California Society for Ecological Restoration April 2026 |
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Things are happening. A lot of things.
Projects are moving, ideas are flying, funding is landing, and somehow… we’re already talking about SERCAL 2026 in Fortuna like it’s right around the corner (because it is!).
This issue pulls a little bit of that energy together — people doing great work, big efforts taking shape, and the kind of progress that makes you pause and go, “okay, we’re getting somewhere.”
Also, quick moment of appreciation for everyone out there balancing field days, deadlines, emails, meetings, and maybe one too many tabs open — you’re doing a lot, and it shows.
We’re glad you’re in this with us.
With Love Julie and Onolunose ❤️
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In this newsletter, you will find: SERCAL 2026: Questions, Answers, and More! Keynote Spotlight - Margo Robbins Restoration in Focus - $60M Invested Across California Restoration Jobs - Check Out These Great Opportunities! From the Pages of Ecesis The Community Supporting SERCAL
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Planning for SERCAL 2026 (Restoration's Finest Annual Gathering) has indeed been "Adaptive by Nature" ;-)
Six weeks from today, SERCAL 2026 will convene in Fortuna and we are so excited about this year's gathering of practitioners, students, and partners from across California’s restoration community.
Registration filled up faster than we expected (in the best way), and our venue does have its limits, so we’ve officially reached capacity and had to close registration earlier than planned. Thank you to everyone who made the effort to meet the deadlines. And thank you to our Amazing Sponsors for stepping up in a big way!
Attendees, here are a few ways you can step up as well:
1) Bring a gift for our Raffle tables! Something awesome that you may not need or use anymore. Every year our Raffle brings in at least $5K that directly offsets the waivers and lodging/travel stipends and that support our Next Gen presenters and volunteers. Literally, your raffle items PAY IT FORWARD!
2) If you indicated you are willing to take on passengers when you drive to Fortuna, we will be in touch!
3) Bring your SERCAL lanyard from 2024 or 2025 (of course bling-ed out with your attendance pins — this simple act on your part reduces our footprint.
4) And if you got a coveted spot in a fieldtrip and find yourself unable to use it, please contact julie@sercal.org so she can alert those on the waiting list.
More details below… See you in Fortuna, May 18–20!
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…The tshirt design is awesome, right? Plus your choice or long or short sleeves! And if you won't be able to join us in Fortuna, don't worry — you'll be able to pre-order your T HERE through April 22!
PRESENTERS & SESSION CHAIRS | Session Chairs are getting presenter data today and will be in touch soon with details about your session. Thanks to ALL for your patience as we move all the pieces in place. You can find the preliminary schedule here.
FIELDTRIPS ARE FULL BUT… 1) We will be in touch with folks on the waiting list should openings occur! AND 2) This just in: The Not-a-fieldtrip Fieldtrip:
Are you getting in too late on Monday to go on an official field trip? Perhaps the field trip is more than you want to commit to? Maybe the one you want is full? Well if you’re still jonesing for a little connection on Monday then we invite you to join SERCAL President Lindsay Teunis and a few of our board members for a two-ish hour walk and talk around the river within walking distance from the conference center. We’ll spend some time enjoying nature while getting to know each other, learn what each other’s work entails, share out a few statewide topics like 30 x 30 and the California Rapid Assessment Method, and dive into current challenges and opportunities in the restoration space. We'll send details with May's Restoration for All newsletter!
NEXT GEN STIPENDS | We'll be in touch this week with the plan! We want you there!
LODGING and GETTING THERE | Here's the link to your lodging options! These rates will be available Sunday night (before the fieldtrips) through checkout on Thursday morning. There are four hotels that are within easy walking distance (no more than 0.2 miles!) from the conference center, plus the Bear River Casino Resort is just a 5-minute drive away. We are also reserving campsites at the Riverwalk RV Park.
Lastly… Every year, we work to improve from hard-won lessons. We're doing our best to hold fast to the deadlines we are setting in order to create a smoother experience for YOU. And with your assistance in sticking with our timeline, we'll be able to create a seamless process that we can carry with us to University of Redlands (2027) and Sacramento (2028). We can't wait to see you!
Remember to watch your inbox for the latest! |
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Keynote Spotlight: Margo Robbins
This month, we’re honored to highlight Margo Robbins, co-founder of the Cultural Fire Management Council and a keynote speaker at SERCAL 2026 in Fortuna.
The Cultural Fire Management Council works to support the practice of cultural burning on Yurok ancestral lands, advancing fire stewardship that benefits ecosystems, wildlife, and community resilience.
At the heart of this work is a different way of understanding fire—not only as something to manage, but as something to work with. Something that supports renewal, balance, and long-term care of the land.
Through training, cooperative burns, and community-led programs, Margo and her colleagues are helping to restore both landscapes and knowledge systems that have shaped them for generations.
As one practitioner shared, “Fire is about new life.”
We’re especially looking forward to learning from her in May.
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Restoration in Focus - $60M Invested Across California
California is investing nearly $60 million in restoration and conservation projects across the state 27 projects across 18 counties, to be exact. Some of the work will feel familiar: floodplains reconnected, streams restored, habitat improved. Some of it is about movement designing wildlife crossings so animals can move safely between landscapes that haven’t always made that easy. There’s also continued momentum behind California’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, with projects focused on giving coho, Chinook, and steelhead a better shot side channels, slower water, places to rest. It’s a lot of work, spread across a lot of places. And maybe that’s the point. Restoration, more and more, is less about single sites and more about how everything connects. |
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Restoration Jobs - April Deadlines
Several excellent restoration opportunities are closing soon. A few highlights: Manager of Sales & Partnerships Heritage Growers / River Partners | Sacramento (or remote)
Deadline: April 6, 2026
Ecological Project Coordinator Integral Ecology Research Center | Blue Lake
Deadline: April 9, 2026
Natural Resource Student Intern Sacramento Area Sewer District |Elk Grove
Deadline: April 12, 2026
Crew Supervisor, Conservationist I California Conservation Corps | Willits
Deadline: April 15, 2026
Coastal Ecology Environmental Scientist San Francisco Estuary Institute | Tahoe National Forest (Nevada City)
Deadline: April 27, 2026
Botanist Stillwater Sciences | Sacramento
Deadline: April 30, 2026
Explore all current openings here |
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From the Pages of Ecesis!
What happens when restoration starts with students?
In The Davis Rewilding Society, a small group of UC Davis students turned a post-COVID idea into a growing movement—restoring native habitat, building community, and creating hands-on pathways into restoration careers. . What began with three friends, a handful of tools, and wild-collected seeds has grown into a network of over 2,000 students transforming landscapes across campus and beyond. . It’s a reminder that restoration isn’t just about ecosystemsit’s about people, leadership, and the power of small actions to create lasting change.
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TOGETHER we are STRONGER and so are the amazing habitats we are committed to restoring!
Hey! We've got a new membership app and it's going to bring a new shine to your SERCAL membership. Have you joined or renewed for 2026 yet? Thanks to EVERYONE who has not only renewed but has contributed to the funds we've set up to make it possible for Next Gen and under-funded colleagues to attend the conference.
THIS IS WHAT COMMUNITY LOOKS LIKE! |
As always, for their continued and generous support: The Victor and Susan Schaff Foundation: $5,000
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Valley Oak $2,500 Sponsors |
Arroyo Willow $1,000 Sponsors
Torchbearer $500 Sponsors |
Sustaining Business Members $275
Sustaining Individual Members $125 Marcia Basalla + F. Thomas Biglione + Scott Dreher + Richard B Lewis + Jennifer Long + Cassie Pinnell + Vivian Sedgwick + Linda Spahr + Emily Zefferman
and the countless others who have generously rounded up to support the Next Generation and our under-funded colleagues. |
Our Community of Partner Organizations are The Best California Native Grasslands Association (CNGA) often leads the popular Grasslands session at our conferences. Our organizations also offer a joint membership discount as well as discounted registrations to each other's events.
California Invasive Plant Council (Cal-IPC) is another essential partner in restoring our native California landscapes. We offer discounts to each other's annual gatherings.
California Ecological Restoration Business Association (CalERBA) is a 501c6 organization that represents a growing sector of state businesses that specialize in delivery of high impact environmental outcomes.
California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD) is a 501c3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving as a strong advocate, technical resource, and partner to the state's 96 RCDs so that they can be Relevant, Excellent, and Visible “go-to” hubs for conservation in their communities.
Ecological Workforce Initiative is working to meet the workforce needs of the growing ecological restoration industry by training workers for living-wage careers that support both the economic vitality of our communities and the health of our environment.
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Copyright © 2026. California Society for Ecological Restoration. All rights reserved.
Our email address is: info@sercal.org 515 N Desert Stra
Tucson, 85711
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