Feds agree to start process that could establish ghost orchid habitat in south Florida

A recent agreement between several environmental groups and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service resulted in a win for groups who are seeking federal protections for the rare ghost orchid, they say.

It ends a lawsuit filed against the agency for failure to make a decision on whether the ghost orchid should be added to the Endangered Species List and at what level ― threatened or endangered.

The seemingly magical ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii), of which only about 1,500 are thought to still live in the wilds of the Sunshine State, is found in extreme south Florida, in places like Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the Big Cypress National Preserve and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park ― all in Collier County.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service entered into a legal agreement last week with the environmental groups, who sued the agency for not providing habitat protections for the rare sub-tropical plant.

"Per the settlement agreement, the Service has committed that on or before June 1, 2025, we shall submit to the Office of the Federal Register a 12-month finding as to whether listing the ghost orchid as a threatened or endangered species is not warranted; warranted; or warranted but precluded by other pending proposals" said Jennifer Koches, spokeswoman for the agency. "The settlement agreement does not include a commitment to designate critical habitat by a date specific. While we acknowledge the Endangered Species Act requires that critical habitat be designated for species listed as threatened or endangered to the maximum extent prudent and determinable, the Service has not yet determined the ghost orchid warrants listing."

The environmental groups say they're happy with the settlement, and that they hope ghost orchids will receive their own protections at the federal level soon.

"It's an agreement to make a decision by a certain date," said Elise Bennett, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diveristy, one of the plaintiffs in the case. "Originally a decision was due in January of 2023 and that came and went without a decision. They indicated that they were going to wait until 2026 but because of climate impacts, stronger storms and other issues we basically said that wasn't' fast enough, and we reached an agreement that they will do it next summer."

Concerns for the plant include impacts from climate change, larger tropical storms and hurricanes, and habitat loss.

“The ghost orchid has always been an elusive species, but in recent years, its population in the wild has plummeted," said Melissa Abdo, Sun Coast regional director for the National Parks Conservation Association. "Due to a series of compounding threats like climate change, poaching, and habitat loss, Florida’s favorite flower is hanging on by a thread. Without federal endangered species protections, the ghost orchid's days are numbered."

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Abdo said there is still work to be done to ensure the future of this rare and mystical plant.

"(The) legal victory is a step in the right direction, and we hope that the Fish and Wildlife Service makes the scientifically sound final decision to list this enigmatic orchid species." Abdo said.

Environmental groups: feds were delaying orchid habitat designation

The Center for Biological Diversity, The Institute for Regional Conservation and the National Parks Conservation Association had filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for what they said was a delay in giving protections to Florida's ghost orchids.

The ghost orchid is the stuff of legends. "The Orchid Thief" was written by Susan Orlean about a ghost orchid theft ring, and a movie loosely based on the book was later released.

Orchid poachers have been caught in places like Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park in recent years.

Mystical flower appears to float in the air

The flower is milky white and sticks out and away from the trunk on which it is rooted. It appears to hang in the air, as if is floating and is known for giving off a soap-like scent when in bloom.

Each summer they burst into life in the swampy corners of South Florida — from green spaces along urban boundaries at places like Six Mile Cypress Preserve to the bug-infested depths of Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve, nicknamed the Orchid Capital of North America because of the quantity and quality of air plants found there.

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FWS has said that it used 2022 to catch up on the review workload for years past, and that, going forward, it will review 310 species by 2027.

"This methodology is intended to allow us to address the outstanding workload of status reviews and accompanying 12-month findings strategically as our resources allow and to provide transparency to our partners and other stakeholders as to how we establish priorities within our workload into the future," Koches said last year.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Environmental groups prevail in ghost orchid habitat lawsuit