The Conservation Lecture Series is organized by CDFW’s Science Institute. The lecture series is designed to deliver the most current scientific information about conservation issues in California. Below is a list of lectures and speakers for the Conservation Lecture Series. Lectures are open to anyone who is interested in participating. Participants may attend in-person (when available) or remotely via webinar. Please be sure to register for each class. Lectures are recorded and posted for those unable to attend the day of the event. Visit the archive page to see recordings of past lectures. Subscribe(opens in new tab) to receive email updates and invitations to upcoming lectures. Upcoming Lectures May 26, 2023, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Pacific Time): "Utilizing High-Resolution Genetic Markers to Track Population-Level Exposure of Migratory Birds to Renewable Energy Development," presented by Dr. Ryan Harrigan (UCLA) Public Registration Webcast(opens in new tab) Employee Registration Webcast(opens in new tab)
Videos and Past Lectures Prioritizing Postfire Restoration Opportunities by Leveraging the Environmental Evaluation Modeling System and Community Science (John Gallo) Multiple-Benefit Conservation in the Delta: Quantifying multidimensional impacts of landscape change (Kristen Dybala) NOAA Fisheries presents their Guidance to Improve the Resilience of Fish Passage Facilities to Climate Change (Jean Castillo and Jeff Brown) Bats in Swallow Nests (Jill Carpenter, Dave Johnston, and Leila Harris) Western Snowy Plover: The Importance of Resilient Landscapes in Species Management and Recovery (Kriss Neuman) 30x30 California and Community Science (Jennifer Norris, Jose Esparza, Rebecca Johnson, Miguel Ordeñana, and Merav Vonshak) A life cycle model for evaluating estuary residency and restoration potential in Chinook salmon (Emily Chen) AIMS for Wildlife: An Automated Interactive Monitoring System to Address Wildlife Management and Conservation Needs (Michael Casazza) Mapping climate-change refugia for species conservation (Julia Michalak) The Resist-Accept-Direct (RAD) framework as a guide for strategic natural resource conservation in a fast-changing world (Gregor Schuurman) Eucalyptus - The naturalized invasive from down under (Dave Feliz) Refining species distributions through dynamic and participatory ecological modeling (Healy Hamilton) Wetland Responses to Restoration and Management (John Durand) Conservation of endangered Buena Vista Lake Shrews (Sorex ornatus relictus) through investigation of taxonomic status, distribution, and use of non-invasive survey methods (Erin Tennant and Brian Cypher) Nature's Best Hope (Doug Tallamy) Building Resilience in a California Coastal Salt Marsh Ecosystem with a Collaborative Science Based Approach (Monique Fountain) CDFW Statewide Cannabis Program: An Overview (Cori Gray) Restoring Habitat and Engaging Community Scientists in Pollinator Conservation throughout California (Hillary Sardiñas and Leif Richardson) Stephens’ Kangaroo Rat Rangewide Management and Monitoring Plan (Princess Hester, Brian Shomo, Wayne Spencer, and Deanne DiPietro) Elephants, Ivory, and Trafficking: How the CDFW Forensics Laboratory is Helping to Combat the Illegal Ivory Trade (Kelly Carrothers) Ruminations on fire and vegetation trends in California (Dr. Hugh Safford) The Changing Nature of Fire and its Impacts on California Birds (Dr. Morgan Tingley) Conservation applications of vegetation climate vulnerability and refugia data in California (Dr. Jim Thorne, Dr. Melanie Gogol-Prokurat, and Sandra Hill) Iterative niche modeling and adaptive sampling resulted in the discovery of seven novel locations of the threatened (Israel Borokini) The California Conservation Genomics Project (Dr. Brad Shaffer) Science, Stewardship, and the New Naturalist (Greg Ira) Leveraging species genomes to support climate change adaptation: Case studies of blue oak, valley oak and sugar pine (Blair McLaughlin, Patricia Maloney, and Jessica Wright) Central Valley Salmon: Reintroduction as a recovery tool, with an emphasis on efforts above Shasta Dam (Jon Ambrose) Genes, Genetics, and Genomics (Dr. Jeff Rodzen and Dr. Kristen Ahrens) Taking Photos of Nature for Science & Conservation (Alison Young and Dr. Rebecca Johnson) The Conservation Lands Network (Tom Robinson and Dr. Stuart Weiss) Mapping California's Important Plant Areas (Sam Young) Wildfires and Water Quality (Lorna McFarlane) Integrating the California Biodiversity Initiative into California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Efforts (Dr. Kimberly Tenggardjaja, Dr. Melanie Gogol-Prokurat, and Martha Volkoff) CNDDB Looks at 40: The Past, Present, and Future of the California Natural Diversity Database Program (Misty Nelson) The ecology and conservation of ungulate migrations in the American West (Dr. Arthur Middleton) Report from a Russian River field station in the heart of the 2017 wildfire zone: Pepperwood's integrated approach to evaluating and advancing landscape resilience (Dr. Lisa Micheli) Drought Stressor Monitoring: Summary of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Statewide Drought Response (Kristine Atkinson) The Perfect Storm: Multiple Climate Stressors Push Kelp Forest Beyond Tipping Point in Northern California (Dr. Laura Rogers-Bennett) CDFW Monitoring of the Salton Sea (Dr. Nasseer Idrisi) New Zealand's Biodiversity Crisis: The Role of Behavioral Science to Stop the Decline (Dr. Edy MacDonald) Statewide research informs regional conservation priorities for mountain lions in California (Dr. Justin Dellinger) Conserving California’s Bats Through Environmental Review and Permitting (Greg Tatarian) A Living Map for a Changing Landscape - fine-scale vegetation and habitat mapping in Sonoma County, CA. (Mark Tukman) Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) version 3: A California Department of Fish and Wildlife conservation analysis tool (Dr. Melanie Gogol-Prokurat) Recent Advances in Effective Bat Mitigation in California (Dr. Dave Johnston) Foothill Yellow-legged Frog: Genetics, Ecology, and Consumer Resource Interaction (Dr. Sarah Kupferberg and Ryan Peek) White-nose Syndrome Surveillance Workshop (Dr. Anne Ballman) Canary in the Cannabis Field (Dr. Gabriel) The Tanoak Tree (Bowcutt) Morgan Post-Fire Study (Bartosh and Peterson) Monarch Butterfly Conservation (Jepsen and Marcum) Concerns Over Phytophthora Plant Pathogen Introductions (Phytophthoras in Native Habitats Working Group) Predicting Current and Future Distributions of Rare Plants (Dr. McIntyre and Dr. Gogol-Prokurat) Sacramento's Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Problem (Chuck Ingles) Climate Change, Nitrogen Deposition, and the Bay Checkerspot Butterfly (Dr. Stu Weiss) Development of Multi-Threaded Wetland Channels (Dr. Cluer and Hammack) Process Based Stream Restoration (Dr. Pollock) San Joaquin Kit Fox (Dr. Cypher) Metrics for Quantifying Ecosystem Impacts and Restoration Success (Dr. Rubin) American Badgers (Dr. Jessie Quinn) Design Validation Monitoring Klamath Watershed (D.J. Bandrowski, Aaron Marin, and Rocco Fior) Dogs Moving Conservation Forward (Dr. Deborah (Smith) Woollett and Aimee Hurt) Black Swans, Brown River (Dr. Viers) White-Nose Syndrome in Bats (Wyatt) Invasive Watersnakes (Dr. Todd) Tricolored Blackbird (Dr. Meese) Bighorn Sheep (Dr. Villepique) Vegetation and Flora of a Biodiversity Hotspot (Dr. Ayres) FoothillYellow-legged Frog (Dr. Kupferberg) Spartina and California Clapper Rails (Dr. Strong) Townsend’s Big-eared Bat (Dr. Johnston) California Red-Legged Frog (Alvarez) Salmon in the Yolo Bypass (Jeffres) White Abalone (Dr. Aquilino) Amargosa Vole (Dr. Foley) Desert Tortoise (Jones) Shasta Crayfish (Dr. Ellis) California Tiger Salamander (Dr. Searcy) Alameda Striped Racer (Dr. Swaim) Cactus Wren (Dr. Preston) Sierra Nevada and Sacramento Red Fox (Dr. Sacks) Yellow Starthistle (Dr. DiTomaso) Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (Dr. Vredenburg) California's Endemic Fishes (Dr. Moyle) Northern Spotted Owl (Dr. Diller) Giant Gartersnake (Dr. Halstead) Pacific Fisher (Dr. Gabriel) TWS Training Certification Training hours from the Conservation Lecture Series may be used towards The Wildlife Society (TWS) Category I of the Certified Wildlife Biologist Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program (up to 8 hours) TWS Certificate Program Associate Wildlife Biologist Application (PDF) Certified Wildlife Biologist Application (PDF) CDFW Staff Video Credit CDFW employees must log-in for video credit information.