CDFW Conservation Lecture Series Archive

The California Conservation Genomics Project is a three-year initiative that will identify species, ecosystems and communities that together can summarize natural genetic variation across the 18 terrestrial ecoregions and entire coastline that comprise California. By collecting genomic data in a consistent way across taxa, we can combine and analyze data from 225 species and ~20,000 fully-sequenced genomes to create the first comprehensive genomic map of the state. We will use this map to identify healthy and at-risk regions of the state, define barriers for management units across species, and guide activities that range from the placement of solar installations to the repatriation of confiscated plants and animals.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

As natural history training has declined in formal education, it has increased among lay audiences. While it continues to address traditional practices and topics, such as field observations of organisms and their behavior, it is increasingly tackling a wide range of issues and topics, including conservation and restoration, climate change, traditional ecological knowledge, and environmental justice. While the rise in citizen science has dramatically increased the number of ways in which the public can engage, significant challenges remain, including large gaps in participation from Black and Indigenous people, and a perennial lack of funding. This lecture describes the unique collaborative approach the California Naturalist program uses to deliver natural history training in this complex milieu and answers the questions: Why are people interested in natural history training, and how does it relate to the work of CDFW?

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

This lecture features three talks, covering ongoing studies targeting species' genetics, to support their adaptation to climate change. Dr. Blair McLaughlin and Dr. Jessica Wright discuss the potential for assisted migration and dispersed field gene banks in various California species, and Dr. Patricia Maloney discusses the use of local and diverse seed sources to create drought-resilient restoration projects in Sierra Nevada Conifers.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

Listed salmonids in the Central Valley are blocked from high quality habitat, due to the presence of very large dams. In the Central Valley, there are no fish passage programs at any these dams. However, efforts are underway to evaluate the feasibility of reintroducing salmon and steelhead to historical habitats blocked by rim dams. This talk emphasizes the importance of reintroduction for the long-term viability of listed salmonids and provides an overview of current efforts above Shasta Dam.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

Dr. Rodzen delivers a brief overview of Genetics 101 and conservation genetics topics, followed by a description of some of the latest technological and statistical tools that can be leveraged to provide new answers to fisheries management questions. Dr. Ahrens discusses environmental DNA (eDNA) and its potential role in supporting conservation efforts. Dr. Rodzen is CDFW’s state fisheries geneticist and the lead of the fisheries genetics program. Dr. Ahrens is a Research Scientist II in Microbiological Sciences with CDFW.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

The Citizen Science program at the California Academy of Sciences engages tens of thousands of volunteers in California and beyond to document biodiversity, since understanding when and where species occur at scale can only be done by mobilizing people everywhere to make observations of their local nature. In this talk, Rebecca Johnson and Alison Young, Co-Directors of Citizen Science at the Academy, highlight how they work with partners and communities to do this work and discuss the resulting science, conservation, and stewardship outcomes.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

The Conservation Lands Network ("CLN"), recently updated to version 2.0, is a trusted regional conservation vision designed with local input to increase the pace and scale of terrestrial biodiversity conservation and landscape resilience action in the 10-county SF Bay Area. It sets a bold new goal of 2.5M protected acres (or about half the Bay Area) by 2050, and provides geographic priorities based on quantitative habitat goals set by local experts. CLN 2.0 data are freely accessible via an easy-to-use interactive web map where users can create custom biodiversity and climate reports for their areas of interest.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

California is a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot with more than 6,500 native plant taxa, over a quarter of which are found nowhere else in the world. The California Native Plant Society's Important Plant Areas (IPA) Program seeks to map areas critical for maintaining the integrity of California's botanical diversity. Please join Sam Young, IPA Program Manager, to hear how the IPA program engages regional experts and conservation stakeholders to create a map of California's IPAs, and how this can be implemented for preserving our State's irreplaceable plant diversity.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)

Catastrophic wildfires devastate not only the landscape, but also the surrounding surface water quality. In an effort to help address the State's impaired water bodies, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) hopes to help reduce the frequency and severity of catastrophic wildfires through collaboration with other state agencies. Due to a technical issue, no recording is available for this lecture.

Launched in 2018, the California Biodiversity Initiative is a statewide effort to secure the future of California's biodiversity. Such a large undertaking entails improving our understanding of California's biodiversity, protecting and recovering California's native species and ecosystems, and engaging participation by many partners. This talk will provide an overview of the California Biodiversity Initiative and the history of its development and will share initial efforts to implement the Initiative that are underway at California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

VIDEO(opens in new tab)