| I have a unique invitation to share with you. It is to a conference hosted by the Newkirk Center for Science and Society at the University of California at Irvine, and you are invited to attend, free of charge. The Los Cerritos Wetlands Land Trust will be participating in the conference, Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink, with our colleagues from Tidal Influence. We will be talking about the increased number of Belding’s Savannah Sparrows at Los Cerritos Wetlands, thanks to conservation efforts and improving their habitat. There are just a few thousand pairs of these little birds left in the world, so helping to improve their numbers is critical. Why are there so few Belding’s? Well, it turns out they like living in the same habitat that we do, close to the beach and only in temperate areas. Much of the Belding’s habitat has been lost forever to development and infrastructure here in Southern California. That’s why it’s so important to protect what remains, which is in open spaces like Los Cerritos Wetlands, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, and Banning Ranch. The conference sounds really interesting. I’ll be attending and hope youwill too. Details and how to register are below. Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink A free virtual conference hosted by the University of California, Irvine February 9th and 10th from 10:00 am to 1:30 pm PST Here is a great opportunity to learn and engage in the extinction crisis, both local and global. Experts and advocates will address threats to ecosystems and biodiversity, and the efforts being made, demanded, and imagined in order to protect and restore species in decline. The program presents a series of distinctively different approaches to species conservation and management from conservation action leaders and scientists. The Keynote speaker is former US Senator Tom Udall. To register for this free conference, and for a full agenda, please visit the conference webpage. Conference themes include: Framing the Magnitude of the Threats and Unmet Challenges Solutions: Saving Them in the Wild Solutions: Achieving 30 by 30 COVID-19 – Opportunities to Save Species Ex-situ Conservation: The Role of Zoos and Reserves in Reducing Extinctions Experimenting with Technology to Stop or Reverse Extinction The Imperative for Action Conference speakers include: Tom Udall, Former US Senator, New Mexico John Baker, Chief Program Officer, Managing Director, WildAid Suzanne Case, Chairperson, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources Kathy MacKinnon, Chair, IUCN’s World Commission of Protected Areas Jennifer Norris, Deputy Secretary of Biodiversity and Habitat, California Natural Resources Agency Carl Safina, Founding President, Ecologist and Author, The Safina Center Ronald Swaisgood, Brown Endowed Director of Recovery Ecology, San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research Charles R. “Chipper” Wichman, Jr., President, National Tropical Botanical Garden Lindsay Young, Executive Director, Pacific Rim Conservation Dan Silver, Executive Director, Endangered Habitats League Elizabeth Lambe, Executive Director P.S. If you don’t already, I urge you to follow us on our Facebook page! Not only do we hope that more and more people will know about, love, and understand the value of our wetlands, our growth also shows decision-makers that Los Cerritos Wetlands matter to the community. By following us on Facebook you will be the first to know when we re-start our monthly wetlands nature walks (or be able to participate in community-based wetlands habitat restoration). |
Special Conference- Extinction: Solutions for Species on the Brink
