SB Botanic Garden “After the Fires” Symposium

How California has addressed the impacts of the wildfires that have scorched the Golden State’s wildlands in recent years – and what more can be done – is the subject of the ninth annual Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Conservation Symposium entitled “After the Fires: Recovering California’s Wild Spaces.” The public is invited to attend this virtual event, held Saturday, March 5 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., which features scientists, biologists, and land managers from the Central Coast and beyond.

“The focus is on how we can get engaged to help California wildlands recover after fire,” said the Garden’s Director of Conservation, Denise Knapp, Ph.D. “Diverse native vegetation is essential for providing slope stabilization, watershed protection, wildlife habitat, and other benefits that we rely on. We can all help to make sure our wildlands don’t turn into big bare patches or seas of weeds.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Carla D’Antonio, Ph.D., the 2022 recipient of the Garden’s Pritzlaff Conservation Award, who addresses “When and Why Would We Need Post-Fire Restoration.” Eight other speakers present topics including impacts on plant and animals, approaches to habitat restoration, regional efforts to build resilience, and more. The symposium concludes with an audience Q & A with all the panelists and discussion of what we can all do next.

“We selected Dr. D’Antonio for the Pritzlaff Conservation Award for her top-notch science, inspiring teaching and mentorship, and dedicated conservation leadership,” said Knapp. “Her  forward-thinking approach to ecology has integrated ecological theory with practical and on-the-ground conservation, habitat management, and restoration.”

Speakers come from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB); U.S. Forest Service; National Park Service, Reed College (Portland, Oregon); South Coast Habitat Restoration (Carpinteria); and the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.

Specific topics include post-fire impacts on steelhead trout habitat, resilience of bigcone Douglas-fir trees, use of mapping to inform restoration and engage the public, native and invasive plant responses and management actions, shrubland habitat restoration, and building resilience in our communities.

For a complete schedule, visit: https://www.sbbg.org/classes-events/lectures-symposia/ninth-annual-santa-barbara-botanic-garden-conservation-symposium.

About the Symposium and Pritzlaff Award

The annual Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Conservation Symposium, established in 2012, addresses topics that are critical to environmental conservation in the region, as well as nationally and internationally. It returns after a one-year gap in 2021 due to the COVID pandemic.

Established in 2007, the Honorable John C. Pritzlaff Conservation Award recognizes conservation achievements in California and around the world. It honors the former Garden Trustee’s life-long commitment to conservation and serves to inspire others to understand the importance of conservation and to take action.