Salmonid Restoration Conference to Convene in Person Again in 2022

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Salmonid Restoration Federation

Salmonid Restoration Federation (SRF) is excited to host the 39th Annual Salmonid Restoration Conference in Santa Cruz, CA, home to some of the southernmost populations of wild salmonids left in California, on April 19-22, 2022. The theme of this year’s conference is Reconnecting for Resilience. SRF hopes that convening a dynamic and safe in-person conference will help foster salmon and social resilience!

The conference will highlight marine conditions, food webs, fish passage design, dam removal, life history strategies, and a wide range of restoration techniques to enhance recovery efforts.

This year participants will have the opportunity to visit fisheries recovery projects in the Butano and Pescadero watersheds, as well as tour the Los Padres fish passage projects and the Lower Carmel River. There will be a restoration tour of Scotts Creek, which is the only watershed south of the Golden Gate Bridge that continues to support all three cohorts of Central California Coast Coho. Additionally, participants can learn how to combat human-induced sedimentation with a tour of mitigation measures that address the effects of mountain bikes and logging in the San Gregorio watershed.

Conference technical workshop topics include the California Environmental Flow Framework, Fish Passage, Large Wood Augmentation, and Low-tech Process-based Restoration with Beaver and Wood.

The conference agenda will explore a range of issues including urban stream management, coastal lagoon restoration, salmon seascape ecology, and a hydrology track that will include policy, restoration techniques, and drought-resilience strategies and initiatives.

A restoration tour of Scotts Creek, the only watershed south of the Golden Gate Bridge that continues to support all three cohorts of Central California Coast Coho, will happen at the SRF Conference in Santa Cruz. 
photo courtesy Salmonid Restoration Federation

Concurrent sessions include:

  • How Can Artificial Intelligence Benefit Salmon Recovery? Seascape Ecology and Ocean Conditions
  • Estuary and Lagoon Restoration Technical and Ecological Considerations to Expedite Large-scale Dam Removal
  • Lightning Tales Where Wisdom Sails (inspiring lightning talks)
  • Managing Non-native Predatory Fish in California’s Salmon-Bearing Streams
  • Hydrologic Management for the Anthropocene
  • Mountain Meadows: Restoring Functions in Headwater Catchments under Changing Climate and Wildfire Regimes
  • Fostering Community Involvement to Address Common Urban Streams Management Issues
  • Beyond Physical Habitat: The Importance of Prey Availability and Productivity in Recovering Imperiled Salmonid Populations
  • Opportunities for Collaboration: Tools and Initiatives for Increasing Our Collective Input
  • Considering Life History Variation in Salmonid Restoration

Registration for the conference will open in December. SRF will follow all CDC and Santa Cruz public health recommendations to ensure that this is a safe event for all attendees.

For more information: www.calsalmon.org