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ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY – MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Endangered Species Day

May 16th has been designated Endangered Species Day – a celebration of wildlife and wild places in the United States. We take this opportunity to shine the spotlight on our federally listed orchids – the threats they face and a few of the people and organizations involved in their conservation. These 8 orchids are just a few that can be found throughout North America. Many others have been designated threatened or endangered at the state level. As we learn more about the orchid’s life cycle, habitat requirements, reliance on specific pollinators and the essential role fungi play in seedling establishment, we should recognize all of our orchids could be vulnerable.

AWARENESS: Learning to identify our native orchids is the first step towards effective conservation. We encourage you to visit our companion site, Go Orchids, to learn more. Go Orchids is being developed not just as a desktop resource but as a tool to identify orchids in the field. Sometimes, just knowing what an orchid looks like can have a significant impact. Not seen in New York since 1976, the Small Whorled Pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) was believed extirpated in the state until a population was discovered in a state park in 2010. In West Virginia, a planned highway construction project was altered when it threatened a newly discovered Small Whorled Pogonia colony. The site for the bridge was moved, and a long-term monitoring program was established to track the health of the colony.

GET INVOLVED: Not sure how to find a project in your area? Start with Our Partners. These organizations offer a variety of opportunities for volunteers to get involved in conservation. Many orchid societies have conservation committees that focus efforts on local orchid issues. Your state’s Natural Heritage Program and Native Plant Society focus not just on orchids, but other plants that may be threatened in your area and provide opportunities to help protect them.

DONATE: Many conservation activities depend on volunteers. Consider supporting their efforts by contributing to purchase equipment and field supplies. Even a small donation, when pooled with many others, can have a significant impact. Organizations such as the Nature Conservancy can combine donations to acquire vital habitat that can be protected.

Endangered Species Day is an opportunity for all of us to learn about the importance of protecting our native orchids and actions we can take to help conserve them.

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