Hilo Orchid Society donates to Orchid Conservation Alliance

At their monthly meeting Jan. 11, Hilo Orchid Society members presented a donation of $1,000 to the Orchid Conservation Alliance (OCA).

At their monthly meeting Jan. 11, Hilo Orchid Society members presented a donation of $1,000 to the Orchid Conservation Alliance (OCA).

The alliance protects orchid habitats, preserving many species of orchids in the same space, even ones not yet identified, as well as the ecosystems in which they exist.

The OCA’s website states, “In their natural setting, orchids are subject to the environmental pressures that led to their evolution in the first place, and thus they are most at home there. Preserving habitats, with many individuals of each species, preserves a broad variety of genetic diversity that will help the populations adjust to environmental change.

“Habitat protection includes preservation of the natural processes that provide the water, light and climatic conditions to which the plants are adapted. Intact habitat also includes the other organisms, plant and animal, that live in that system, including the pollinators that are necessary for the plants’ continued reproduction.”

The contribution demonstrates Hilo Orchid Society’s commitment to protecting the environment.

Accepting the contribution was Ron Kaufmann, Ph.D., chair of the San Diego County Orchid Society Conservation Committee and associate professor of marine science and environmental studies at the University of San Diego. He is one of the founders of the Orchid Conservation Alliance, and was the speaker Jan. 11 during the Hilo Orchid Society meeting.

The check was presented by Larry Kuekes, HOS president, and Pauline Brault, a past president of the HOS and strong supporter of OCA.

Visit the Hilo Orchid Society website at www.hiloorchidsociety.org to learn more about the organization.