Nation's
Wealthy Orchid Capital Threatened
By Third World Type Problems
Decades of poaching, deforestation, loss of wetlands, and the growing
needs of a rapidly expanding population are the problems many endangered
plants and animals face in third world countries - and the wilderness
backyard of Naples, Florida -- one of the nation's wealthiest communities.
This is especially troubling as the wild areas surrounding Naples
hold the highest concentration of native orchid species anywhere in
the United States including Hawaii. Some of these, however, may already
be extinct in the area. And if these problems continue, more species
will soon follow. To prevent this from happening, a small group of
local experts is announcing the launch of the Native Orchid Restoration
Project.
Two years ago, a small group from the Naples Orchid Society began
to put together ideas for the conservation of native orchids. At the
same time, Larry Richardson, wildlife biologist for Florida Panther
National Wildlife Refuge (FPNWR), was applying for a grant to do the
same thing. When they found out about each other, they immediately
decided to work together to create the Native Orchid Restoration Project
(NORP). The group is now partially funded by a grant from the National
Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C. Since then, the group
organized to become a not-for-profit group, created a master plan
for orchid restoration, and filed the necessary paperwork to collect
orchid seedpods from public lands like FPNWR.
With all the foundation laid, NORP announced their plans publicly
to the media at an informational briefing on January 8th at Caribbean
Gardens in Naples. By April of this year, the group's laboratory will
be completed at FPNWR. Plans for a greenhouse at the site are also
in the works, but await funding. From these buildings, native orchids
will be propagated and reestablished back on public lands where their
populations have been reduced or lost altogether.
In addition, NORP's plans also include preventing future poaching
by making quality native orchids more readily available to the public.
In partnership with Caribbean Gardens in Naples, a second greenhouse
will be constructed on site at the botanical garden. From there, NORP
will propagate a separate group of orchids from seed stock and private
ownership which can make their way into the hands of private orchid
enthusiasts who wish to appreciate the beauty of these extraordinary
plants in their own gardens and homes. "We are very excited about
restoration and I couldn't be happier to assist, especially with education
about the Everglades, " said Tim Tetzlaff, director of education for
Caribbean Gardens. "My parents (Lawrence and Nancy Jane Tetzlaff)
have been environmental advocates for this region since the 1960s
when they first did an educational presentation called The Vanishing
Everglades." Public awareness for native orchids and their
plight is also critical. NORP has already placed native orchids at
Caribbean Gardens including a rare cigar orchid for the zoo's 180,000
annual visitors to appreciate. Tetzlaff indicated that more orchids
will be introduced and labeled with educational graphics as the project
progresses.
In addition to FPNWR and Caribbean Gardens, NORP sports an impressive
list of other partners including the Smithsonian Environmental Research
Center, Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve,
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Naples Orchid Society, Picayune Strand
State Forest, Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Corkscrew
Swamp Sanctuary and National Audubon Society. Lee Hoffman, President
of NORP explains, "Joining with these partners allows NORP to consolidate
the vast amount of resources spread throughout the partners and create
a common collective knowledge available to all. This common collective
knowledge gives NORP the tremendous ability for success in research
because of the greater information available at the beginning of a
project. And when new information is gained through research or wild
discoveries, that data can be easily shared to all."
And since many native orchids are found on private land throughout
the state, NORP is hoping that the announcement of the group will
reach landowners who would be willing to allow NORP to acquire select
seed stock from their property for propagation. "The public lands
permits take time, but a simple signature is all that's required from
a private person who wants to help orchid restoration immediately,"
said Hoffman.
NORP is also setting about the task of documenting where orchids used
to be found and in what quantities. "We've got a combined list of
about twenty-five experts to interview already," said Connie Bransilver,
nature photographer and chair of oral histories for NORP. "The associations
with other plants and specific pollinators present an exciting research
opportunity for regional graduate students." Bransilver took on the
task for NORP as she will be interviewing many of these same people
for an upcoming book on native orchids, a follow-up to a book she
did with Richardson: Florida's Unsung Wilderness: The Swamps.
"We're living at an important time for native orchids and all wildlife
in this area. We want to make sure we can look our grandchildren in
the eye and say we did everything we could," states Hoffman. The Native
Orchid Restoration Project is now able to take on members and is approved
to accept tax-deductible donations and in-kind services. Please contact
Lee Hoffman at (239) 430-8079 or via e-mail
for more information on how you can become involved in restoring native
orchids.
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