Australian Orchid Foundation

Award of Honour for 2015 granted to:

Alan W. Stephenson

THE GRANTING OF THIS AWARD RECOGNISES:

Your work in Australian orchid conservation is unsurpassed. You have fought tenaciously for the protection of native orchids and your lobbying of federal, state, and local authorities is legendary.

You have nominated threatened orchids to the NSW Scientific Committee and prepared submissions supporting your nominations. 

At the local level, you regularly assess Environmental Impact Assessment Reports and prepare Orchid identification Sheets for bush care workers and volunteers. 

You have been Conservation Officer for the Australian Orchid Council and for the Australasian Native Orchid Society. Your many papers on orchid conservation have been published in specialised journals and have been well received.

You regularly comb the bush looking for orchids and have located numerous new populations of uncommon, rare and threatened species. 

You willingly share your knowledge and experience with community groups and orchid clubs. You have written more than 300 articles for various Australian orchid publications and undertaken numerous talks to clubs and societies. You have self-published the well-illustrated and authoritative book Orchid Species of the Shoalhaven

You are an accomplished photographer and have used these photographs to educate and support the talks you give to many groups. 

You were made a Fellow of the Australian Orchid Council for your outstanding work on conservation. 

The endangered species orchid from Nowra, Corunastylis stephensonii D.L. Jones, has been appropriately named in your honour. 

You have been an enthusiastic member of The Australian Orchid Foundation for many years and your on-going contributions have been much appreciated.