Vernal Pool Complexes of the Northstate:
Biology, Conservation, and Management Conference

Presented by Butte Environmental Council
March 23-24, 2006
Chico, CA

Download the agenda and registration form (PDF)

Butte Environmental Council (BEC) is hosting this conference and tours on March 23rd and 24th from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico. There will be presentations by eminent scholars and agency representatives concerning plant and animal species dependent on the vernal pool ecosystem, conservation efforts and needs, and what management techniques have been used to enhance the viability of certain sites.

If you wonder why you need to attend, consider some of these facts. California has lost 95% of the estimated five |million acres of wetlands that were present in the 1780’s. Four million original Central Valley wetland acres have been filled or degraded, leaving only 380,000 acres (Daly, Sundquist, Waldeck 1992). Vernal pools have been severely impacted. It is commonly accepted that vernal pool habitat losses are over 90% throughout their historic range. With the Central Valley growing at twice the rate as the rest of the state this habitat continues to be lost at an alarming rate.

The conference will assist planners, ranchers, conservationists, students, and builders to understand the importance of the vernal pool landscape and what mechanisms exist or are currently under development to protect the ecosystem.