How the Society for Louisiana Irises' Species Preservation Project Works

The Species Preservation Project is the Society for Louisiana Irises' (SLI) effort to find and document newly identified Louisiana iris species, and it depends on reports from members and the public. If you spot what you believe is a new species, the project's stated path is to notify the society; its custom database and interactive map are the tools used to record and support that preservation work. The project is aimed at anyone—member or not—who wants to contribute observations, not just experienced growers.

What the project is trying to do

SLI describes the project as a recent launch focused on preserving new species of Louisiana irises. The society frames this as part of its broader promise to protect these native plants, a mission it has pursued since 1941 alongside promoting Louisiana irises and their hybrids.

Two things follow from that framing:

• The unit of interest is species, not cultivars. SLI separately covers hybrids and cultivars (under "Hybrids and Cultivars" and "Finding Irises"), so the preservation project sits alongside that work rather than replacing it.
• New discoveries are expected to come from the public. The project explicitly invites "all our members and the public" to report species they identify, which means participation is not gated behind membership on the page itself.

How participation works

Based on the site's description, the workflow has three parts:

1. Observe and identify. You find a plant you believe is a newly identified Louisiana iris species.
2. Notify the society. SLI asks that you report the sighting to them. The site does not spell out a form, email address, or submission checklist for this step, so treat "notify us" as the stated requirement and confirm the current contact channel on the site before submitting.
3. Contribute to the record. Reports feed into the project's custom database and interactive map, which SLI says aid its preservation efforts.

The database and map are presented as project infrastructure rather than as a public submission portal. The page offers an "Explore Database" entry point, but it does not describe what a visitor can do there—browse records, view the map, or submit—so check the database page directly if your goal is to add a record rather than read one.

What the site does not specify

To avoid wasted effort, note what is not documented on the page:

• No stated criteria for what counts as a "newly identified species" versus a known species or a hybrid.
• No required evidence format (photos, location data, specimens).
• No described review or verification process.
• No timeline for how reports are handled.

If your sighting matters to you, ask the society about these points when you report it rather than assuming a format.

Why the project matters for native plant conservation

Louisiana irises are presented by SLI as among the most diverse and beautiful native plants in North America, and the society ties the project directly to protecting that native diversity. A public reporting model has a practical logic: new species are most likely to be encountered by people already walking the swamps and gardens where these plants grow, not by a small central team. The database and map turn scattered sightings into a shared record that can support conservation decisions.

For context on how the society treats the plant's history, SLI notes that the name "Louisiana iris" was first used by naturalist John James Audubon—useful background if you are writing up a sighting and want to place it in the society's historical framing.

Where this fits in the wider society

The preservation project is one of several entry points on louisianas.org. Others that may be relevant depending on your goal:

The convention listing is a concrete example of how the society routes logistics: it announces the dates and partner organization but points registration to the GNOIS website rather than hosting it itself. Expect similar routing for project details that are not fully described on the main page.

Practical next steps

• If you have a sighting: contact SLI through the site's Get Involved or Contact Us path, describe the location and what you observed, and ask what evidence they want.
• If you want to see existing records: open the project's database via "Explore Database" and check whether it is view-only or supports contributions.
• If you want to get more involved: membership is pitched as a way to join the "blooming community of iris conservationists," and the project page explicitly welcomes public participation, so membership is not a prerequisite for reporting.