Irises under threat
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Irises under threat
- From: "* E* &* S* E* <a*@sympatico.ca>
- Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1998 08:56:09 -0600 (MDT)
I was very interested in Jeff's reference to the World Conservation
Union announcement that 32% (almost 1 in 3) of all naturally occurring
species of Iridaceae (iris and irids) are under threat of extinction.
After the species iris conference in St. Louis and particularly
Rodionenko's speech in which he identified a number of species under
threat of extinction, I wrote a long letter to the SIGNA President, with
copies to the leading experts who attended the conference, proposing a
major effort to obtain funds to identify irises at risk. Having worked
for many years in the field of R&D funding, I felt that such funds were
available from some of the world bodies, and other sources. Only Jim
Waddick replied to my letter and he concluded that SIGNA was incapable
of dealing with such and issue. There was no response from SIGNA for 18
months and, when I finally met the president, he seems quite
uninterested in the subject - not even an apology for not replying! I
must admit this annoyed me as I have been responsible for Ministerial
letters in one government department when over 60 letters/day were sent
a reply, signed by the Minister, all within a deadline of 6 working days
after reception!
I also wrote the terms of reference for the World Iris Association,
found on Mike Lowe's website, which proposed that one of the focuses of
a WIA would be cooperative and integrated effort on conservation between
the various iris societies and members around the world. In this case,
all e-mails to Mike and others to find out what has happened on the WIA
proposals during discussions in Detroit and Hadlow have been ignored.
Thus, my experience so far is that the irises have to try and survive on
their own as they can expect little help from irisians!
Ian, in Ottawa
