12th Annual Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Conservation Symposium

Seeds of Change: Conservation Through Diversity

Presented by the Nakashima-Rennie Family

Join us for our 12th Annual Conservation Symposium presented by the Nakashima-Rennie family, where our community and scientists come together to celebrate the incredible world of seeds and their vital role in restoring habitats and conserving rare species. This year’s theme, “Seeds of Change: Conservation Through Diversity,” will explore the fascinating diversity of seeds, emphasizing their importance as living resources crucial to our planet’s ecological health.

Seeds are not just the foundation of life but are also powerful tools for restoration. We’ll discuss how diverse, regionally-adapted seed collections are essential to successful habitat restoration and the preservation of rare species. Genetics play a critical role, and our speakers will explain why maintaining genetic diversity in seed collections is key to resilient ecosystems.

Across the nation, movements like Seeds of Success, Seed LA, and the Northeast Seed Network are leading the charge in collecting, growing, and storing native plant seeds. At this symposium, you’ll hear directly from growers and conservationists who are at the forefront of these efforts. They’ll share their experiences and insights on what it takes to build and maintain robust seed banks and how these efforts are shaping national and regional native plant seed strategies.

We will also highlight the growing momentum behind these strategies and how the Garden and other regions are using this to guide conservation practices. Whether you’re a seasoned conservationist or a passionate newcomer, you’ll leave with practical knowledge on how you can contribute to these vital efforts.

Together, we can all play a part in conserving our natural heritage, one seed at a time. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and be inspired to make a difference!

Event Sponsors:

The Nakashima-Rennie Family | S&S Seeds

Tickets (in-person attendance includes catered lunch):

General Public: $40

Students and Members: $15

Virtual Livestream: Free

Schedule of Events

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Scroll for Speaker Bios

Peggy Olwell, Bureau of Land Management

Our 2025 John C. Pritzlaff Conservation Award winner. Peggy Olwell is the Plant Conservation & Restoration Program Lead for the Bureau of Land Management in Washington, DC. Peggy built the BLM’s nationally recognized Native Seed Program, which promotes the use of native plants in habitat conservation and restoration projects. She was instrumental in developing the Plant Conservation Alliance in 1994, a partnership of 12 federal government agencies and over 380 state and private organizations. She has served as chair of the PCA Federal Committee and led the effort on the 2015 National Seed Strategy. Peggy co-edited an Island Press publication entitled Restoring Diversity: Strategies for Reintroduction of Endangered Plants. Recently, Peggy co-authored the Springer book Seeds of Restoration Success: Wild Lands and Plant Diversity in the U.S. Peggy has worked on plant conservation and endangered species issues for more than 30 years in positions with the National Park Service, Center for Plant Conservation , and US Fish and Wildlife Service. Peggy received her undergraduate degree in Botany from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her masters degree in Biology from Southern Methodist University.

Heather Schneider, Ph.D. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Heather Schneider, Ph.D., oversees the Rare Plant Conservation Program at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, which includes conducting research, implementing conservation and recovery actions, managing the Conservation Seed Bank, and providing outreach and education opportunities focused on California’s rare plants. Heather’s research interests and experience are in plant ecology, seed banks, conservation, invasive plants, and evolutionary biology. She earned a doctorate in botany and plant sciences from the University of California, Riverside, worked as an ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey, and was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara, before joining Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Heather has been working to understand and protect the California flora since 2005. 

Tom Kaye, Ph.D. Institute for Applied Ecology

Tom Kaye, Ph.D., is founder and Chief Scientist at the Institute for Applied Ecology. Tom specializes in habitat restoration, pollination biology and pollinator conservation, invasive species control, endangered species reintroduction, population dynamics of plants, population viability analysis, monitoring and conservation planning. Sourcing native plants for restoration with climate resiliency is a key area of interest, research and publication for Tom. In addition, his interests include plant-pollinator interactions and plant systematics.

Amy Vandergast, Ph.D. U.S. Geological Survey

Amy Vandergast, Ph.D. is a Research Geneticist with the Western Ecological Research Center. She develops and leads a research program in Conservation and Landscape Genetics and Genomics.

Antonio Sanchez, Santa Monica Mountains Fund

Antonio Sanchez is a force of nature, full of energy, unstoppable, and unforgettable. He’s built a unique program as the Rancho Sierra Vista Nursery Manager and Volunteer Outreach Coordinator for SAMO Fund. During the past four years, thanks to Antonio, the RSV Nursery has become a center for plant restoration for the Santa Monica Mountains, and known for its free plant giveaways to the public, seed conservation, educational internships, a robust volunteer base, training, workshops, community outreach and so much more. 

Naomi Fraga, Ph.D. California Botanic Garden.

Beginning her work at California Botanic Garden in 2001, Naomi Fraga, Ph.D., has taken on various roles and currently serves as the director of conservation programs. Naomi earned her Ph.D. in 2015 from Claremont Graduate University and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Her research focuses on the systematics of the species formerly treated in the genus Mimulus (Phrymaceae) and commonly known as monkeyflowers, the floristics of California, the conservation of rare species, and pollination biology.

Genny Arnold, Theodore Payne Foundation

Genny is the Seed Program Manager for Theodore Payne Foundation.