 With an ongoing commitment to research and development, the Vallarta Botanical Gardens AC has been the recipient of generous grants and other forms of support from various sources. The San Diego County Orchid Society Conservation Committee has awarded $2500 USD for the establishment of a propagation and reintroduction program for threatened orchids of the Southern Pacific Slope of Mexico. Phase one of the program will be a field study to begin documention the endangered orchids in the region of the Gardens.
The American Orchid Society has awarded a $10,000 USD grant for a ‘planning charrette’ to develop an orchid conservation plan for the Cabo Corrientes region. This prestigious award will bring together researchers, landowners and government officials to form a comprehensive orchid conservation plan. George and Mary Ellen Holstein have issued a matching grant challenge of $5000 USD towards the goal of building an orchid propagation laboratory. Once it is operational, this facility will be able to produce orchid seedlings to reintroduce endangered orchids into the wild.
The Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), has donated $17,000 USD of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. This advanced mapping software, will allow people to click on a botanical garden to see information such as its location, name, plant collections, visitor flow, square footage, items for sale, trails and origins of plant collections. The possibilities of this software are endless, as it can be used for education and planning and also to map the location of endangered plants in the region. The Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust has awarded $10,000 USD for trail construction and maintenance in the gardens. This has been used to facilitate safety upgrades in the Coffee, Chocolate and Vanilla Garden as well as the Fern Grotto.
To learn more about Gardens, go to www.vallartabotanicalgardensac.org.
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