SYRCL at SERCAL 2025: Advancing Restoration Across California

In April, SYRCL’s Watershed Science team joined over 300 restoration professionals, agency representatives, academics, NGOs, and students in Sacramento for SERCAL 2025 — the annual conference of the California Society for Ecological Restoration. Held April 21–23, the event was a powerful reminder that the most effective restoration work happens through collaboration across disciplines, geographies, and generations.

This year’s conference theme focused on creating a more resilient California, and our team was proud to share SYRCL’s work on forest health and meadow restoration — projects that are vital to protecting the Yuba River watershed and restoring ecological function in the Sierra Nevada.

Presenting SYRCL’s Science

Anne Marie Holt, SYRCL’s Forest Conservation Project Manager, gave a Lightning Talk — a fast-paced presentation format designed to spotlight innovative work in just a few minutes. Her talk focused on our aspen restoration efforts, outlining why these unique groves matter and how we’re planning the next steps in managing and protecting them. Aspens are biodiversity champions, supporting everything from pollinators to birds and helping stabilize soils and retain water in high-elevation ecosystems.

Rose Ledford, SYRCL’s Science and Education Project Manager, delivered a more detailed technical presentation on Haskell Peak Meadows, a key restoration site in our headwaters work. Her talk walked attendees through the pre-implementation conditions of the meadow system and discussed treatment techniques including beaver dam analogs (BDAs), post-assisted log structures (PALs), culvert removal and replacement with low-water crossings, and road decommissioning. Her presentation, which featured stunning drone footage of the project site, was a crowd favorite and sparked insightful conversations about how to scale these approaches in similar Sierra Nevada meadow systems.

Building Partnerships, Sharing Tools

Beyond the presentations, SERCAL 2025 gave our team the chance to connect with longtime partners like Stantec, cbec eco engineering, balance hydrologics, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), and the Wildlife Conservation Board (WCB) — organizations and agencies critical to advancing restoration across the state.

We also attended sessions and panels showcasing cutting-edge tools and strategies for improving the pace and scale of ecological restoration, which is urgently needed as climate change, wildfire, and habitat fragmentation intensify. A standout was cbec’s presentation on the Lower Long Bar project — another example of how thoughtful restoration can reconnect rivers to their floodplains and improve ecosystem resilience.

Looking Ahead

SERCAL’s annual conference reminds us that no matter the scope of our work, whether we’re focused on a single meadow or managing an entire forest unit, we are part of something larger. Restoration is a collective endeavor — one rooted in science, grounded in place, and driven by the people who care deeply about California’s future.

SYRCL is honored to be among the many dedicated organizations working toward that future. We’ll continue building partnerships, sharing knowledge, and advocating for ecological restoration that prioritizes watershed health, biodiversity, and climate resilience.