The Professional Soil Scientists Association of California (PSSAC) is excited to hold their Annual Field Meeting at the University of California’s Santa Cruz Island (SCI) Reserve where we will explore the island’s unique natural systems with a focus on geology, soils, vegetation, land use history, erosion, and sedimentation. The Field Meeting is designed to mesh with the mission of the University of California Reserve System. We plan to observe and discuss past and present research projects and mapping activities and contribute to the increased understanding and wise stewardship of the island’s soils, vegetation, and cultural resources. The meeting is targeted for April 19-23, 2023. The meeting planners and presenters have deep ties to University of California. A primary technical speaker at field stops will be Dr. Nicolas Pinter, Professor of Applied Geosciences and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Pinter will discuss his research conducted on the island and that of colleagues and students. We will visit a study site of Dr. Kerri Johnson, UC Santa Cruz; and Nina Bingham, PhD UC Santa Barbara (now working with California Healthy Soils Program) looking at grazing impacts, erosion, and related restoration efforts. We will review detailed soil laboratory data at six re-excavated soil pits representing some of the diverse soil types identified and mapped in the early 2000s by the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); the soil survey was a cooperative project supported by the University of California, the National Park Service, and The Nature Conservancy. Other invited speakers include Dr. Lynn Gamble, Professor Emerita of Anthropology at the UC Santa Barbara and Eleanor Fishburn, Chairwoman of the Barbareo Band of Chumash Indians and their cultural representative. PSSAC members Ben Faber, University of California Cooperative Extension Specialist, Ventura County, along with Roy Shlemon, PhD, UC Berkeley and Faculty at UC Davis have been advocating since 2018 for PSSAC to host this in-field meeting of soil science professionals to dialogue with researchers and probe into SCI’s unique soils and related resource concerns. PSSAC’s planning committee is led by David Smith, retired from USDA, NRCS and currently a Senior Advisor on an NSF-funded research project led by Dr. Krzysztof Janowicz, Professor, Geographic Information Science and Geoinformatics, UC Santa Barbara. Many PSSAC members are UC staff, alumni, or students. Additionally, PSSAC will offer four $500 student scholarships to attend the meeting, and typically is pleased to present some of the scholarship awards to students from the University of California. PSSAC was formed in 1973 and has been active in advancing both the study and enthusiasm for soil science and the environment for nearly 50 years. Members of PSSAC represent academia, private consultants, as well as government employees. The purpose of PSSAC is: • To promote proper use, management, and conservation of the soil resource; • To establish standards and qualification for professional soil scientists engaged in the study of the nature, distribution, and behavior of soils; • To identify and recognize qualified soil scientists; • To provide the public with the means of recognizing qualified soil scientists in the interest of public health and welfare, and; • To advance the competency and ethical conduct of professional soil scientists.

Approved