California Native Plant Society Announces Final Registration for the 2018 Conservation Conference in February

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Jan. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) announced final registration for its tri-annual Conservation Conference on February 1-3 in Los Angeles. Registration is open to public and closes this Friday, January 19 at noon.

"This is one of the biggest conservation events in California," CNPS Executive Director Dan Gluesenkamp says. "If you're a conservationist, an agency scientist, student, botanist, or native plant enthusiast, you don't want to miss it."

Featured speakers for the conference include behavioral ecologist Doug Tallamy, PhD, author of Bringing Nature Home, and acclaimed science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson, whose most recent book New York 2140 imagines the city after sea-level rise.

The three-day event will bring together hundreds of conservation, horticulture, and plant science experts from major universities, government agencies, botanic gardens, and the public. Presenters will lead workshops, field trips, and dozens of sessions including:

• Chaparral with Rick Halsey of California Chaparral Institute and USGS Fire Ecologist John Keeley
• Fire and Native Plants with Fire Ecologist Marti Witter of the National Forest Service
• Climate Change (Assisted Migration) with Arlee Montalvo of UC Riverside
• California Oaks, Environmental Justice, Pollinators, Pathogens and more

"Every three years, we come together to connect the pieces of all the work we're doing," CNPS Conservation Director Greg Suba said. "It makes for a powerful experience and we leave energized."

"Inspiring and informing each other is especially important given California's resolve to stand strong in the face of the Trump administration's ongoing attacks on the environment," Gluesenkamp added.

In addition to educational opportunities, the Conference includes a botanical art and photography exhibit, auction, and banquet, where California Senator Ben Allen (D ? Santa Monica) will be honored for his recent work to pass several important environmental bills including Senate Bill 249, a unanimously approved piece of legislation to reform the state's off-highway vehicle division and secure greater environmental protection.

As part of the conference auction, CNPS will be auctioning a rare scientific item: the naming rights to one of four newly-described species (or subspecies) in the genus Monardella, the mint family (Lamiaceae). This is the first time the naming rights for a California plant have been auctioned, thanks to a generous donation.

To register or learn more about the CNPS Conservation Conference, go to the conference website. Information about the naming rights auction is available at conference.cnps.org/auction.

SOURCE California Native Plant Society