Announcements

I’m delighted if the loan of one my undescribed lichens has contributed to such an effective grass roots organization as the Ancient Forest Alliance – a group definitely to watch! My understanding is that the top bid of $4,000 is a major boost for them.

As a taxonomist, I’m also delighted if my work can in some way help to preserve critical habitats for the organisms I study. As this is a first trial run of taxonomic tithing in Canada, I accept that it will take time for Canadians really to get behind this new method of conservation fund raising. I feel certain that future auctions of this kind will bring in even more funding as the public becomes aware of the honour inherent in being linked, even if only in name, to other living species that share this planet with us.

In the event, we couldn’t have asked for a more appropriate benefactor for this new initiative. I salute B.C. Nature artist Anne Hansen for her efforts to make a positive difference in the world through her beautiful art work and now, in addition, through her contribution to the Ancient Forest Alliance. It gives my colleagues Saara Velmala and Leena Myllys and me real pleasure to name this new hair lichen in honour of Anne’s late husband, the horticulturist and author Henry Kock, whose work as a conservationist really deserves to be recognized. From this day forward, Henry’s name will be remembered in Bryoria kockiana – a name I expect to last as long as our civilization does.

Trevor Goward

“Name that Lichen” auction closes 15 December. Researcher challenges Canadians to give something back to Canada and at the same time honour a loved one – or favourite hockey team – in the name of a native species: the perfect Canadian Christmas gift.

Public auctions for naming rights to two recently discovered lichens will close on 15 December, with proceeds going to two B.C. environmental groups: The Land Conservancy (TLC) of British Columbia (   www.conservancy.bc.ca/), working to create a much-needed wildlife corridor for Wells Gray Provincial Park; and the Ancient Forest Alliance (AFA) (   https://16.52.162.165/), gearing up to protect B.C.’s remaining oldgrowth forests.

The two lichen species were discovered in B.C.’s rainforests by botanical researcher Trevor Goward. According to scientific protocol, the right to give a new species its scientific name goes to the person who describes it. However, an online auction running on each organization’s website since June will earn the highest bidders the right to name these lichens – whether after loved ones, themselves, or whomever they choose.

“This is as Canadiana as it gets,” says Trevor. “With Christmas coming, here’s a perfect opportunity to give something back to Canada and at the same time honour a loved one – or a favourite hockey team – by naming a Canadian lichen after them”. “It’s been almost three centuries since Carolus Linnaeus invented the modern biological classification system; and even now the names of the people he honoured in the name of various plants and animals are still with us. With any luck, your name will last at least as long as Canada does. Not even Stephen Harper could hope for more than that.”

Lichens are small organisms often mistaken for plants, but perhaps better thought of as cooperative (symbiotic) unions of fungi and algae: fungi that have discovered agriculture https://www.waysofenlichenment.net/ .

The lichen being donated to the Ancient Forest Alliance is a “Horsehair Lichen” or Bryoria, which forms elegant black tresses on the branches of trees. “These are the lichens that provide winter food for the Mountain Caribou, British Columbia’s version of Santa’s reindeer,” says Trevor. “Without lichens, caribou and reindeer would soon disappear; and where would Santa Clause be then”?

For the Land Conservancy, Trevor chose an undescribed “Crottle Lichen,” or Parmelia, consisting of strap-like lobes pale greyish above and black below. Hummingbirds use Crottle Lichens to camouflage their tiny nests, fastening it to the outside using strands of spider web. It too inhabits the branches of trees, and grows in the Clearwater Valley, where Trevor is working with TLC Goward on a Christmas present for BC Parks: a wildlife corridor linking the two southern lobes of Wells Gray Provincial Park: https://waysofenlichenment.net/wells/corridor project. TLC and its partners need to raise $350,000 for this project.

Recently Trevor decided to auction off the naming rights to some of his newly discovered species in an initiative he calls “taxonomic tithing”:   www.waysofenlichenment.net/tithe/home . “Thousands of new species are described every year,” notes Trevor. “If our auction is successful, it could inspire taxonomists around the world to get involved in auctions of this kind: a whole new niche for conservation fundraising! My dream is that Canadians will lead the way on this initiative!

“I whole-heartedly support efforts to set aside biologically critical portions of B.C.’s forestlands. Putting my new species up for auction for two highly-deserving environmental organizations – one working to protect public lands and the other private lands – allows me to give something back to my home province,” says Goward. “Lately Canadians haven’t been very good at looking after their country. I believe we can do better. What better time to begin than at Christmas”?

Goward is an internationally acclaimed lichenologist who has described about two dozen species and genera of lichens, mostly in western Canada. He is curator of lichens at the University of British Columbia and author of more than 100 scientific papers and several books. His work can be found at:  https://www.waysofenlichenment.net/portal. Goward lives in the Clearwater Valley near Wells Gray Provincial Park north of Kamloops, B.C.

To make a bid, visit the Ancient Forest Alliance’s website https://16.52.162.165/ or phone 250-896-4007, or contact The Land Conservancy at www.conservancy.bc.ca/ or phone 1-877-485-2422. The auction closes on 15 December.

Direct link you YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWqG5atcOzg

Make a bid at  https://16.52.162.165/news-item.php?ID=233 for the naming rights to a species of newly discovered bryoria or “horsehair” lichen as part of a conservation fundraising effort to protect BC’s old-growth forests. This is a trial run of “taxonomic tithing” whereby BC botanical researcher Trevor Goward has donated the naming rights for a new species to a conservation organization – if the auction is successful, it could inspire other taxonomists to help conservation fundraising efforts for wildlife and ecosystems around the planet! 

WHY Should YOU Make a Bid for this New Species?

1. Your name would be enshrined as a legacy that could endure as long as our civilization lasts!

Having your name – or that of a loved one, your favourite celebrity, role model, hero, sports team – linked to a living species is a legacy that lasts a long time. It has been almost three centuries since the modern system of biological classification was developed by Carolus Linnaeus; and even now the names of people after whom he christened various plants and animals are still with us. With any luck your name will endure as long as our civilization does. Not even Shakespeare could hope for more than that!

2. It will help set a precedent for a potentially successful new way to raise millions of dollars for conservation around the world!

Thousands of new species are described by taxonomists every year.  If this fundraiser is successful, it will help to create a model that could convince other taxonomists to support conservation organizations, raising millions of dollars for conservation around the world for the Earth’s diverse ecosystems and biodiversity!

3. You will greatly help British Columbia’s leading – and leanest – environmental organization working at the forefront of the campaign to protect British Columbia’s endangered old-growth forests.

The old-growth forests of British Columbia are among the most magnificent forests on the planet, harbouring trees with trunks as wide as living rooms and that tower as tall as downtown skyscrapers. These forests are home to some of the largest and most charismatic animal species on Earth, including grizzly bears, mountain lions, wolves, and mountain caribou, and some of the most endangered species, like the spotted owl and white-headed woodpecker.

The Ancient Forest Alliance has generated huge media coverage, public awareness, and policy influence in less than 2 years since its founding – with only a tiny fraction of the funding base compared to other major environmental organizations. The organization has built vital new support among tourism businesses, First Nations, politicians, forestry workers, and a large diversity of citizens that will ultimately lead to success if the campaign is adequately funded.

See more fascinating details about lichens and taxonomic tithing from Trevor Goward at: https://waysofenlichenment.net/tithe/introduction