May 2011 - Ron Kaufmann

Our speaker in May will be Ron Kaufmann, who is no stranger to POS. Many of you may recall is previous visit to out society last year and his memorable talk on his travels to Ecuador. This month Ron will share with us his orchid experiences in Columbia. His talk entitled "Searching for Orchids in Colombia" will highlight his trip to discover orchids in Colombia in preparation for an upcoming tour he is organizing to benefit the Orchid Conservation Alliance. Colombia is one of the most orchid-rich countries in the world, with over 3,000 described species. Ron's talk will cover orchids in the wild, in reserves and at several nurseries that are cultivating native Colombian orchids. This is definitely a presentation not to be missed!

As many of our members know, Ron has been extensively involved in orchid conservation, being a member of the SDCOS Conservation Committee for more than 10 years and Chair since 2004. Since 1991, the Conservation Committee has awarded over $150,000 to support projects in 20 different countries. Ron also helped to found the Orchid Conservation Alliance and serves on the boards of the OCA, EcoMinga Foundation (a conservation foundation based in Ecuador) and Orchid Digest Corporation. Ron has been a regular contributor to the Orchid Digest since 2003, when he began writing the Webwatch column that appears in each issue.

Dr. Kaufmann's interest in orchid conservation meshes well with his formal education, which includes a degree from the University of Minnesota in Biology (emphasis in Ecology and Behavioral Biology) and a Ph.D. from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, in Marine Biology. Ron joined the USD faculty in 1997 and currently serves as director of the Marine Science Graduate Program. His areas of specialization are ecology and environmental biology, and his teaching includes courses in biology, environmental studies and marine science, as well as interdisciplinary courses that are team-taught with colleagues in the humanities.

Ron has been growing orchids for more than 15 years, starting with a reed-stem Epidendrum and progressing to a collection that contains mostly species orchids as well as select hybrids. Ron grows most of his orchids in a 36 x 24 foot greenhouse and several outdoor shade-covered areas around his house in north Clairemont.