California Society for Ecological Restoration July 2026 |
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We're still a little dusty from Fortuna.
SERCAL 2026 has come and gone, and if you were there, you know exactly what we mean. If you weren't, you'll feel it in these pages anyway — the energy doesn't fade that fast.
This issue is something of a victory lap. A recap of everything Adaptive by Nature brought together: the keynotes, fieldtrips, sessions, and the people who make it happen. A reminder that a gray wolf walked the length of California and found her way home, which feels like it belongs in the same issue as a conference about resilience. A spotlight on Cassie Pinnell, whose steady hand as Conference Chair made the whole thing run. And, as always, a few ways to stay connected, find your next opportunity, and keep this work moving forward.
We're already looking ahead to SERCAL 2027 at the University of Redlands. But for now, we're letting ourselves linger in this one a little longer.
Thank you for being part of it.
With Love Julie and Onolunose ❤️
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In this newsletter, you will find: SERCAL 2026 Conference Recap Restoration in Focus / Big Win Heartfelt Thanks to Cassie Pinnell Restoration Jobs — July Deadlines Stay Connected Quick feedback poll -- I moved this up with the conference Community/Partner shoutout
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SERCAL 2026 confirms it: Community is our Super Power
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SERCAL's restoration community came to California's "Lost Coast" in full force — practitioners, students, researchers, Indigenous land stewards, and partners — all in one place, all in it together. The 400+ attendees filled Fortuna's River Lodge with the kind of energy that reminds you of why you chose this work — the conversations that spill past session endings, the fieldtrip friendships, the moment you realize the person sitting next to you at dinner has been working on the same problem from a completely different angle.
This year, we were very fortunate to attract an extraordinary group of voices whose messages of science, culture, and practice inspired reflection and a deeper understanding of how we can move forward — together — in these times of uncertainty…
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Our keynote presentations began Tuesday morning with Javier Silva (Restore Tribes), Jun Bando (Together in Nature), and Ali Freedlund (Meadows, Forests and Fire: The Treatments, the Tools, the Talent and a Few Takeaways), followed on Wedneday by Margo Robbins (The Purposeful Use of Fire as a Restoration Tool), Lindsay Dailey and Jordan Reyes (EcoCultural Stewardship: A Tribal Perspective on Restoration), and a panel (Reciprocity and Fire) led by Sherri Norris with panelists from Cultural Fire Management Council (Margo Robbins and Claire Brown) and Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance (Lindsay Dailey and Jordan Reyes).
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The five fieldtrips filled up faster than we could blink — which tells you everything about this community's appetite for getting their boots on the ground and their hands in the work. We even had two informal "not a fieldtrip" outings — shall we include more for next year?
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We Would Love Your Feedback…
If you joined us in Fortuna — as an attendee or a volunteer — we'd be so grateful if you could take a few minutes to share your thoughts. Your feedback shapes every SERCAL conference that follows.
And yes, we're already starting to plan for next year — we'll be returning to the University of Redlands in May 2027. Watch for the Call for Abstracts in Sep/Oct!
Would you love a Tee?
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Restoration in Focus / Big Win
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For the first time in over a century, a gray wolf has entered Sequoia National Park.
Her name is BEY03F, born in 2023 in Plumas County. California now has roughly 90 gray wolves across 13 known packs — all descended from animals that began crossing from Oregon in 2011, after the last known wolf in the state was killed in 1924.
In February, BEY03F traveled the farthest south a wolf has ever been tracked in California, reaching Los Angeles County. Now she's turned north again, deep into Sequoia's backcountry.
As the California Wolf Foundation put it: "Each step tells a bigger story about resilience, connectivity, and the future of wolves in our state."
A century of absence. A decade of return. One wolf, reminding us what recovery looks like.
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Restoration in Focus / Big Win
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Restoring California's landscapes takes more than good science — it takes people. A new open-access paper in Conservation Science and Practice, with contributions from the CBN Stewardship Roundtable including some SERCAL board and affiliate board members, lays out what's holding the stewardship workforce back and what needs to change: fair pay, clearer career pathways, inclusive workplaces, and more Indigenous-led stewardship. |
Heartfelt Thanks to Cassie Pinnell |
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If SERCAL 2026 felt seamless to you, you have Cassie Pinnell to thank.
As this year's Conference Chair, Cassie was instrumental in bringing Adaptive by Nature to life — and she's been doing this kind of work, quietly and expertly, for as long as we've known her.
In her role as Senior Ecologist (and now Arcata Office Lead) at Vollmar Natural Lands Consulting, Cassie has spent the last 15 years focused on California's wetland systems — vernal pools, living shorelines, and tidal habitats among them. She's been the lead ecologist on the Montezuma Wetlands Project since 2006, and her graduate research at SF State spanned six years assessing eelgrass restoration efforts in the San Francisco Bay.
Before consulting, Cassie spent over four years as Executive Director of the Mattole Restoration Council in Humboldt County, where she built the kind of partnerships — across agencies, nonprofits, universities, and landowners — that restoration work depends on, helping steward roughly $1 million annually in restoration and conservation projects.
It's the same skill set that makes a great Conference Chair: the patience to coordinate dozens of moving parts, and the relationships to make people want to show up for it.
Thank you, Cassie — not just for leading this conference, but for sharing the communities you've built throughout your career. We can't wait to see what you do next!
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Restoration Jobs — July Deadlines |
Several excellent restoration opportunities are closing soon. A few highlights: Preserve Manager, Northern California Center for Natural Lands Management | Sacramento/Davis area
Deadline: July 10, 2026 (for fullest consideration)
Senior Environmental Resources Specialist (OC Infrastructure Programs) OC Public Works | Orange County
Deadline: July 14, 2026
Lead Open Space Technician Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District | Cupertino/La Honda
Deadline: July 19, 2026
Conservation Project Manager Solano Resource Conservation District | Solano County
Deadline: July 19, 2026
Restoration Program Manager Solano Resource Conservation District | Dixon
Deadline: July 26, 2026
Explore all current openings here
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Keep up with restoration stories, conference announcements, volunteer opportunities, and community highlights. And please make sure you are following our latest LinkedIn account!
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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 donated specifically or rounded up to support the Next Gen and our under-funded colleagues. |
Community/Partner Shoutouts! California Native Grasslands Association (CNGA) 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
USA
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