Vernal Pools Conference 2018

Vernal Pool Landscapes: Past, Present, and Future

A book of articles from the 2018 conference talks is now available from Studies from the Herbarium, California State University, Chico. View information at https://www.csuchico.edu/herbarium/studies/book-list.shtml


This prestigious conference brought to you by AquAlliance was held on Wednesday, April 11 and Thursday April 12, 2018 at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Chico, California. Field trips to explore some magnificent local sites took place on Friday, April 13th.

The conference was held to assist planners, agency staff, ranchers, conservationists, and builders to understand the importance of the vernal pool ecosystem and what mechanisms exist or are currently under development to protect it.  Student attendance was highly encouraged.

Eminent scholars, agency representatives, and other professionals presented research and case studies regarding plants, animals, and microbe species dependent on vernal pool landscapes, conservation efforts, legal cases, and management techniques that have been used to enhance the economic and biological viability of certain lands.

California has lost 95% of the estimated five million acres of wetlands that were present in the 1780’s (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service 2000). With urban expansion and the conversion of grasslands to intensive agriculture, vernal pool landscapes continue to be lost at an alarming rate.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company is located at 1075 E. 20th Street. The Big Room, which seats over 275 persons around tables, will be used for the conference and lunch, which will be catered by the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.

Program
View the program and speaker presentations on the Program page.

SPONSORS

Thank you to our 2018 sponsors:

Northern California Botanists CSU, Chico Herbarium