The Museum of Discovery and Science will team up with the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society to install more than 100 native orchids into the Fort Lauderdale Museum’s Science Park on July 19.
“This partnership ensures the museum is doing its part in preserving native and tropical flora and seeding conservation actions among guests,” said Joseph P. Cox, president and CEO of the Museum of Discovery and Science. “Conservation extends to all of nature. It is about the interactions between people and ecosystems, as well as habitats and plants. As part of the Hub for Resilience Education, we ensure that our conservation efforts are well rounded to assist the environment as much as we possibly can.”
The Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society is a partner of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Million Orchid Project, the largest educational outreach program dedicated to orchid conservation. This summer, the society will install almost 5,000 orchids into the South Florida landscape. Fairchild has propagated, distributed, and planted hundreds of thousands of native orchids with the ultimate goal of re-establishing one million native orchids in the region.
“This partnership will create a truly unique educational exhibit that will help museum visitors learn more about Florida’s native orchids,” said Gerritt Stryker, a conservation team and board member of the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society. “At its core, conservation starts with education and awareness.”
South Florida was once an orchid paradise, with a variety of tropical orchids growing naturally on the branches of trees. The Atlas of Florida Plants outlines that out of Florida’s 106 native orchid species, 58 are endangered and 18 species are threatened.
Facebook Comments