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Naming rights for this new species of Bryoria or “Horsehair Lichen”

Like lichen? Name of species up for grabs in fundraiser

Jul 22 2011/in News Coverage

VANCOUVER— A British Columbia botanist is putting the naming rights for two newly discovered species of lichens on the auction block to raise funds for conservation.

The lichens were discovered by botanical researcher Trevor Goward.

Normally, the person who makes the discovery gets the right to name a newly discovered species but Goward decided to auction off that right to raise funds for the Ancient Forest Alliance and The Land Conservancy of British Columbia.

The lichens have already drawn bids of more than $12,000 and bidding will remain open until Oct. 2 on the Forest Alliance and Land Conservancy websites. College Nursing Grants

An online auction to name a new species of monkey in Bolivia in 2005 raised $650,000 for the protection of the monkey’s habitat.

Goward says there are new species discovered every day, and he challenged other scientists like himself to offer up the naming rights to these species to raise funds for conservation.

To bid on the AFA’s lichen please visit this page: https://ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=233

Link to CTV article: https://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/SciTech/20110723/naming-lichen-fundraiser-110723/

The lichens being auctioned off for namining rights are a key part of the diet of BC's mountain caribou.

Likin’ a lichen? Why not put your name on it forever?

Jul 22 2011/in News Coverage

Land conservationists hoping to preserve a critical wildlife corridor in central B.C. have come up with a unique fundraising method.

Barry Booth, a manager with The Land Conservancy of B.C., said naming rights for two newly discovered species of forest lichen will be auctioned off.

“It’s a wonderful way to raise millions of dollars for conservation as new species are discovered,” he said in a press release on Friday.

The lichens are small, stationary organisms often mistaken for plants, but are actually co-operative unions of fungi and algae.

Some lichens provide critical winter food for animals like B.C.’s mountain caribou.

Highest bidders will earn the right to name the lichens after loved ones, themselves or someone else.

The auction has already attracted bids from two prominent B.C. botanists.

National Geographic explorer Wade Davis, who lives in the Stikine Valley in northern B.C., has made a $3,000 bid.

And Andy MacKinnon, a noted author who works as a forest ecologist for the B.C. government, has offered $3,200.

“We’re lucky to have B.C.’s rock star botanists support this groundbreaking conservation fundraiser,” said Ken Wu, co-founder of the Ancient Forest Alliance.

Botanical researcher Trevor Goward, who discovered the lichens, said having your name linked to a living species is “a legacy that lasts.”

“With any luck, your name will endure as long as civilization lasts. Not even Shakespeare could hope for more than that,” Goward said.

The funds will be used to purchase private lands in the Clearwater Valley adjacent to Wells Gray Provincial Park.

Conservationists say the corridor is needed to connect two separate portions of southern Wells Gray.

The bidding is being held at an online auction running at www.conservancy.bc.ca and www.ancientforestalliance.org until Oct. 2.

Bidders can buy the rights to name these two new species of lichen.

Naming rights to new lichen species up for sale

Jul 22 2011/in News Coverage

The naming rights to two lichen species discovered near Clearwater, B.C., are up for grabs — for a price.

Naturalist Trevor Goward made the discovery and according to scientific protocol it’s up to him to name them — but Goward has taken the unusual step of auctioning off the naming rights to the highest bidder.

“It seems to me that people enjoy putting names on things. We name one another, we name our dogs, we name our cats, I mean that’s what we do,” he said. “So it seemed to me that this might be a way of actually raising some money.”

Goward hopes to raise about $350,000 through the auction.

The money will go to two conservation projects — to help the Ancient Forest Alliance protect B.C.’s old growth forests, and help the Land Conservancy buy private lands in the Clearwater Valley to expand Wells Gray Provincial park.

“Anybody who looks at a map of British Columbia soon realizes that there are lots of large protected areas in the province, but very few are in the southern part of British Columbia, or of Canada for that matter. Most of it is in the north,” Goward said.

“But Wells Gray is just this enormous valley … and as a protected area, it’s internationally significant.”

Bids are being accepted through the Ancient Forest Alliance or the Land Conservancy until Oct. 2.

To make a bid on the AFA’s lichen visit this page: https://ancientforestalliance.org/news-item.php?ID=233

Link to CBC News article: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2011/07/26/bc-lichen-naming.html

2025 Activity Report & Financials

Apr 30 2026

2025 was a milestone year for the Ancient Forest Alliance and the old-growth campaign. Despite the BC government's backsliding on many of its old-growth commitments, there was still much work to be proud of, including celebrating our 15th year working to protect ancient forests. Check out our 2025 Activity Report & Financials to see the impact YOU made on 2025, plus, find out what we have in store for 2026!

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