC. The disappearance of rare plants is the first sign of trouble in an ecosystem. The biologists are also monitoring the changes to the Everglades and its plant life as the Army Corps of Engineers tries to restore the Everglades and repair the damage it has done. "When you start to have stresses on an ecosystem, rare species are the first to go," Bradley said. These plants are particularly important because they tend to be on the northernmost fringes of where they occur naturally. That means these are the plants that tend to evolve to adapt to their habitat. Such evolution helps scientists chronicle the changes in the environment and in plant... life. ... Holst and the nine IRC biologists... want no one to know where they've been. A detailed catalog of tropical plants, their distinct parts, their favorite habitats and their Latin names are kept in their heads. Locations of the rare plants are also kept on their password-protected GPS monitors. "Collectors want these plants," Holst said. "All of these localities are guarded. We can't advertise them in any way." The Longgland Orchid [Macradenia lutescens] has not been reliably seen in Florida's wilds since 1966. It is considered "extirpated," meaning it no longer occurs naturally in the state. Another, the Spider Orchid [Brassia caudata ?], was last seen in Big Cypress Swamp nearly 10 years ago before it was stolen. Holst, 49, has applied for a grant to search Big Cypress Swamp after efforts to find it in the Everglades failed. He even tried finding it among a few rare-orchid collectors, with no luck. This February day Holst and Everglades biologist Jesse Hoffman are focused on the "critically impaired" mule-ear orchid, which has disappeared from Long Pine Key and is fast disappearing all together [altogether]. The orchid can be found only in Flamingo Key, a hike away from any roads or public trails... in the remote area, it's not humans that threaten the orchid but an endangered fly endemic only to Florida. Little is known about the fly, which was only recently discovered in the Everglades. Its benefits aren't clear, and so killing the flies could mean destroying something else in the web of life. The tiny insect lays its eggs inside the orchid's tender spike soon after it sprouts. The fly larvae tunnel around inside, damaging it. The withered spike can't produce a bloom, so the flowers aren't pollinated and seed capsules don't grow. Saving the orchid also means saving the fly's habitat. "The fly depends on it," Holst said. "If the orchid disappears, the fly might disappear and who knows the effect that will have" on the environment. Once pollinated, it takes nine months for an orchid [which one ?] to produce capsules that contain thousands of seeds. Once the seeds are sown on auger plates in Selby's labs, it takes about four years of care before the tiny plants -- about 2 inches tall -- can be plac
[OGD] conservation / who they are ?
"Some orchid growers have long advocated collecting species from the wild and breeding them in greenhouses as the only hope of saving them, a position at odds with many environmental groups' fight to preserve broader natural systems. ''We all feel strongly that if we're artificially propagating the plant it takes pressure off the wild,'' said Marv Ragan, a grower from Orange Park, Fla ``You're not going to keep people from wanting something, but you can make it easier to get it the right way.'' Isaias Rolando... said the goal of Peru's conservation program isn't to turn a profit but to preserve Peru's forests and protect two isolated wild orchid populations [of Phragmipeium kovachii] that have since been discovered but not yet exploited. ''The main profit is already out of the country,'' Rolando said. ``There is a big black market, and it does not belong to any Peruvians. I know who they are but I cannot say.'' [Can you ?] URL : http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/389808.html * Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation / British Columbia (Canada)
From a press release : "Conservation de la nature Canada (CNC) annonce... un... engagement à protéger 550 kilomètres carrés de vallées, de montagnes et de lacs éloignés dans le centre-sud de la Colombie-Britannique. acquisition d'une propriété... connue sous le nom de Darkwoods. ... Darkwoods est situé entre les villes de Nelson, Salmo et Creston, dans la région de West Kootenay, en Colombie-Britannique... Darkwoods... habitats d'une grande richesse biologique... abritent 29 espèces en péril à l'échelle provinciale, comme... l'Epipactis géant, une orchidée qui pousse au bord de l'eau." URL : http://www.newswire.ca/fr/releases/archive/July2008/24/c7222.html English version : http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/July2008/24/c7206.html * Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] conservation congress - report - thanks
Viateur, Yes the proceedings will be published in Selbyana and can be ordered from Selby directly. icones - Original Message - From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Friday, May 28, 2004 9:04 AM Subject: [OGD] conservation congress - report - thanks > Icones : > > Thanks for the note about the International Orchid Conservation Congress 2004. > > Will the proceedings of the congress be published ? > If so, I would certainly like to get a copy. > > Thanks, > > Viateur > ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids
[OGD] conservation / individual and collective initiatives
Thanks to Bernard [Gerrard] and Terry [A. Glancy] for letting us know about their conservation efforts. I guess that Tom Nelson's salvaging actions in Minnesota can also, in some way, contribute to the conservation of wild orchids. I would be interested to know of collective efforts (by orchid societies, botanical gardens, government agencies in any country) with the same objective. *** Regards, Viateur ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation officer (Australia) / a note of appreciation
A note of thanks to Alan W Stephenson for informing us on conservation issues in Australia. Every national orchid society would need such a dedicated orchidophile. Who is your orchid conservation officer in your region or country ? *** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation -- Gavilea kingii (Hook.f.) M.N.Correa / Patagonia (Chile)
" "conservación de la orquídea magallánica, Gavileo[a] K[k]ingii. ... proyecto de educación ambiental... desarrollado durante un año en el área de conservación del parque rey Don Felipe, en las inmediaciones de Fuerte Bulnes" URL : http://radiopolar.com/noticia.php?id_not=15143&a=&m=&d= photo : http://radiopolar.com/images/noticias/20071211135445.jpg ** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] conservation // Clint and Ella Rush Prairie Wildlife Sanctuary / Iowa (US)
"study... species of... flora... the Fayette County Conservation board [FCCB]... a pristine ecosystem... acquisition... the Clint and Ella Rush Farm, south of West Union... The "Clint and Ella Rush Prairie Wildlife Sanctuary," will offer unique opportunities to study the... native prairie - for school groups and university students... [Fayette County Conservation Director Rod Marlatt] said. This spring, the FCCB, with financial assistance from Fayette County Pheasants Forever and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, purchased a 25 percent interest in the 234-acre farm, at a cost of about $178,000. Owners retaining 75 percent ownership of the property, recently gave the conservation board a perpetual conservation easement and control over the full 234 acres of land. About 90 acres of the site is considered a native prairie with some wetlands. The remaining acreage will continue to be rented out and farmed. ... Among the more unusual plants identified, are the green orchid, and a Northern Prairie Fringed Orchid. The conservation director [Rod Marlatt] said it is the intent of the board to divide the 90 acres into 10 different management blocks and work to preserve one block at a time. The conservation board has been working to help preserve the Rush farm since 1993. Brush has been cleared along with fast-growing trees such as cottonwoods. In some of the Conservation Reserve Program filter strips, conservationists have seen a dramatic increase in native flora. Marlatt said native flora needs sunlight to grow and bloom. He expects to use controlled prairie burns to keep brush from overtaking the pristine prairie." URL : http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1896&dept_id=130713&newsid=19837281&PAG=461&rfi=9 *** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
