The LiMPETS team was thrilled to attend and present at the 2022 Western Society of Naturalists (WSN) Conference in Oxnard, California.

Program Coordinator Jaclyn Schneider gave a plenary talk, “Reengaging The Excluded In Coastal Monitoring,” sharing how LiMPETS successfully adapted to virtual/hybrid teaching throughout 2020 and 2021, and how virtual options have helped the program reach a broader underserved population of students. Jaclyn highlighted new ways Greater Farallones Association is increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion of historically excluded groups in marine science, including increasing contact time with students from this group and through a newly launched Marine Science Education Fellowship program. Margie Glenn, Conservation Science Fellow, gave a talk focusing on how the utilization of community science-generated data, like LiMPETS data, can play a major role in informing ongoing restoration efforts in and around marine sanctuaries. Consistent presence, absence, and organism measurement data collected by LiMPETS on Pacific mole crabs make them a good indicator species for ecosystem health.

The team greatly enjoyed connecting with colleagues and meeting other ecologists working in the western region!