S.O.S.—Save Orchids in Your State

Abstract

When considering orchid conservation, we often think of faraway tropical places, but native plants are being driven to extinction right in our own backyards. The author outlines a program to organize local groups to survey and protect native orchids. The Partners for Colorado Native Plants (PCNP) is working with the Denver Botanic Gardens to recruit and train teams of volunteers to help census and monitor wild orchid populations. Together they are gathering the data needed to have appropriate species designated as threatened, as well as developing site management plans to protect these vanishing treasures. PCNP, which is modeled after the Plants of Concern program run by the Chicago Botanic Garden and Chicago Wilderness, is uniting orchid hobbyists, gardeners, students, retirees, and plant lovers to take on scientific fieldwork usually conducted by professional botanists. After completing the free training, volunteers are deployed by many state and federal agencies to staff programs otherwise stymied by a lack of funding. PCNP is building a grassroots organization to extend the reach of existing botanical institutions to achieve shared conservation goals.