California Native Grassland Association GRASS Award Speaker Series
Join us for the California Native Grassland Association’s first virtual speaker series Fall 2022 which will showcase the amazing work undertaken in California Grasslands by a few of our 2021 Grassland Research Awards for Student Scholarship Winners.
Talks will take place Tuesdays from 7PM-8PM PST featuring one 40-minute talk, or two 20-minute talks, with time for Q&A.
Members: Free Non-Members: $10 Students: Free with Student ID
Sept 20, 7 pm – Joanna Tang, UC Santa Barbara
Vernal Pool Restoration in South Coast Grasslands
Joanna is a PhD Candidate at UCSB studying restoration ecology under Dr. Carla D'Antonio. Her current research focuses on improving long-term restoration success of grassland vernal pools, which continue to be threatened by invasive annual grasses. Invasive grasses accumulate a thick layer of thatch on the landscape that suppresses native populations and perpetuates invasive populations. She experimentally manipulated this thatch layer in a set of grassland vernal pools around UCSB, with the hypothesis that thatch removal would open up niche space for more native plants to colonize. Preliminary results show that thatch removal decreases nonnative cover but does not increase native cover. Historic drought and dispersal limitations may be hindering native populations. Joanna will continue to research the mechanisms limiting long-term success of native populations with the goal of developing long-term adaptive management methods and encouraging a mutualistic relationship between humans and the land.
Contact Justin Luong (jluong4@ucsc.edu) with any questions.
Download a Flyer Here
GRASS Speaker Series Schedule (Tuesdays 7PM PST, Sept 20 – Dec 6, 2022)
Sept 27 – Suzanne Ou (Stanford) & Raphaela Floreani Buzbee (UCB)
Oct 4 – Robert Fitch (UCSB)
Oct 11 – Roisin (Rosie) Murphy-Deák (Cal Poly SLO) and TBD speaker
Oct 18 – NO SEMINAR (CNPS CONFERENCE)
Oct 25 – NO SEMINAR
Nov 1 – Leila Wahab (UCM)
Nov 8 – Nora Bales (Cal Poly SLO)
Nov 15 – Rebecca Nelson (UCD)
Nov 22 – NO SEMINAR (THANKSGIVING WEEK)
Nov 29 – NO SEMINAR
Dec 6 – Ernesto Chavez-Velasco (Point Blue) and Landin Nolan (UCD)
