"endemic plants are very important to the Cayman Islands. Deputy Managing Director for Engineering and Operations Paul Parchment said: "Very important. Important enough to halt road-works and heavy machinery for weeks."
And for the last three weeks, that's been the situation in a section of George Town woodland through which the Linford Pierson Highway extension is to run. "Initially, a large roundabout was planned there and that would have forced us to clear an area in which very rare Ghost Orchids (Dendropha[no a]ylax fawcettii) found only in Grand Cayman, have been discovered," Mr Parchment explained. The discovery prompted the NRA's board of directors to have the road re-engineered and redesigned, ensuring that disturbance to the area is now greatly reduced. "The roundabout has been removed from that section of road and we've arched it as far as we possibly can, without compromising safety, making the roadway mostly skirt or border the area," he said. In the meantime, all work has stopped to allow the Orchid Society's Chairman of Orchid Rescue Sue Gibb and Cayman Nature's Ann Stafford to hike the area and remove the endangered plants. The orchids have gone to the Society's shade house at the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park to await replanting. "We really appreciate government's collaboration in rescuing these plants," Ms Gibb said. "We seldom get an opportunity to go in and rescue native flora when developers are clearing land. We hope that this will signal other companies undertaking large projects requiring excavation to work with us." Some of the rescued plants are destined to be part of the Botanic Park's planned orchid garden. The remaining ones will be re-established in the wild in areas mimicking their original habitat. Until then the orchids, which do not require soil to survive but instead attach themselves to tree branches, will be tended by Orchid Society members. Cayman Nature's Ann Stafford and Orchid Society members have also been busy making arrangements to remove other endemic plants (found only in the Cayman Islands) from the same section of George Town woodland. These include... Wild Banana Orchid (Myrmecophila thomsoniana var. thomsoniana)... The NRA is totally committed to this environmental protection project," Mr Parchment said. "However long it takes for the plant rescue to finish, we are prepared to wait." " URL : http://www.caymannetnews.com/news-6806--1-1--.html ****************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
