News published: 6 January 2023

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden is hosting its 10th Annual Pritzlaff Conservation Symposium on February 25, 2023!

This year’s theme is Celebrating Recovery on the Islands of the Californias and will feature stories of invasive species removal and subsequent recovery from both Alta and Baja California. The symposium will celebrate three of the many conservation heroes who have led these efforts: Peter Schuyler from The Nature Conservancy and Catalina Island Conservancy, Kate Faulkner from the National Park Service, and Grupo de Ecología y Conservación de Islas in Baja California.

We’ll be celebrating their work and the recovery that followed: vegetation transforming from a sea of invasive grasses to diverse native shrublands, rare birds recovering and recolonizing, and pollinators going about their work unhindered. We’ll also hear presentations from island biologists about other efforts that were made possible through the recovery process: the planting of thousands of oaks, pines, manzanitas, and more; the fastest removal of a mammal (the island fox) from the endangered species list in history; and the recovery and delisting of six endangered plants. In addition, we’ll discuss how we can continue this work until the longevity and resilience of the islands’ unique flora and fauna are secured.

We hope that you can join us in person, but there is also a virtual option.

You can find more information and reserve your spot at our website:

https://sbbotanicgarden.org/classes-events/10th-annual-conservation-symposium/