by Miranda Bell-Tilcock
The Bay-Delta Science Conference (BDSC) is just around the corner! The last BDSC was fully virtual in 2021, so we are very excited to see everyone at the first in-person conference since 2018. Just like in 2018, we will be at the Convention Center in downtown Sacramento, but it won’t be the Convention Center you remember. The Center has been fully remodeled, and it looks amazing! It will be a great place to highlight all the incredible science and scientific art this year.
Our theme for this year’s conference is “Cultivating connections for a dynamically changing environment.” We came up with this theme to not only highlight how we are going to build connections by once again meeting in person, but also to highlight the diverse groups of people needed to tackle the diverse problems of the Bay-Delta. There are many sessions to get excited about that touch upon this theme, but I will highlight a few of them below. For a complete list, please go to www.baydeltascienceconference.com and browse the complete program.
First, our amazing lineup of plenary speakers discussing topics from using traditional knowledge to incorporate cultural burns in our environment, to weaving tradition and science for collaborative conservation, to exploring impacts of contaminants on the environment. Then, we will find out this year’s recipient of the Brown-Nichols Science Award, our community’s most prestigious award. This won’t be revealed until the end of the plenary session!
After the plenary session, we have six concurrent afternoon sessions that include using artificial intelligence (AI) to advance ecosystem science, discussions on 2 decades of Phragmites control efforts, and talks on birds, garter snakes, and a crowd favorite: the salt marsh harvest mouse! Once the afternoon talks have concluded, we will roll into the evening’s poster and art session. This will be the time to see everyone’s posters, and it will be the best time to interact with all the artists and their beautiful works on display at the conference. Highlights include stained glass, quilts, a “write a Delta-themed haiku” station, and more!
The second day will begin early (but not too early!) at 8:30 am, featuring 6 concurrent sessions throughout the day. You will have the opportunity to learn more about eDNA, HABs, various fish species, tools for decision-making under uncertainty, democratizing water, and more. Remember, lunch is provided all 3 days so that you can take your time meandering through the poster room, but you might consider attending the “Town Hall – Jeopardy! Delta Science Plan Edition.” This will be a place where you can learn more about the “Grand Challenges” in Delta science and what we can do about them. It’s a fun and interactive way to learn more about the Delta Science Program while also learning how YOU can inform the development of the 2025 Delta Science Plan.
Have you had questions about the Healthy Rivers and Landscape Program? Day 2 includes an entire session devoted to this program. You can also learn more about the Delta Stewardship Council’s collaboration with the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis. Lastly for Day 2, we will feature a training workshop on how to protect Tribal data sovereignty and understand and respect Tribal research protocols. This workshop will provide the background necessary for researchers, agencies, and Tribes to develop cooperative working relationships that protect Tribal rights and concerns.
Day 3, the last day of the conference, offers 5 concurrent sessions. These sessions will feature many more fish talks, because there can never be too many, and we will also have sessions incorporating social science, such as “Human Dimensions of the San Francisco Bay-Delta.” There will also be sessions highlighting food webs science, modeling tools, and more about the drivers and impacts of the August 2022 Heterosigma akashiwo bloom in San Francisco. There will also be almost an entire room dedicated to weaving together Indigenous and Western sciences to restore wild Chinook Salmon to the McCloud River. This session will feature leaders in California salmon recovery discussing how this important partnership addresses past inequities, builds climate resilience, enhances biodiversity, and integrates cultural tribal values and agency recovery responsibilities.
There will be no shortage of fascinating talks at this year’s Bay-Delta Science Conference. I know I will be there with bags full of Bay-Delta themed friendship bracelets to hand out, and I hope to see you all there. So, let’s connect at #BDSC2024!
Miranda Bell-Tilcock is a Senior Environmental Scientist at the Delta Science Program where she is planning the Bay-Delta Science Conference and coordinates with NCEAS to provide synthesis workshop opportunities. Prior to joining the Council as staff in 2023, she worked at UC Davis’ Center for Watershed Sciences using fish eye lenses and isotopes, such as Chinook salmon eyes, to reconstruct their life history. Her work on fish eyes and isotopes was featured on National Public Radio’s Science Friday. Miranda enjoys hanging out with her three children when she’s not working, as well as baking bread and other tasty treats.
Further Reading
- Consider attending a free upcoming Sustainable Groundwater Management Conference at the UC Davis School of Law on Sept. 6, 2024. Details and registration here.
- The free UC Davis School of Law Law Review Fall 2024 Symposium is also focused on water issues. The Symposium, Salt Lakes in Crisis: Legal Responses to Ecological Catastrophes, will take place on Sept. 20, 2024. Keep an eye out for details and registration soon!
- Learn more about Delta Stewardship Council’s collaboration with NCEAS
- Making Every Day Earth Day: Analyzing Data with the National Center for Ecological Analysis & Synthesis
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