This week I had the opportunity to attend and present at the 2017 IEP (Interagency Ecological Program) Workshop from March 1st to 3rd in beautiful Folsom, California: Conference Link.
IEP is a really cool program and group of people that have been focusing on cooperative ecological investigations in the San Francisco Bay Delta Estuary since 1970! I love this program since cooperation among different government agencies and academics is sometimes rare, but is absolutely critical in order to solve complex problems by combining resources and gaining ideas from multiple angles and viewpoints. More about IEP here.
This morning’s session was particularly exciting (disclaimer: I might be a bit biased!), Titled: “Into the Weeds: Lifting the Curtain from Aquatic Vegetation Ecology in the Delta”, with the session lead by one of my fellowship mentors: Dr. Louise Conrad (DWR). Myself, Louise, and several others all gave presentations on the current state of invasive aquatic weeds in the Sacramento-San Joaquin and potential management implications (and of course including biological control!).
Also- while I was at the conference, I took myself on a running tour during the lunch hours as I’ve never been to Folsom, and it is a beautiful place. Here are some photos demonstrating the beauty and rich history in this cute town. You should definitely visit if you have a chance and plan to go outdoors!
Since I’m so close to Tahoe- Im going to go on a quick snowboarding trip on Saturday before I head back to the East Bay! Hopefully the storm holds off just enough to preserve my view of Lake Tahoe while boarding down the slopes!
Dr. Julie V. Hopper 