March 12, 2020 Denham Springs, LA
Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI) member, Gary Salathe, was invited to do a presentation by Southeastern University of Louisiana at their Livingston Parish Center in Denham Springs, LA as part of their after hours Explore Nature Family Program. The event was held on March 12th and was open to the public. His topic was on the Louisiana iris.
One half of Gary's presentation was on the cultivar Louisiana irises that grow in home gardens and how they are all descendants of the five wild Louisiana species irises, four of which are native to Louisiana. The other half was on projects organized by the Louisiana Iris Conservation Initiative (LICI) to rescue wild irises that are threatened with destruction and to relocate them into natural areas within refuges and nature preserves.
The gathering was the very last public event held at the university before it was shut down due to the threat of the Covid 19 virus. The lights were literally turned off and the doors locked for the last time as soon as the presentation was finished.