GCOS Conservation

GCOS offers several field trips a year to view local native orchids.  We also work with the Native Orchid Coalition; Ohio Natural Areas & Preserves Association and Native Orchid Preservation and Education Society with conservation and invasive plant removal.

In addition to member activities, we support other organization activities thru a small grant each year.

GCOS believes that viewing native orchids and supporting preservation leads to greater understanding, appreciation and concerns regarding endangered and threatened species.

We accept directed donations to our conservation efforts.

Cincinnati Wild Flower Preservation Society

 Dedicated to sharing information about and preserving area native plants, this organization schedules “Give Back Days” several times a year when members remove invasive plants in parks and nature preserves. This is incredibly important work as invasive plants are out-competing native plants. 

The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden

 The CREW Plant Research Division maintains the In Vitro Collection and the Frozen Garden® in CREW’s CryoBioBank. These focus on Threatened Exceptional Plants or threatened plant species for which seed banking is not an option for long term ex situ conservation.  

Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust

Native orchids, especially Angraecoids, are regularly becoming extinct in Madagascar. Durrell’s biggest field program works on species and habitats in at least six sites there, all of which have wild orchids.

 The Ohio Natural Areas and Preserves Association (ONAPA) is an all-volunteer, state-wide, non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of Ohio’s natural areas. The main roles of the Ohio Natural Areas & Preserves Association are to: 

1. Provide a support group for the sustainable management of state nature preserves as well as other natural areas around the state. 
2. Educate, promote and advance natural areas issues within the Ohio General Assembly as well as with the general public. 
3. Promote the protection of rare species of plants and animals and rare ecosystems.  

 Working to Educate the Community about Native Orchids 

Aims to increase awareness and encourage/provide/support activities that will help conserve the habitats that native orchids need to flourish

Educational visits to  various locations to observe in situ native orchids while protecting orchids and their habitats.

Work with interested people in the area providing displays and presentations of native orchids and their habitats

 The North American Orchid Conservation Center is a coalition of organizations dedicated to conserving our orchid heritage. Established as a collaborative effort by the Smithsonian Institution, and the United States Botanic Garden. NAOCC is based at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and includes units at the National Zoological Park, National Museum of Natural History and Smithsonian Gardens. Joining us are public and private organizations committed to the survival of our native orchids through efforts to preserve habitats, create and maintain national collections of seeds and orchid mycorrhizal fungi, and support research on orchid ecology, conservation and restoration. Go Orchids is NAOCC's first effort to reach out to the public and focus attention on orchids throughout North America.