Riparian Summit 2017
Confluence to Influence

About the Conference

Riparian Summit 2017 was a huge success!  Many thanks to our speakers and sponsors for their contributions!

Visit the 2017 Presentations page to see video of the keynote and plenary sessions, photo galleries, and presentation slides.

Riparian Summit 2017 Confluence to Influence was held at the University of California, Davis Alumni Conference Center on October 17-19, 2017. The 3-day Summit provides an opportunity to share knowledge from multiple communities on the science, community values, and strategies for managing, protecting, and restoring California’s riparian corridors. It will feature plenary sessions, concurrent sessions, an art and science component, and opportunities for field activities.

Goals of the Riparian Summit:

Despite well recognized contributions of riparian ecosystems to the natural capital of California’s ecosystems, much of the original riparian habitat of California has been heavily modified or lost. With that loss has come a loss of the ecological and hydrological integrity, resilience, and productivity of riparian systems, including reduction in water supplies and quality of life in riparian dependent communities.

With the state preparing to make major investments in green infrastructure, riparian restoration and its natural infrastructure should be a major focus for effective public investment. The goals of the Summit are to share emerging understanding of riparian processes, to identify priorities and opportunities for investment, and to highlight contributions of riparian corridors to natural capital, the arts, and human well-being throughout California.

In particular, the organizing committee seeks work that contributes to one or more of the
following themes:
● Shared science, community values, methods, and techniques for advancing the care
and management, protection, and restoration of riparian areas,
● Describing and evaluating the latest research, lessons learned, best practices from
California and beyond
● Understanding and communicating the multiple benefits of riparian conservation,
highlighting the interplay among habitats, ecosystem services, human communities, and
the persistence of our natural heritage encompassed by riparian lands
● Influencing policymakers to recognize the importance of riparian conservation and
integrate the value of riparian areas into decision-making
● Describing and sharing how the arts can be used to enhance our appreciation of riparian
settings

Participants:
Join fellow riparian practitioners,  including:
● Scientists/Researchers
● Restoration Practitioners, Land Managers
● Policymakers
● Local, State, and federal government agency staff
● Private landowners and the public interested in riparian landscapes and riparian
management

as we dig into management of riparian systems, including reviewing cutting edge practice through a series of case studies on the second day, and discuss forward-looking opportunities as part of the strategy workshops on the 3rd day.

Sponsors:

The 2017 Riparian Summit is hosted by the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis, UC Davis Information Center for the Environment, California Department of Water Resources, and Point Blue Conservation Science.

Support comes from the California Riparian Habitat Joint Venture, United States Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Conservation, Environmental Defense Fund, California Wildlife Conservation Board, Stillwater Sciences, River Partners, Westervelt Ecological Services, and UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences.