Name: Using community science to understand and protect a rare orchid species
Start: 2026-10-09T10:45:00-0600
End: 2026-10-09T11:15:00-0600

Using community science to understand and protect a rare orchid species

LIMITED

Friday October 9, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am MDT

Apache Plume

Limited Capacity seats available

Since 2013, the Bear River Land Conservancy has recruited community science participants to track the population dynamics of a rare orchid, Ute Ladies'-tresses (Spiranthes diluvialis) at its Mendon Meadow Preserve in Cache Valley. Every August, volunteers locate, count, and map blossoming plants, providing valuable information about the population dynamics of the species, which has been designated as Threatened by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Through our annual surveys, we have learned that mature populations fluctuate greatly from year to year, as we found just 28 flowering specimens in the drought-stricken year of 2021 but more than 1,400 two years later. Due to its unusual biology, the number of flowering orchids at Mendon Meadow spikes every three years; it's possible that surveys in low-blossom years have helped support a perception that the plant is in danger of extinction, but new populations have been found in recent years and the species has now been proposed for removal from the Threatened and Endangered Species list. One reason for that recommendation is the sustained attention and protection given to Ute Ladies'-tresses at Mendon Meadow.

Speakers

Mark Brunson

Science director, Canyonlands Research Center, Bear River Land Conservancy

Mark Brunson is Science Director for The Nature Conservancy's Canyonlands Research Center in southeastern Utah and also a volunteer for the Bear River Land Conservancy in far northern Utah. He is passionate about native plants and the insects that rely on them, and really about everything... Read More →

Friday October 9, 2026 10:45am - 11:15am MDT
Apache Plume

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Utah PlantFest 2026

Mark Brunson

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Utah PlantFest 2026

Mark Brunson

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