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Story and photo by Suzanne Nielsen and reprinted with permission of the
Daily Herald.
 Saba orchids are about to become a collector's item with the establishment of an Orchid Research Center on the island.
Orchid expert Stewart Chipka will soon start construction on the cistern and first floor of the Center, to be located in lower Hell's Gate, just above Kelbey's Ridge.
Chipka, of Naples, Florida, first came to Saba in early 2003. He has since returned several times for field studies for a book on the island's orchids and to give talks in the framework of the Sea and Learn lecture series. He presented a paper on Saba's naturalized orchid population at lower elevations May 2004 at the International Orchid Conservation Congress in Sarasota, Florida. Chipka has also given 10 lectures on the Saba project to various orchid groups on the east coast. He said response has been very positive and many orchid lovers have come forward to offer their services, anxious to be on the ground floor of the new scientific endeavor. "This initial enthusiasm bodes well for the success of the project," Chipka said.
 Chipka said his intention is to establish a propagation and research facility for scientists interested in Caribbean orchid species. It could also serve as a venue for one-two week field-study activities by undergraduates or hobby enthusiasts. The Center will also propagate orchids and flask them for export to research centers and botanical gardens worldwide.
Chipka bought the 500-square meter property last year. Former owner Alex Harmsen had dug out a cistern hole several years ago, from which construction contractor Ernest Hassell will create a 25,000-gal. cistern as soon as a container with building materials arrives this month. Hassell will add a first floor workspace on top of the cistern, and the rest of the center will be built in stages.
 "I definitely want the center to fit into the neighborhood," said Chipka, explaining that subsequent buildings would reflect the traditional Saba architectural style. These will include a laboratory for flasking orchids in a thermally stable room for orchid seed propagation. The primary screen house, a 1,000-square foot building, will be the orchid growing room with various habitat replications for island species. Chipka will also provide living space for visiting scientists and a private dwelling for himself. "Saba provides a pristine environment for serious academic research of not only orchids, but also haliconia, cacti, and fern populations naturalized on Saba." Chipka said, adding that he expects the completed project to take several years.
By that time, Chipka will also have improved his own scientific credentials. His intense interest in Saba and its orchids has led him back to school: he is now pursuing a master's of science degree in botany while holding down his full time job as a civil engineer.
 Chipka made a quick trip to Saba at the beginning of February in hopes his scheduled container would arrive. Bad weather delayed his shipment, but he used the time to plant some young orchid "flasklings" that he had just received.
These orchid seeds, hand pollinated on Saba by Chipka, were harvested in October 2003. Sent on to the Troy Meyers flasking laboratory in Washington state, the seeds were placed in a special gel growing element in glass flasks, and the final result is the one-to-two-inch plants that Chipka brought back to Saba in plastic bags.
The plants are all grown from the seed of Saba's Lady's Lash (Epidendrum ciliare) orchid that Chipka has found in profusion on Saba. A copper-colored variation from Upper Hell's Gate especially intrigues him. He speculates that it might be because of iron-rich soil in certain spots on Saba. He planted about 40 specimens to test whether they retain the copper color in various island environments.
 Chipka expects to loose about half of his plants, and Saba resident Mary Rodner, a trained entomologist who has been assisting Chipka, will monitor the flasklings and report on their health. Rodner continues to study what insects pollinate Saba orchids and is often seen on The Road carrying her heavy scientific equipment to survey sites. Rodner points out the importance of basic scientific survey work. "Flashier projects get more attention, but scientists need much more information on how things fit together and that is the core of the Saba orchid project," she said.
Top Photo: Chipka's property will give scientists a formidable few of St. Eustatius and Old Booby Hill.
Second Photo: Contractor Ernest Hassell (left) goes over building plans with orchid specialist Stewart Chipka.
Third Photo: A "flaskling" of a Saba orchid is planted at Juliana's Orchid Cottage. (Use as insert closeup to following pix?)
Fourth Photo: An orchid basket from Juliana's Orchid Cottage will hibernate two "flasklings."
Bottom Photo: Stewart Chipka takes field notes.
Story:
Suzanne Nielsen
Upper Hell's Gate
Saba, Netherlands Antilles
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