Doug Tallamy
With the launch of its centennial year, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden will kick off its celebration with the 13th annual Conservation Symposium presented by the Nakashima-Rennie family, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 31.
The symposium’s theme Planting With Purpose examines how public and private landscapes can be reimagined to be both beautiful and ecologically beneficial — supporting community well-being, bolstering resilience, and sustaining the natural world.
This event is offered in-person (ticketed) and virtually (free), with registration now open at https://sbbotanicgarden.org/classes-events/symposium-2026/.
This year’s event honors entomologist and best-selling author Doug Tallamy with the 2026 Honorable John C. Pritzlaff Conservation Award.
Tallamy, known for the books “Nature’s Best Hope” and “Bringing Nature Home,” has become one of the most compelling voices in native plant conservation.
In his keynote, he will address the urgent realities of global insect declines and the loss of three billion birds in North America — stark reminders that our current approach to growth and development is failing, and nonnative plants commonly used for landscaping do not sustain the biodiversity we all need to thrive, the Botanic Garden said.
Tallamy will also outline simple, actionable steps individuals and communities can take to reverse these trends by choosing plants that address both the climate and biodiversity crises.
“Conservation isn’t something that happens only in wild places or research settings, it’s something each of us can advance right at home,” said Heather Schneider, the garden’s director of conservation.
“Whether planting a native garden or joining local initiatives, community members have the power to transform the spaces where we live, work, and play,” she said.
“When we choose native plants, we boost biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience, and improve the health and well-being of our community and our planet,” she said.
The symposium will also feature updates from the Garden’s Conservation Department, highlighting work across the West Coast and Channel Islands to study, safeguard, and restore native plants and habitats.
Terrestrial invertebrate conservation ecologist Zachary Phillips will discuss findings from a restoration research project at Elings Park that is transforming an acre of nonnative grassland into coastal sage scrub and examining how native plants support insect and bird communities.
Alejandro Lemus, the garden’s horticultural educator, will discuss how habitat gardening — from front yards to small urban spaces — can create vital wildlife habitat, strengthen community resilience, and encourage individuals to participate in conservation where they live.
A panel discussion moderated by Schneider will explore how the native plant movement is expanding from niche gardens into entire neighborhoods, featuring insights from homeowner Hugh Ranson, Elings Park executive director Dean Noble, and Tallamy on how private yards, public spaces, and community landscapes can collectively enhance biodiversity and create thriving habitats for people and wildlife.
Presented alongside the 13th annual Conservation Symposium, the Botanic Garden will debut a new gallery exhibition, “From the Ground Up: Planting for Birds and Birding for Plants,” opening in the Pritzlaff Conservation Center Gallery Dec. 13 and on view through May 31.
Drawing from the garden’s landscape transformation work at Elings Park, the exhibit explores the intricate connections between birds, native plants, and the health of local ecosystems.
Through interactive displays, field notes, and scientific observation, visitors will learn how restoring native plant communities helps bring wildlife back home and provides measurable indicators of ecological recovery.
The exhibit invites guests to adopt a bird’s-eye view of local landscapes and discover the role they can play in creating habitats where both people and wildlife thrive.
From the Ground Up is free to attend with the cost of admission to the Botanic Garden.
For details and to register for the Botanic Garden’s 13th annual Conservation Symposium click here. To read more about the new gallery exhibition and to book a visit, click here.
Comments are closed.