New Hampshire
Connections
 We are beginning a
project to track the populations
of all types of New Hampshire native orchids over several years. If you have or know of an orchid
population near you about which you could collect data, please contact Jean
Stefanik. More information about this special project by the New
Hampshire Orchid Society can be found here. |
The New
Hampshire State Park system protects numerous expanses of local
habitat. Did you know that contributions to the moose
plate automobile registration channels funds to conservation projects
throughout the state?
Interested in knowing more about rare plants in New
Hampshire? Check out the NH
Natural Heritage Bureau which has links to state laws regarding rare
plants and animals as well as other conservation information. For
specific information go the lists
and forms section of the Heritage Bureau web site, which is in the
publications section.
The New
England Wildflower Society has several chapters including one in New
Hampshire. Their mission includes rare plant monitoring,
education, and invasive plant removal.
The Audubon
Society and New
Hampshire Audubon Society manages several conservation areas and native
orchids can be seen in many of them. Check out the locations of
walking, hiking, and canoe/kayak opportunities in New Hampshire and the
surrounding states. Ponemah
Bog, for example is visited seasonally by NHOS members.
The Nature
Conservancy locations in New Hampshire provide opportunities as well.
"The
Reading Room" on the Orchid Mall web site has some great
information about native North American orchids. Here you will also
find links to CITES web sites and many others related to orchid
conservation.
Florida Opportunities
Traveling to Florida in your future? Interested in
volunteering some of your time? Be sure to look into the
"real" Florida which contains opportunities for exploration
including orchids. The private, national and state
park system in Florida is extensive and includes a wide variety of
habitats and micro-environments. Places in
particular worth exploring include the Everglades
National Park which is the largest, with campgrounds, walking trails,
canoe trails, and boardwalks. Check out the
mile long boardwalk in Corkscrew
Sanctuary which is known for its plants and birdlife
especially.
And of course, don't let a visit to South Florida go
by without visiting the Fakahatchee
Strand Reserve State Park which is adjacent to Big Cypress National Park
and the Everglades. Fakahatchee was made famous by the
Susan Orleans book "The Orchid Thief" as well as the Nicholas
Cage/Meryl Streep/Chris Cooper movie
"Adaptation". Members of the NH Orchid
Society travel to Florida, check with Jean Stefanik if such an
adventure sparks your interest - she's spent a fair amount of time
volunteering and traveling there.
The American
Orchid Society is located in the town of Delray,
Florida. Check out their gardens and their conservation
and education programs.
Conservation Projects in Ecuador
Our society began supporting El Pahuma Orchid Reserve through the CEIBA
Foundation for Tropical Conservation at our 2004 show where over $1000 was
raised. The New Hampshire Orchid Society added to this amount
earmarked to purchase 750 acres of pristine cloud forest adjacent to the
current 1500 acres of El Pahuma. Several other New England area
societies also contributed. For more information about El Pahuma and
the CEIBA Foundation contact Ceiba
Foundation for Tropical Conservation.
NHOS Education and Conservation Chairperson Jean Stefanik traveled to
Ecuador to volunteer at El Pahuma in September and October 2004.
During her volunteer experience she lived with the Ecuadorian family, hiked
steep trails with wild orchids in abundance to cascading waterfalls, was
surrounded by orchids, bromeliads and hummingbirds in the gardens, and
visited other local orchid and butterfly sanctuaries in the area. In
addition to connecting with members of the Quito
Orchid Society, Jean volunteered at the currently being renovated Quito
Botanical Orchid Collection including participating in rescue of orchids
doomed by road construction.
One of the "must see" highlights of visiting Ecuador is Ecuagenera
located in Gualaceo high in the southern Andes. This orchid plantation
is home to 1.5 million plants, most of which include the majority of the
3000 species native to Ecuador. Ecuagenera's mission includes
conservation and education in action, not just words. Please
check out articles in the January and September issues of Orchids magazine.
Jean Stefanik will be the speaker at the March NHOS meeting, and will be
showing slides of her trip to Ecuador. Possibilities for a NHOS field
trip to Ecuador will be discussed. Interested??
Our
April 2005 speaker, Eric Christenson, mentioned his involvement in an orchid
conservation project in Peru. Please be sure to visit the Andes
to Amazon Botany Project to read about the many projects in Peru,
including the orchid
project which will study the diversity and ecology of orchids (Orchidaceae)
in the Andes-Amazon region of Southeastern Peru.
Several conservation organizations provide short term
eco-tourism opportunities. One of the most well known is Earthwatch,
based in Massachusetts. You can join projects like "Rare Plants
of Kenya", "Restoring Costa Rica's Rainforest", "Puerto
Rico's Rainforest", "Biodiversity of the Grenadines" and
"Butterflies and Orchids of Spain". Your contributions and
volunteer work support field research scientists from around the world, and
a large portion may even be tax deductible. Contact Jean
Stefanik who has participated in two expeditions for firsthand
information.
