Webinar – Future Direction of the Million Orchid Project: Potential for New Natural Experiments 

Join us on Wednesday, July 16 at 2pm for our webinar “Future Direction of the Million Orchid Project – Potential for New Natural Experiments” presented by Dr. Jason Downing, Director of Research at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden .

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden has established the Million Orchid Project (MOP), the world’s largest educational outreach program dedicated to orchid conservation. The MOP has successfully out-planted more than 700,000 native orchids into urban landscapes with the ultimate goal of reestablishing one million plants in the region. The project is unique in its scale, its experimental nature, its focus on public spaces and its involvement of the local community.

In this talk, Director of Research, and Fairchild’s resident orchid biologist, Jason Downing will introduce the Million Orchid Project, explore the journey to the reintroduction of 700,000 orchids in southern Florida, and propose strategies for sowing orchid seeds directly into their natural habitats.

Originally from Kansas City, Jason completed his B.S. in Biology at the University of Kansas. After graduation, he relocated to Miami to start his graduate studies at the University of Miami, working as the assistant to the curator for the Gifford Arboretum. He completed his M.S. in Environmental Science and a Ph.D. in Biology at Florida International University in 2016. During his graduate tenure he held positions at Fairchild Garden and Smithsonian Environmental Research Center working on research related to orchid ecology, mycorrhizal, genetics and conservation. He has also been working in orchid conservation in Florida, China, SE Asia and the Caribbean for over 10 years. He is currently the Director of Research at Fairchild Garden where he focuses on orchid research, propagation, education and conservation. Most notably their internationally recognized citizen science program, The Million Orchid Project, is now the largest public outreach program focused on orchids in the world.  Their orchid research, with over 40,000 K-12 and undergraduate students, has led to over 600,000 native orchids being replanted into the public landscapes of South Florida. The conservation and research have been published in peer reviewed journals and publicized through various media outlets, most notably National Public Radio, National Geographic, In Defense of Plants podcast and numerous local and national news outlets.