In the face of unprecedented attacks on the environment, the 30x30 initiative remains a shining light on California's leadership in large scale conservation efforts. This session will reflect on the progress that has been made, while looking forward to the opportunities ahead amidst a turbulent climate.
SESSION CHAIR Kim Delfino
Earth Advocacy, Sacramento, CA, United States
Kim Delfino
Earth Advocacy
Kim Delfino has worked for more than thirty years within and for the non-profit community to advocate for biodiversity conservation. As part of this work, Kim values the critical role that science plays in policy, planning, and project implementation. As President of Earth Advocacy, Kim provides policy and advocacy expertise to nonprofits and foundations with the goal of protecting and restoring our lands, water, and wildlife for future generations. Prior to establishing Earth Advocacy, Kim was the California Program Director for Defenders of Wildlife for two decades. She has experience in public and private land use planning and policy, species conservation, energy policy, federal land management, and water policy. Kim served on the California Water Commission from 2010-2015. She also is an adjunct professor at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. Kim began her career as an associate attorney in Washington, D.C. with the public interest law firm of Meyer & Glitzenstein, where she specialized in cases involving the Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and other environmental laws. She is a graduate of UC Davis and McGeorge School of Law at the University of the Pacific.
9.1 30x30: Momentum, Milestones, and What’s Next
Meghan A. Hertel
California Natural Resources Agency, Sacramento, California, United States
Description California’s 30x30 initiative has moved from vision to measurable progress—advancing durable conservation, strengthening partnerships, and delivering real benefits for nature and communities across the state. This talk provides a snapshot of where California stands today, highlighting key milestones, lessons learned, and on-the-ground outcomes achieved through collaboration with Tribes, agencies, landowners, NGOs, and local partners. Looking ahead, the session will outline near-term priorities and practical next steps to sustain momentum as the state transitions to a new administration. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of what’s been built, what’s underway, and how California is positioning 30x30 to endure and continue delivering impact well into the future.
Presenter Bios
Meghan A. Hertel
California Natural Resources Agency
Meghan Hertel is the Deputy Secretary for Biodiversity and Habitat at the California Natural Resources Agency, where she leads statewide efforts to advance conservation, restoration, and climate resilience, including California’s 30x30 initiative. She works across agencies, Tribes, and partners to deliver durable, on-the-ground outcomes that benefit nature and communities across California.
9.2 An Assessment of California’s Drive Towards 30x30: How Are We Doing and How Much of What Is Enough?
Dr. Rodd Kelsey
The Nature Conservancy, California, United States
Description California is now at the midpoint in its drive to achieving protection of 30% of its lands and waters by 2030, with 26% of terrestrial landscapes and 22% of marine area protected so far. Importantly, these protected areas represent much of the diversity of California, from coastal ecosystems to mountains and deserts. Yet we have significant work ahead to not only achieve 30×30, but to also do so in a ways that protect the full, remarkable biodiversity of California in ways that can halt or even reverse biodiversity declines in this, the United State’s most biodiverse state. This presentation will present the results of a recent biodiversity assessment of current 30×30 lands and propose some principles for how to approach protecting the remaining areas in order maximize our collective impact on biodiversity conservation.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Rodd Kelsey
The Nature Conservancy
Rodd leads The Nature Conservancy California’s Land Protection and Stewardship Program. This program is focused on collaboratively building a vast network of connected conservation lands across California and leveraging TNC’s over 640,000 acres of protected lands as living laboratories to develop and demonstrate climate-smart land management. He has over 25 years of experience in natural resources conservation leadership and wildlife research.
9.3 Important Plant Areas: An Innovative New Map and Database to Inform Conservation Activities Across California
Dr. Dennis Grossman1, Dr. John Hunter2, Dr. Gerrit Platenkamp3, Dr. Nicholas Jensen4
1Retired, Auburn, CA, United States. 2Retired, Sacramento, CA, United States. 3Retired, Davis, CA, United States. 4California Native Plant Society, Sacramento, CA, United States
Description The California Native Plant Society is integrating currently available botanical data to map Important Plant Areas (IPAs) across California. This activity is critical and timely. California is a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot and faces significant threats from land conversion and climate change leading to habitat destruction and species extinctions.
Data regarding the status and distribution of plant species and vegetation types exists, but there are limited synthesized information products that provide an ‘actionable’ set of plant conservation priorities. As a result, priority sites to conserve threatened plants and vegetation are often missing in regional planning and land management decision-making.
The IPA applies a global biodiversity standard to integrate these botanical datasets across California. IPA analysis identifies locations of high plant and vegetation endemism and rarity across the state. IPA products will result in maps and site descriptions that can be efficiently incorporated into conservation and resource management policies and initiatives across the state.
This presentation will provide an overview of the global IPA program and the process applied in California. We will share preliminary results as well as future steps to maintain and update this information, and plans to ensure broad access to these IPA results. We will also project how this information can be used to inform conservation prioritization by statewide programs like the 30x30 Initiative, county and watershed planning programs, land trust activities, and other conservation and land management efforts.
Presenter Bios
Dr. Dennis Grossman
Dr. Dennis Grossman has provided science and policy leadership for conservation NGOs and state government for over 35 years. These positions include Chief Ecologist and Environmental Policy Advisor at The Nature Conservancy, Science Vice President at NatureServe, Senior Scientist at the Conservation Biology Institute, and Senior Advisor for Environmental Science and Policy at the California’s Strategic Growth Council and Office of Planning and Research. Dr. Grossman has advanced the classification and mapping standards for terrestrial, freshwater and coastal/marine ecosystems. He has improved regional conservation planning processes through the application of decision support systems to for data integration and analysis. He serves as co-chair of the Biodiversity and Ecosystem Section of the International Association for Impact Assessment participates on the Placer County Conservation Authority Advisory Committee. Dr. Grossman has a Ph.D. in Plant Ecology from the University of Hawaii, and Botany Masters and Bachelors degrees from the University of Wisconsin.
9.4 Advancing 30x30 in Working Forests: Using Conservation Easements to Secure Improved Management in Commercial Timberlands and Restore Large Landscapes to More Natural, Fire-Resilient Conditions
Paul Mason
Pacific Forests Trust, California, United States
Description Millions of acres of the most productive conifer forests in California are managed for commercial timber production. To maximize economic return managers generally harvest to the legal minimums as soon as the trees will produce a commercially viable log. This approach has led to millions of acres of the state’s most productive conifer forest being young, homogeneous, unnaturally dense, biologically depauperate, and intensely fire-prone. Much of this forest is intermixed with U.S. Forest Service land in a “checkerboard” pattern, fragmenting and diminishing the ecological value of public land.
Collaborating with landowners and state agencies we can design “working forest conservation easements” that include permanent restrictions that guide how the forest is managed to develop more natural, diverse conditions. Over time this recruits large trees and restores diversity to degraded forests, while supporting ongoing management and the associated timber-dependent human communities.
Attendees will examine case studies of landscape-scale projects that improve biodiversity and landscape connectivity, as well as policy opportunities in 2026 to accelerate the scale of this type of conservation action.
Presenter Bios
Paul Mason
Pacific Forests Trust
Paul Mason has lobbied on forest and natural resource issues in Sacramento since 2003 and has served at Pacific Forest Trust since 2009. As Vice President for Policy and Incentives, he works to craft state policies that recognize and support the full range of forest values including biodiversity, climate mitigation, economic return to landowners, and water resources. His earlier career included lobbying for the Sierra Club on natural resource issues and working in Humboldt County during the 1990s on the successful campaign to save the last large stand of unprotected ancient redwoods.
9.5 Protecting Banning Ranch: A David vs. Goliath Story of Community Activism, Unprecedented Philanthropy, and Conservation Success.
Melanie M. Schlotterbeck
Coastal Corridor Alliance, Newport Beach, CA, United States
Description After multiple development proposals on one of the last large coastal open spaces in Southern California was defeated through a lawsuit by conservation non-profit Banning Ranch Conservancy and a Coastal Commission decision to deny the project, the property known as Banning Ranch was successfully protected. From deep community organizing and high-level strategy to a complex oil history and remediation work, this December 2022 acquisition was one of Orange County’s first 30x30 transactions completed after Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-82-20. Participants attending this session will learn about the conservation values of the property, the use of various organizing, philanthropy, planning, and legal tools, and how the property was successfully protected after 25 years of dedicated work by volunteers. Finally, attendees will learn about the planning work that will lead to important climate resilience, biodiversity, and public access benefits — all tenants of 30x30.
Presenter Bios
Melanie M. Schlotterbeck
Coastal Corridor Alliance
Melanie is a Stewardship Consultant for the conservation non-profit Coastal Corridor Alliance and brings decades of conservation non-profit experience including acquisition/transaction methods, greenprints, regional advance mitigation programs, and creating and implementing unique funding mechanisms. Through her work, she advocates for informed policy decisions based on sea level rise, biodiversity, access, urban greening, and equity for disadvantaged communities. She possesses multiple skillsets including coalition building, geographic information systems, conservation and planning policy work, state and federal agency relationships, balancing conservation with access and recreation, and habitat connectivity.
Thank you to our 2026 sponsors!
Giant Sequoia
Special thanks to Esri, our 3-time Giant Sequoia Sponsor, for making this movement stronger than ever!
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.
DateThursday, February 5
