Convening natural and social scientists, managers and practitioners to launch a Second Century of stewardship for the parks, 100 years after the historic meetings at UC Berkeley that helped launch the National Park Service (NPS), this two and a half day summit (March 25-27, 2015) at UC Berkeley will feature 15 visionary plenary lectures by leading natural, physical and social scientists. The summit will also feature strategic conversations on current controversies led by panelists representing diverse viewpoints, and technical sessions of contributed papers and posters.
The goal of the summit is to envision and contribute to strategies for science for parks and science using parks for the coming decades by building on the historic linkage between NPS and scientists at leading universities and other organizations around the world. This collaboration will be crucial to nurture the future health of parks and protected areas worldwide and biodiversity conservation. The summit re-dedicates that partnership in a forward-looking way by examining the mission of the National Park Service and its relevancy today, scientific and management implications of this mission in a changing world, social and cultural dimensions for advancing the mission, and the future of science for parks and parks for science.
Among the plenary speakers and panelists are ESPM professors Steven R. Beissinger, Justin Brashares, Stephanie Carlson and graduate student Frances Roberts Gregory. Register to attend the summit by February 25.
UC Berkeley and the National Park Service celebrate the science emphasis of the national parks centennial with this video celebration of science in the parks.