2026 TOGETHER Conference

Jun Bando

Jun Bando is the executive director of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS), a nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting California’s globally significant native plant biodiversity. In this role, she represents more than 13,000 CNPS members and leads a statewide team of staff and volunteers across 35 chapters in California and Baja California Norte, Mexico. She also serves on California’s 30x30 Partnership Coordinating Committee and on the California Biodiversity Network Steering Committee. Jun applies multicultural and multinational perspectives gained from two decades of service in the nonprofit, academic, and public sectors to lead the development of inclusive teams and strategies. Her prior experience includes serving as a senior advisor to the California Council on Science and Technology and as a senior staffer in the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. She holds a PhD in Ecology from UC Davis and a B.S. in Environmental Studies from San Jose State University. Jun’s work at CNPS is rooted in commitments to protecting biodiversity, empowering an extensive network of volunteers and staff, and building a more inclusive conservation community.

Annie Burke

Annie serves as the executive director of TOGETHER Bay Area. Annie’s passion is bringing people together to celebrate differences and achieve shared goals, and she's been deeply involved in regional collaboration for over 15 years. She has successfully advocated for regional funding, co-designed and co-led a program called Right Relations which focuses on Native American Tribal relations in conservation, raised millions of dollars, produced films, led coalitions to coordinate solutions to complex challenges, and hosted inclusive and joyful and productive events of all sizes. She’s fascinated by systems change, human beings, and what the world around us – including rivers, trees, and butterflies – can teach us. Annie has a Masters in Organization Development from University of San Francisco and a B.A. in Psychology from Denison University. She serves as co-chair of California’s 30×30 Partnership Coordination Committee and on the management board of the San Francisco Bay Joint Venture. She was named a 2025 Local Hero by Bay Nature magazine.

Noelle Chambers

Noelle Chambers is the Executive Director of Amah Mutsun Land Trust (AMLT), an organization founded by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band to protect and steward sacred lands and waters. As a non-Native leader, she is honored to support the return of Indigenous-led stewardship that renews reciprocal relationships. Previously, Noelle spent 20 years at Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), including five years as Vice President of Conservation, where she expanded collaborations with Indigenous communities. She serves on the board of the California Council of Land Trusts and Climate Resilient Communities and previously served on the board of TOGETHER Bay Area.

Sara Clark

Sara is a partner at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger, a public interest environmental firm in San Francisco, where her primary practice areas are Land Trusts & Natural Resource Conservation, CEQA & NEPA, Tribal Law, and Litigation & Appeals. She also serves as a board member at Save the Redwoods League.

Jonathan Cordero, PhD

Jonathan Cordero, PhD (Ramaytush/Chumash) is Chairperson of the Ramaytush Tribe and Executive Director of the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone. He is co-lead editor of Critical Mission Studies (UC Press, forthcoming), which revises previous scholarship on California Indian and Spanish relations during the Mission Period. Dr. Cordero is a leader, speaker, artist, and activist in the broader Ohlone and Chumash communities.

Wade Crowfoot

Wade Crowfoot serves as California’s Natural Resources Secretary, leading efforts to conserve California’s environment and natural resources. He has served as Secretary since 2019 and advises Governor Newsom as a member of his cabinet. Secretary Crowfoot oversees an agency of over 25,000 employees spread across 26 departments, commissions, and conservancies. His agency is charged with stewarding California’s forests and natural lands, rivers and water supplies, and coast and ocean. It also protects natural places, wildlife and biodiversity, and helps oversee the state’s world-leading clean energy transition. Secretary Crowfoot is leading efforts to achieve Governor Newsom’s ambitious environmental vision, including a commitment to conserve 30 percent of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030. He oversees billions of dollars of public investment to protect people and natural places from climate change impacts, and has led efforts to navigate California’s record-breaking droughts, floods, and wildfires. Secretary Crowfoot has also initiated a new era of partnerships with California Native American Tribes and is shifting how the agency operates to better support all California residents and communities. Secretary Crowfoot has been on the frontlines of environmental leadership throughout his career. He served in Governor Jerry Brown’s Administration as deputy cabinet secretary and senior advisor to the Governor, driving climate action. He led the non-profit Water Foundation to build water resilience across the American West. He spearheaded efforts to establish and defend California’s landmark climate change policies as West Coast regional director for the Environmental Defense Fund. As an environmental advisor to then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, he helped establish many first-in-the-nation urban environmental policies. Secretary Crowfoot received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics. Wade grew up in Michigan spending summers at a YMCA camp and in the woods around his family’s remote cabin in Northern Ontario. He moved to California in the mid-1990s and discovered backcountry camping with friends. His first time in the redwoods at Big Basin State Park is still one of his defining California moments. He loves to camp with his wife and daughter and learn new things in the outdoors, currently including fly fishing and soon backcountry skiing. He says his best days as Natural Resources Secretary are spent outdoors with local groups that are conserving land and connecting people to nature.

Madeline Drake

Madeline Drake was appointed by Governor Newsom as Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat at the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) in March 2026. In this role, she leads statewide conservation efforts, including implementation of California’s 30x30 strategy to conserve 30 percent of the state’s lands and coastal waters by 2030, and Cutting Green Tape, an initiative to streamline permitting and funding and accelerate the pace and scale of environmental restoration. Previously, she served as Assistant Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat, coordinating across CNRA’s departments, conservancies, and commissions and engaging external partners to advance the state’s 30x30 goals. She also served as Biodiversity Coordinator at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, where she guided development of California’s “Pathways to 30x30” strategic framework. Earlier in her career, she was a Wildlife Biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, working on Endangered Species Act listing decisions and species recovery planning. Madeline holds a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina and an M.S. in Animal Biology from the University of California, Davis, and enjoys hiking and scuba diving in her free time.

Olivia Fiori

Olivia Fiori is an Acquisition Specialist with Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space, where she leads and supports land conservation projects that protect agricultural lands, forest ecosystems, and community access to land. She works at the intersection of public agencies, nonprofit partners, Tribes, and landowners to help shape complex conservation easements. Olivia brings a multidisciplinary background to her work, with experience in land stewardship, forest restoration, prescribed fire, wildlife surveys, and forest monitoring. She holds a degree in Society and Environment at UC Berkeley, with a focus on sustainable rural food systems. Prior to joining Ag + Open Space, she spent nearly a decade with The Conservation Fund as a forester. Her experience with prescribed fire and hands-on land management informs how she approaches integrated and adaptive efforts that support more resilient agricultural and ecological systems in the face of climate change. Her approach to conservation is grounded in relationship-building and a belief that how land is protected matters as much as what is protected. She is particularly committed to equitable access to land, fostering meaningful community partnerships and connection, and bringing care, intention, and trust into the process of conserving land. She is motivated by work that supports both ecological integrity and community well-being for generations to come.

Meagan Flier

Meagan Flier, PE (she/her) is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a licensed civil engineer, and serves as Deputy Director for Tribal Affairs for the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA). With expertise in tribal affairs, environmental policy and law, and coastal engineering and marine management, Meagan worked for her Tribe before moving to California to serve the State and private industry in a variety of policy-based and technical roles. In her current role, she supports CNRA’s broader tribal affairs work and oversees the CNRA Tribal Affairs unit, including the Tribal Nature-Based Solutions grant program and the California Advisory Committee on Geographic Names. Meagan is also the lead author for CNRA’s recently revised Tribal Consultation Policy and Best Practices Appendices.

Danny Franco

Danny Franco, Senior Project Manager, has been working with the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy's Park Projects and Design department for 16 years, primarily planning and implementing natural resource conservation, vegetation management, and landscape scale restoration projects. In 2023, Danny recently led completion of the Marin Regional Forest Health Strategy, an initiative of the One Tam collaborative that provides a framework for advancing multi-benefit cross-jurisdictional projects that will improve forest health and resilience. Danny's current portfolio includes work with the National Park Service on climate adaptation planning in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and work with the Golden Gate Biosphere Network to apply species distribution models to better understand opportunities to protect climate refugia for key ecosystems.

Katie Gilmur

Katie Gilmur is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Specialist at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, where she leads initiatives that strengthen organizational culture, expand access, and deepen community connection to open space. With more than 15 years of experience in leadership development, equity strategy, and systems transformation, she brings a strategic approach to aligning people, partnerships, and outcomes in mission driven work. Her diverse background has shaped her ability to translate transferable skills into meaningful impact. She brings a leadership lens grounded in building partnerships, navigating complexity, and driving meaningful, lasting impact.

Tanvi Dutta Gupta

Tanvi Dutta Gupta is a senior reporting fellow with Bay Nature. She grew up across Singapore, Hong Kong, London, and India before coming to the Bay Area, where she studied ecology at Stanford University. Her favorite nature activities include unsuccessful whale watching and getting lost on trails.

Amanda Kochanek

Amanda leads a variety of project teams with a focus on data collection and analysis at GreenInfo Network. Personal specialties include organization of complex projects and data, identification of systems for automation, and demographic analyses. Frequently her projects involve demographic analyses, equity in access to parks and open spaces, and reducing youth exposure to tobacco products and advertising. Currently her work mostly focuses on 30x30 data and the foundational databases of CPAD and CCED.

Neoma Lavalle

Neoma Lavalle is the Planning Manager for the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) leading the Park Planning, Interagency Planning, Cultural Resources, and Archives teams. Ms. Lavalle developed EBRPD’s conservation lands program and much of her career at EBRPD has been focused on finding the balance between planning for public access and conserving natural and cultural resources. Ms. Lavalle has worked for EBRPD for over 15 years and prior to that she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Honduras and worked for the U.S. Antarctic Program at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. She has a BA from U.C. Berkeley and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

Mel Lozano

Mel Lozano is a member of the Land Acquisition team at Sonoma Land Trust. They bring a wide range of experience to their role, including nonprofit program management, environmental restoration, land conservation planning, field data collection, and community health work. After receiving their BS in Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning from UC Davis, Mel was eager to move back to Sonoma County and work to protect the area that shaped their love for nature. Along with their passion for natural resource conservation, Mel loves sewing, knitting, and taking walks with their dog.

Brian O'Donnell

For more than two decades, Brian O'Donnell has been a leading conservationist. Brian is the director of the Campaign for Nature, an effort that works to increase global targets and financing for protected and conserved areas under the Convention on Biological Diversity and to elevate biodiversity conservation as a global priority. Brian led a campaign that resulted in the historic global agreement at COP15 to set a target of protecting at least 30% of the earth’s land and seas by 2030. He helped organize a High Ambition Coalition of more than 115 countries to support the campaign’s goals. From 2007 through early 2017, Brian worked as the Executive Director of the Conservation Lands Foundation. Brian Led the foundation's efforts to protect, restore, and expand the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's National Conservation Lands. At CLF, Brian led a campaign that protected millions of acres of land as National Monuments. Prior to joining CLF, Brian was the National Public Lands Director for Trout Unlimited (TU). He led TU's efforts to protect U.S. National Forest Roadless Areas, permanently protect more than a million acres in the Wyoming Range, and secure Oregon's Copper-Salmon Wilderness. Brian also worked for The Wilderness Society where he led campaigns resulting in the congressional designation of the Black Rock Desert and Sloan Canyon National Conservation Areas and dozens of new legislated Wilderness areas throughout Nevada. Brian has a degree in economics from Rollins College. Brian was a member of the inaugural class of Presidential Leadership Scholars (www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org). He lives in Durango, Colorado, with his wife Melyssa and daughter Kara.

Melanie Parker

Melanie Parker currently serves as TOGETHER Bay Area’s board president. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Land Trust of Napa County, a member organization that is celebrating its 50th anniversary doing land conservation in the north bay area. Prior to joining the Land Trust, Melanie served as Deputy Director of Sonoma County Regional Parks, where she oversaw a growing system of park and preserves as well as a robust and inclusive suite of outdoor programs. Melanie is a strong proponent of authentic engagement and partnership with indigenous peoples. Most recently she played a key role in developing a comanagement agreement with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria for Tolay Lake Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. Before moving back to the Bay Area from the Northern Rockies in 2015, Melanie was instrumental in advancing several large-scale landscape conservation initiatives in the Northern Rockies. Most notably, she played a key role in the Montana Legacy Project, which permanently protected 310,000 acres of working forestland and critical wildlife habitat. Throughout her career, Melanie has been recognized for her inclusive leadership and her ability to bring diverse stakeholders together.

Tiśina Ta-till-ium Parker

Tiśina Ta-till-ium Parker is a California Indigenous [cis] fem, traditional regalia maker, fire keeper, textile designer and Indigenous cultural art activist. Tiśina’s people are Yosemite Southern Sierra Miwuk/Kutzadika’a Mono Lake Paiute from her Grandfather’s lineage and Kashia Pomo & Coast Miwuk from her Grandmother’s lineage. Tiśina was born and raised in her sacred tribal homeland of Yosemite/Mariposa. Born into a strong Indigenous lineage, Tiśina has practiced ceremony with her Yosemite/Mariposa tribal community since birth. She descends from a powerful matriarchy of notable California Native basketmakers including her Great, Great Grandmother, Lucy Telles and her Grandmother Julia Parker. Tiśina holds a BA in Community Studies with an emphasis in Art Education and a minor in Bilingual-Spanish English Education from UC Santa Cruz and a BFA in Fashion and Sustainable Textiles from California College of the Arts. Tiśina currently serves on tribal council with the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, is active in cultural fire work with Yosemite Fire Little Fires cultural burn program and develops Indigenous Cultural Community Art Programs under the name Native One.

• Tiśina Ta-till-ium Parker's website
• Tiśina Ta-till-ium Parker's instagram

Taylor Pennewell

Taylor Pennewell is a citizen of the Berry Creek Rancheria of Tyme Maidu Indians, located in Butte County, California. She has a Master in Teaching from the University of San Francisco. Taylor is the Founder and Executive Director of Redbud Resource Group, a Native woman-led non profit organization with the mission to help improve the presence of Native voices in education, stewardship, and public health through education, research, and community partnerships. In addition to her roles at Redbud, Taylor currently sits on the California Governors Council for Holocaust and Genocide Studies.

Cassaundra Pino

Cassaundra Pino grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is enrolled in Acoma Pueblo and has family ties to San Felipe Pueblo. She is the Policy Manager for the Native American Land Conservancy, an inter-Tribal non-profit based in southern California. Previously, she worked as the Media and Community Engagement Specialist for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition. She obtained a B.S. in Ecology Environmental Organismal Biology and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Kansas, and a Masters of Social Science degree at the University of California, Los Angeles. She was a member of Kansas' D1 Women's Swimming Team and the UCLA Club Triathlon Team. She grew up swimming and running, which is where she derives her passion for public health and sports. She is interested in learning new pathways for Indigenous Peoples to improve their holistic mental, physical, and spiritual health while navigating the current challenges of our world.

Alexii Sigona

Alexii is currently a UC President's Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Native American Studies at UC Davis. He received his Ph.D. in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at UC Berkeley. He has published on topics related to environmental justice, recognition politics, cultural heritage management, and environmental policy. He is a Research Fellow for the Amah Mutsun Land Trust, a mentor for the Amah Mutsun Youth Group, and is co-chair of the Native American Advisory Council for University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources.

Joel Weltzien

Joel Weltzien grew up in a small town in southwest Montana where his father taught him to hike, backpack, and “be” in natural spaces. After finishing his Bachelor of Science in Anthropology at the University of Montana, Joel dove head first into spending as much time as possible outside. He spent three years in Oregon and Idaho as a white-water rafting guide, showing folks the majesty of the Snake, Salmon, and Grande Ronde rivers. After becoming increasingly interested in policy and advocacy, Joel headed to Washington D.C. for a congressional internship with Montana’s lone Democratic Senator, Jon Tester. Joel then returned to Montana – and through a series of jobs at a variety of conservation organizations – built up a professional skillset rooted in organizing, legislative affairs, community engagement, communications, and conservation-focused political strategy. Seeking a more robust educational experience, Joel went on to attend the University of Michigan’s School for the Environment and Sustainability, earning a Master's of Science in Environmental Policy. While there, Joel supplemented his professional experience by developing skills and perspectives rooted in economics, geographic information systems, quantitative analytics, environmental justice, conservation biology, and law. Joel’s M.S. Capstone Project involved leading a nine-person team in studying Irrecoverable Carbon across the U.S. for their client, The Wilderness Society. After completing his Masters degree in the spring of 2023, Joel moved with his wife to Berkeley, where she began attending law school. While he loves to hunt and fish, Joel is self-proclaimed as "terrible" at both activities but hopes to learn and get out as much as possible in the coming years!

Kirk Wilbur

As Vice President of Government Affairs, Kirk serves as the California Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) lead advocate on legislative, regulatory and legal issues impacting California’s cattle ranchers. Kirk works closely with CCA’s officer team and Executive Vice President Billy Gatlin to coordinate CCA’s federal and state government affairs efforts, providing California ranchers and beef producers a clear and decisive voice on key national, state and local issues. Kirk graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science and obtained a law degree in 2012 from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento, where he graduated with distinction. He leans on his legal training to navigate California’s complex legal and regulatory environment for the benefit of the state’s livestock producers. Kirk has been at CCA since May of 2013.

Trip 1: Restoring the San Francisco Shoreline

Explore the restoration process for a section of San Francisco shoreline that connects recreational and high-value habitat connectivity with two adjacent open spaces and learn about the community engagement process that guided the landscape architecture and design. 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Hosted by Stillwater Sciences

(CANCELLED) Trip 2: Támal-ko Family History Walk at Point Reyes National Seashore

UPDATE AS OF APRIL 30: We're sorry to say that this trip has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. If you previously signed up for this trip, the TOGETHER team will reach out to help you reschedule to another trip. ----- Walk to one of the last Támal-ko/Coast Miwok 20th century homesites on the west side of Tomales Bay (Tamal liwa) with Theresa Harlan of Alliance for Felix Cove. We'll gather on the Inverness Ridge to walk the path to the Felix Family home with beautiful views of Tamal liwa. We'll identify/sketch coastal plants and flowers with a Felix Cove phenology booklet and listen to wrentits and sparrows. Once at the cove we'll visit the home of the Felix Family, a turn of the century home built by Támal-ko hands. Our home sits on the bay in a quiet cove that is home to bat rays, leopard sharks, kingfishers, and harbor seals. We can picnic on the beach. Theresa will share family stories of the cove and we'll honor our ancestors through an activity of word, imagery, and drawings. 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM | Hosted by Alliance for Felix Cove

Trip 3: Building Trails to Last at Cotoni-Coast Dairies

Experience a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to build trails at pace, scale, and durability at Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. Explore how strategic partnerships, adaptive planning, and sustained community investment create trails that last. We'll hike the trails, hear from the Bureau of Land Management, and discuss lessons learned about pacing complex projects on evolving public lands, scaling volunteer engagement during periods of uncertainty, and building durable trails in challenging terrain. 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM | Hosted by Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship (SCMTS) with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

Trip 4: Small Space, Big Impact: Community Engagement, Salt Marsh Habitat and Climate Change

Alviso County Park is small in scale and through programs and partnerships is having a big, durable, and positive impact for people and wildlife. Our day will include a walk and talk highlighting our partnership with the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory and a Slough Safari boat trip. Learn about how these programs engage hundreds of volunteers annually in tidal marsh restoration, improving refugia for threatened species, and connect people with the role of salt marshes in climate adaptation. We will discuss best practices to engage volunteers/community in restoration projects, developing partnerships with like-minded organizations, and how small projects can have enduring impacts at scale. 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Hosted by Santa Clara County Parks

Trip 10: Ridge Views and Vernal Pools of Napa County

Trek the Land Trust of Napa County's newest preserve: the 1,300-acre Mead Ranch. Situated on the Atlas Peak plateau, Mead Ranch covers an array of habitats, from mixed chaparral, mixed oak woodlands, a 60-acre working vineyard, and a stunning 50-acre vernal pool complex replete of rare and listed plant species. LTNC is evaluating our next steps for stewardship, including habitat restoration, post-fire management, public access, environmental education, and partnership building. We've begun a strategic process to move all these forward and welcome input or suggestions from attendees! We'll spend the day walking through the preserve, including a trek to the ridgeline and wander through the vernal pools. 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM | Hosted by Land Trust of Napa County With gratitude to the Land Trust of Napa County, this trip will run on both Thursday (Trip 10) and Friday (Trip 8) during the conference. Please be sure to double check that you’re signing up for the correct date!

Trip 5: Curry Canyon Ranch – Critters and Creative Conservation Strategies

Embark on a short nature hike to explore the multiple habitat types and hope to catch a glimpse of golden eagles, see bobcats, coyotes, reg-legged frogs. Learn about milkweed planting and restoration, the cattle grazing program, and educational programs with local schools and tribes. The hike will include discussion of on-site natural resources as well as Save Mount Diablo and the East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy’s work to ensure durable conservation through partnerships and secure funding streams for the property and others in the region. 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM | Hosted by East Contra Costa County Habitat Conservancy and Save Mount Diablo

Trip 6: Gold Standard vs Pragmatism: Restoration at Scale

Join us for a behind‑the‑scenes look at how complex watershed restoration projects come together on the ground to restore a watershed at-scale. This tour offers a unique opportunity to see project sites in various stages of planning and completion, hear candid lessons learned, and understand the practical realities of collaborative restoration work. This walking tour includes several examples of a range of restoration projects in the lower Pescadero watershed, including floodplain restoration, off-stream farm water storage, instream riparian habitat enhancement, and a dredge project that restored a stream channel and fish passage. 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM | Hosted by San Mateo Resource Conservation District & Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County

Trip 7: Co-management of Tolay Lake Regional Park

Join members of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Sonoma County Regional Parks and Sonoma County Ag + Open Space District on a short hike to experience Tolay Lake Regional Park. Tribal representatives will explain the importance of the land to indigenous people. Together with parks and open space staff, they will share the history of land protection, talk about the current collaborations co-managing the park, and show some of the recent projects restoring habitats, reintroducing cultural fire and a tour of the new inspirational Tolay Gathering Area “heenup tuliila.” On a hike at Tolay Lake, we will turn from past efforts to protect and restore the land towards current tribal perspectives on the land and the experience of co-managing the park between two governments: the County of Sonoma and Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM | Hosted by Sonoma County Regional Parks, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, and Sonoma County Ag + Open Space

Trip 8: Ridge Views and Vernal Pools of Napa County

Trek the Land Trust of Napa County's newest preserve: the 1,300-acre Mead Ranch. Situated on the Atlas Peak plateau, Mead Ranch covers an array of habitats, from mixed chaparral, mixed oak woodlands, a 60-acre working vineyard, and a stunning 50-acre vernal pool complex replete of rare and listed plant species. LTNC is evaluating our next steps for stewardship, including habitat restoration, post-fire management, public access, environmental education, and partnership building. We've begun a strategic process to move all these forward and welcome input or suggestions from attendees! We'll spend the day walking through the preserve, including a trek to the ridgeline and wander through the vernal pools. 10:00 AM - 2:30 PM | Hosted by Land Trust of Napa County With gratitude to the Land Trust of Napa County, this trip will run on both Thursday (Trip 10) and Friday (Trip 8) during the conference. Please be sure to double check that you’re signing up for the correct date!

Trip 9: Shoreline Access, Adaptation and Active Transportation: SF Bay Trail in Richmond

Explore a landscape where ecological restoration, industrial history, equitable access, and active transportation converge. Once the site of extensive dynamite‑blasting operations, the shoreline has been transformed into a mosaic of coastal prairie, marsh, and woodland habitats that demonstrate long‑term resilience and stewardship, and the capacity of damaged landscapes to recover over time. 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Hosted by Rails to Trails Conservancy & East Bay Regional Park District