Section 2 of 3. Learn how land managers are increasing the resilience of native plant communities by restoring ecological functions, rehabilitating degraded lands, and applying adaptive management to guide restoration success.
SESSION CHAIRS Loralee Larios1, Cris Sarabia2,3
1University of California, Riverside, CA, United States. 2Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA, United States. 3California Native Plant Society South Coast Chapter, CA, United States.
Loralee Larios
University of California, Riverside
As an ecologist and associate professor, Loralee Larios leads a research group that seeks to understand the mechanisms that contribute to plant diversity and how those might be impacted by plant invasions and environmental change to aide management and restoration.
Cris Sarabia
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
Cris Sarabia is Conservation Director for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy in southwestern Los Angeles and oversees all conservation projects including land preservation, habitat restoration, endangered species protection, and management of the nature preserves and open spaces on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Cris has a wide history of involvement with ecological and social justice organizations including being the cofounder of the Long Beach cultural community center Flora y Tierra, as a leader within the California Native Plant Society, an ecologist with the Los Cerritos Wetland Stewards, an Explore the Coast grant Advisory Board Member, and an Advisory Board Member with the Conservation Corp of Long Beach. On his free time, Cris advocates for habitat restoration and multi-lingual nature based programs throughout the urban areas of Los Angeles.
17.1 Habitat Restoration in the Fragmented Wildland Urban Interface
Cris Sarabia
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, United States
Description Habitat restoration can be described as rehabilitating and returning degraded or damaged natural areas to a biologically healthier and natural state.  The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy has been dedicated to preserving land in perpetuity on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a coastal area on the southern end of Los Angeles County, for decades. Over the last 30 years, the Land Conservancy has restored hundreds of acres of native habitat in a variety of ways and with many different results.
One important lesson learned over the years is that holistic habitat design not only has to include the right plant in the right place, but community involvement, access, and long-term stewardship.  While still having a large focus on wildlife, our success in creating successful habitat for some of the world’s rarest species requires many partnerships and collaborations with many different folks and their expertise.  We will share our approach, our successes and our challenges in this work within the wildland urban interfaces of Los Angeles.
Presenter Bios
Cris Sarabia
Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy
Cris Sarabia is Conservation Director for the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy in southwestern Los Angeles and oversees all conservation projects including land preservation, habitat restoration, endangered species protection, and management of the nature preserves and open spaces on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Cris has a wide history of involvement with ecological and social justice organizations including being the cofounder of the Long Beach cultural community center Flora y Tierra, as a leader within the California Native Plant Society, an ecologist with the Los Cerritos Wetland Stewards, an Explore the Coast grant Advisory Board Member, and an Advisory Board Member with the Conservation Corp of Long Beach. On his free time, Cris advocates for habitat restoration and multi-lingual nature based programs throughout the urban areas of Los Angeles.
17.2 The Grit that Sticks: Growing a Multifaceted Urban Conservation Program
Genevieve Arnold, Ella Andersson
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants, Sun Valley, CA, United States
Description Urban conservation is an essential strategy for mitigating long-term ecological threats in cities and the wildland-urban interface. As a proactive and place-based approach that restores ecological function and biodiversity, it addresses an especially urgent need in Southern California where ongoing development causes widespread habitat fragmentation and accelerated species loss in one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots.
Theodore Payne Foundation’s Seed and Conservation Program offers a regional model integrating seed conservation, local provenance initiatives, meaningful collaboration and community partnerships. Grown thoughtfully over decades, it has developed into a multi-pronged program that responds directly to Southern California’s ecological context. Key efforts include the Long Live LA Conservation Seed Bank, the Local Source Initiative which provides well-adapted locally sourced plants, the Bowtie Demonstration Project on the Los Angeles River and post-fire recovery in Eaton Canyon.
Grounded in local needs and adapting through experience, the Seed and Conservation Program illustrates the importance of diverse urban conservation efforts and reaffirms that with dedication and persistence, meaningful ecological impact is possible within our urban environments.
Presenter Bios
Ella Andersson
Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants
Ella Andersson is the Botanical Technician at Theodore Payne Foundation, where she focuses on regional seed collection, ex situ conservation, and the propagation of crops from seed. With a background in Wildland Resources and Forestry, she combines field botany, horticulture and public education to advance the conservation of California's native plants and wildlands.
17.3 There's a Path Forward in the San Joaquin Valley to Benefit Farmers, Communities, and Nature—But Only if We Plan...and Plant
Dr. H. Scott Butterfield
The Nature Conservancy, Sacramento, CA, United States
Description To meet the goals of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in the San Joaquin Valley, it is estimated that more than 500,000 acres of irrigated, agricultural land will need to be retired by 2040. In 2017, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and partners developed a vision for habitat restoration on retired agricultural lands, focusing on areas with the highest potential to be restored to habitat for more than 25 imperiled species, and in 2022 started the ~500-acre Capinero Creek project in Tulare County to explore how restoration can be sustainable, funded, scalable, and beneficial to local communities. We started by introducing topographic features like hummocks back to the landscape, where a variety of plants and animals could establish. We then started plant restoration to prevent weed establishment. We did this by planting non-native grasses, a decision necessitated by the lack of availability of native grass seed for the ~500-acre site and its cost. The non-native grasses established with low weed levels and have been maintained with grazing. We used these grasses as a background palette to support additional experimental phases of restoration, including testing different native seed mixes and densities and levels of irrigation. These initial efforts have successfully created viable habitat for species like kangaroo rats, San Joaquin kit foxes, blunt-nosed leopard lizards, and Crotch’s bumblebee, all of which have been documented on site, while immediately reducing negative air quality impacts from fallowed lands.
Presenter Bios
Dr. H. Scott Butterfield
The Nature Conservancy
17.4 Eco‑Endophyte‑Enhanced Native Restoration in Sodic and Salt‑Impacted Soil on a Military Base in Southern California
Renee Murphy1,2, Dr. John Freeman2,3, Dr. Chris Cohu2,4, Edo Guttman2, Kirby Gimson2, Galen OToole5
1Association for Environmental Health and Sciences Foundation, Board Member, San Diego, CA, United States. 2Intrinsyx Environmental, Sunnyvale, CA, United States. 3International Phytotechnology Society, Oswego, IL, United States. 4Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO, United States. 5Intrinsyx Environmental, Sunnyvale, CA, United States
Description Even in contaminated, sodic and salt impacted soils, ecological restoration is possible when we focus on improving soil biota and biodiversity and not just removing pollutants. From 2024–2025, we led a two-year native plant restoration effort on an overgrown landscape and partial dump on a Southern California military base. The site had a history of failed revegetation efforts due to soil salinity, sodicity, and probable contamination, compounded by invasive allelopathic species, dry exposed slopes, and wildlife browsing.
To address these challenges, native trees and shrubs were inoculated with endophytic microbes to increase resilience to drought and salinity. We also implemented a USFS-inspired nurse-tree strategy: planting fast-growing trees to buffer understory species from wind and wildlife and promote favorable microclimate conditions. This technique supports survival of slower-growing natives and encourages long-term succession.
While no formal controls were established, observational results showed strong establishment of endophyte-treated plants under harsh conditions. Soil amendments based on site testing were applied to address sodicity and nutrient limitations. Irrigation was upgraded after initial wildlife damage, and protection measures were added.
This project highlights the need for the phytoremediation industry to evolve beyond pollutant degradation and embrace full-scale ecological restoration. By combining microbial partnerships, strategic planting design, and soil-informed practices, even the most degraded landscapes can be transformed. Our approach offers a replicable model for long-term recovery, biodiversity, and soil health on military and industrial sites.
Presenter Bios
Renee Murphy
Association for Environmental Health and Sciences Foundation
Renee Murphy is an environmental scientist specializing in endophyte-assisted phytoremediation and ecological restoration on contaminated sites. Her work focuses on integrating native plant strategies into the remediation industry, with an emphasis on restoring soil health and biodiversity. She is a two-time international TEDx speaker and keynote presenter, known for connecting science with storytelling to inspire action in environmental restoration. In her free time, Renee focuses on her community, teaching native plant gardening and propagation.
17.5 Panel of Speakers
Cris Sarabia1, Ella Andersson2, Dr. H. Scott Butterfield3, Renee Murphy4,5
1Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, United States. 2Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants, Sun Valley, CA, United States. 3The Nature Conservancy, Sacramento, CA, United States. 4Association for Environmental Health and Sciences Foundation, Board Member, San Diego, CA, United States. 5Intrinsyx Environmental, Sunnyvale, CA, United States.
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The mission of the California Native Plant Society is to protect California’s native plants and their natural habitats, today and into the future, through science, education, stewardship, gardening, and advocacy.
DateFriday, February 6
