Freeman’s of Philadelphia, the oldest auction house in the country, sponsored the event, and their Chairman and enthusiastic auctioneer Alasdair Nichol ran the show, encouraging Rainforest Trust supporters to bid. Nichol’s expertise is fine arts, and he said the event was a highlight of his career because it is not often one gets to auction off the rights to name newly discovered species.

The auction e-commerce site Invaluable.com sponsored the fundraiser through highlighting Rainforest Trust on their website, where they feature the world’s premier auctions and galleries.

The evening event took place at Clyde’s of Gallery Place in Washington, DC, made possible through our board member and restaurant owner Sally Davidson. In October 2018, Sally’s commitment to conservation was recognized through the naming of a new-to-science coffee plant species from a Rainforest Trust reserve in Latin America.

Public relations were managed by the science-focused firm Evergreen & Company (formerly Crabtree + Company), and we thank them for their tireless work in promoting this historic event.