VOTE for Orchid Conservation

Beginning August 6, you have the opportunity to participate in the Smithsonian’s Summer Showdown to raise the profile of projects taking place right here is Wisconsin. The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) is partnering with The Ridges Sanctuary in Door County, WI on their orchid research and restoration project. Please help to raise the profile of this project and other orchid conservation efforts by participating in the Summer Showdown. Details about this competition are outlined below:

ABOUT THE SHOWDOWN

The Smithsonian Summer Showdown is a bracket-style voting competition for the public to choose the most amazing thing at or about the Smithsonian. The Smithsonian museums, research and cultural centers, and zoo, nominate contestants in their subject category (art, science, history or culture) and then battle the other contestants on social media with educational and entertaining posts to convince the public that their contestant should win. The public gets introduced to the many aspects of the Smithsonian through a fun competition where they have to choose between contestants, allowing them to learn more about parts of the Smithsonian they didn’t know about before.

SERC’s nominee is the North American Orchid Conservation Center. There are three rounds of voting, and the public can vote online once a day at http://www.showdown.si.edu/.

Showdown Timetable:

Round 1 (Thursday, Aug. 6 – Wednesday, Aug. 12) – Public votes once in each category (science, art, history, culture). The top three advance. NAOCC needs to be one of the top three for science to remain in the competition.

Round 2 (Thursday, Aug. 13-Tuesday, Aug 18) – Public votes once in each category. The top entry in each category advances.

Round 3 (Wednesday, Aug. 19-Monday, Aug. 24) – Public votes on Final Four.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 – Winner crowned

WHAT WILL APPEAR ON THE SHOWNDOWN WEB SITE ABOUT NAOCC

Smithsonian Environmental Research Center

North American Orchid Conservation

CONTACTS: Kristen Minogue; Heather Soulen

PICK ME: Protecting the world’s smartest plants

ABOUT ME: More than 200 orchid species blossom in North America. Over half are threatened or endangered somewhere. Beautiful, cunning and occasionally deceptive, orchids are also red flags for extinction. When an environment is in danger, orchids are often the first to go. That’s why scientists launched the Conservation Center, a continent-wide network based at the Smithsonian: because saving orchids can hold the key to saving entire ecosystems.