Workshop Updates

Open Call for Abstracts for the 2027 IEP Annual Workshop
Submissions due November 6, 2026 (11:59 p.m.)
Late submissions will not be accepted

We are now accepting abstracts for the March 2-4, 2027 IEP Annual Workshop.

Participants wishing to present an oral talk, lightning talk, or poster must submit an abstract (2,000 characters or less = 300 words) and complete the abstract submission form.

Abstract Submission Form

There are 13 topics for abstract submissions. An author may select up to 3 that best describes the work to be presented.

1. Monitoring Modernization & Survey Redesign – Research focused on redesigning long-term monitoring program, evaluating new sample frames, gear efficiency, electronic data capture, or integration across agencies.
2. Technology, Automation & AI-Enhanced Tools – Research involving automated video review, machine learning, drones, hyperspectral imagery, remote sensors, or software that improves monitoring efficiency.
3. Fish Ecology & Population Dynamics (Smelt, Salmonids, Other Species) – Research on fish life histories, survival models, supplementation, telemetry, habitat use, recruitment patterns, and species interactions.
4. Hydrodynamics, Flow & Physical Processes – Studies linking flow, residence time, circulation, stratification, X2 dynamics, or physical drivers of ecological responses in the estuary.
5. Wetlands, Habitat Restoration & Food Webs – Work examining restoration outcomes, marsh productivity, trophic pathways, managed wetlands, or food web subsidies exported to adjacent habitats.
6. Water Quality, Contaminants & Toxicology – Research on contaminant mixtures, pollutant fate and transport, toxicity scoring, water chemistry changes, or ecological responses to chemical stressors.
7. Harmful Algal Blooms & Cyanotoxins – Projects addressing bloom drivers, metagenomics, early warning systems, toxin monitoring, ecological impacts, or HAB coordination efforts.
8. Genomics, eDNA & Advanced Molecular Tools – Studies utilizing eDNA, metabarcoding, SHERLOCK assays, genetic markers, or other molecular innovations for species detection or ecosystem assessment.
9. Climate Change, Extreme Events & System Resilience – Research exploring drought, heatwaves, salinity intrusion, wildfire associated contaminants, extreme hydrology, or resilience indicators.
10. Integrated Modeling, Forecasting & Decision-Support Tools – Work presenting coupled models, forecasting systems, Bayesian approaches, conceptual models, or applied management tools.
11. Cross-Agency Coordination & Integrated Monitoring Frameworks – Work highlighting multi agency survey alignment, shared sample frames, coordinated pilot studies, or collaborative science efforts.
12. Human Dimensions, Data Management & Science Communication – Research or tools addressing data systems, data governance, visualization, accessibility, communication strategies, or social dimensions of monitoring.
13. Other – Any other topic not identified above.

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Details

We welcome submissions from all IEP member agencies, affiliates, and stakeholders at all career levels. Preliminary work is welcome.

Participants are limited to one abstract as primary presenting author but may be a contributing author on any number of other submissions. If you have collaborators presenting related work and are interested in putting a session together provide their names and affiliation in the submission form.

Space to present in the program is limited. Selection is not guaranteed. All presenters including primary poster authors must attend the workshop in person. Abstracts will be selected based on various criteria such as relevance to IEP's mission and work plan, originality, collaboration, scientific merit, and career stage of the presenter.

Share this announcement and Call for Abstracts flyer (PDF) with your colleagues and others who may be interested in presenting at the workshop.

IEP Workshop

The workshop will be held March 2-4, 2027 at the headquarters building of the California Natural Resources Agency (715 P Street) in Sacramento, CA. The workshop is a free, hybrid event (in person and remote). Registration to attend the workshop is required.

Workshop Updates

To receive updates on the IEP workshop, subscribe to the IEP Workshop email. Visit the subscribe page on the IEP website to sign up for the IEP Annual Workshop email list and any other IEP email lists of interest (e.g., Stakeholders, IEP Newsletter, Job Opportunities, Science Stories blog, etc.).

Tell your colleagues who are not subscribed to sign up to receive notifications.

Questions

Questions on the abstract submission process or the workshop can be directed to the workshop organizing chair, Adam Nanninga (adam_nanninga@fws.gov) and IEP Program Support, Christine Joab (iep@wildlife.ca.gov).

It's that time of year again where we start to plan next year's IEP workshop. The workshop is scheduled for March 2-4, 2027 at the California Natural Resources Agency headquarters in Sacramento.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for volunteers to help us plan the workshop program and activities. We need volunteers for the following:

• Develop the program during the planning process
• Moderate program sessions during the workshop
• Organize and host the Mentor Luncheon during the workshop
• Organize and run the Poster Session during the workshop
• Organize and manage the Early Career Awards during the workshop
• Organize and coordinate volunteers during the workshop

There will be 8, 2-hour planning meetings between September to January for discussing and developing the workshop program. All meetings will be virtual.

How to participate?

Our first meeting is Thursday, September 3, 2026 from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. The Workshop Organizing Chair (Adam Nanninga) and his co-organizer (Tim Malinich) will discuss the planning process, roles and responsibilities, and timelines. We will also get started on planning the call for abstracts.

If you are interested in volunteering, send an email to iep@wildlife.ca.gov and adam_nanninga@fws.gov. If you cannot make the first meeting, but want to participate send us an email asking to be added to the participant list.

Who can participate?

• IEP member agencies, IEP partner organizations (including students from partnering academic institutions), and IEP stakeholders.
• Early career staff are encouraged to participate with approval of their supervisor.
• Career staff are also encouraged to participate.

Background materials

• 2027 Workshop Planning Calendar (PDF)
• Workshop Principles (PDF)
• Workshop Planning Committee Roles & Responsibilities (PDF)

Please share this invitation with others who may be interested!

This announcement is being shared widely among multiple listservs, so apologies for cross postings.

Greetings IEP Community Members,

Thank you to all who were able to attend the workshop in person or remotely. It was nice seeing and meeting so many of you. As we close out the 2026 workshop, we wanted to share the winners of the Early Career Awards, the location of the workshop recordings, and ask for your feedback on the 2026 workshop.

Early Career Award Winners

Best Oral Presentation Winners

• Elsie Platzer (UC Davis) - "Quantifying Primary Production Exports from Tidal Wetlands in the San Francisco Estuary"
• Kimberly Evans (UC Davis) - "Into the Sloughs of Suisun: The 2025 Annual Trends in Species Composition and Abiotic Variables"
• Nicholas Framsted (USGS) - "Assessing Drivers of Phytoplankton Blooms in the South Delta

Each of these talks were recorded and are included in the video recordings. Make sure to check them out!

Best Poster Presentation Winners

• Pachia Lee (DWR) - "Cold, Quick, and CRISPR-Clear: Freezing SHERLOCK for Faster Genetic Detection"
• Lalayna Hablutzel (CDFW) - "Phenology of Longfin Smelt (Spirinchus thaleichthys)"
• Andres Mendoza (USFWS) - "Catch Me If You Can: An Exploration of Specific-Specific Net Avoidance for Kodiak Trawl Efforts"

The posters for Pachia Lee and Lalayna Hablutzel along with others that provided their poster images will be showcased on the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop page in a new (coming soon) online widget being developed for posters. If you want to see the poster for an author who did not share their poster image, you can peruse the Abstract Booklet (PDF) to read the abstract and obtain the poster author's email.

Workshop Recordings

• All the IEP recordings can be found on the IEP Master Playlist, which is hosted on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife's YouTube channel.
• If you only want to see the 3 recordings of the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop, you can find them on the 2026 IEP Playlist.
• Note: The Poetry Slam hosted on Monday, March 16, 2026 was not recorded. However, Levi Lewis did provide the lyrics to his "Purple Fish in Flow"(PDF) rap.

Workshop Feedback - Due May 1

• If you have not already filled out the 2026 IEP Workshop Feedback survey (Form), please do so by May 1, 2026.

2026 Workshop Materials

• The workshop program, abstract booklet, award announcement, and link to the workshop recordings will remain available in the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop page.
• Posters will be showcased in a new online widget that can be accessed from the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop page.

Workshop 2027

We hope you enjoyed participating and attending the 2026 workshop. We look forward to seeing you again in early March 2027. Remember to subscribe to the IEP Annual Workshop email list to receive future announcements!

If you are interested in being on the 2027 planning committee or shadowing Adam Nanninga in 2027 to be the 2028 Workshop Organizer, please send an email to Adam_Nanninga@fws.gov and iep@wildlife.ca.gov.

See you next year!

Adam Nanninga (2026 Workshop Organizer)

Christine Joab (IEP Program Facilitator)

Greetings IEP Community Members,

Don't forget that registration is open for the Interagency Ecological Program Annual Workshop. We have a limited number of tickets remaining for in person attendance for each of the 3 days — March 16-18, 2026.

Registration for in person attendance ends March 6 or once tickets are sold out, whichever comes first. Registration for attending remotely will remain open through the workshop.

Registration

Registration links, workshop program, abstract booklet, area guide, and FAQ can be found on the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop page.

Judges Needed

We need judges to evaluate early career candidates for best presentation and poster.

• In-person attendees can register inside the EventBrite ticket platform.
• Remote attendees should contact Ted Flynn (Ted.Flynn@water.ca.gov).

After Hours Event

There will be an after hours event held on Tuesday, March 17 from 4:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

View the After Hours Flyer (PDF) for more information.

• Come Climb the Walls with Us at Sacramento Pipeworks!
• Brag Over Brews Afterwards at PintWorks Restaurant & Brewery

Contact Peter Nelson (Peter.Nelson@water.ca.gov) for after hours event questions.

Questions?

General questions related to the workshop should be directed to iep@wildlife.ca.gov.

UPDATE:

Hello IEP Community members,

It has come to our attention that the Volunteer signup link in the original email was incorrect. We have corrected the link on the 2026 Workshop page and in this email below.

Don't forget workshop registration opens on February 2, 2026. See information below for in-person and remote registration.

We look forward to seeing everyone (in-person and remotely) at the event.

IEP Program Support

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Greetings IEP Community Members,

The 2026 IEP Annual Workshop is coming to the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) Headquarters (715 P Street, Sacramento) on March 16-18, 2026. Live presentations will be held in the auditorium and posters will be showcased on the 2nd floor (Rooms 2-221 B+C). The event is FREE and will be hybrid (in-person and remote). Registration for both in-person attendance and remote attendance opens February 2, 2026 (8:00 a.m.).

Signups are currently open for participants interested in the Early Career Mentor Luncheon, volunteers to help during the workshop, and judges to help us evaluate oral talks and posters from early career participants. See below for a quick overview on workshop registration, a summary overview of the workshop program, signups for the mentor luncheon, volunteers, and judges. This information along with registration information is now posted on the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop page.

Share this email with colleagues, managers, early career staff and others interested in the workshop, and make sure to subscribe to the workshop email list to receive future updates!

Workshop Registration

Registration to attend the workshop (in-person or remotely) opens February 2, 2026!

The Workshop Program and Abstract Booklet is currently being finalized and will be available on the 2026 IEP Annual Workshop page when registration opens. For now, please peruse the summary overview of the program and discuss with managers, supervisors, and staff on which days you are interested in attending. Review the Area Guide, Workshop FAQ, and a flyer for an after-hours climbing event at Sacramento Pipeworks and PintWorks Restaurant and Brewery.

• Summary Overview of 2026 IEP Workshop (PDF)
• Area Guide (PDF)
• Workshop FAQ (PDF)
• After-Hours Climbing Event Flyer (PDF)

Mentor Luncheon

Are you interested in attending the Early Career Mentor Luncheon as a mentee or mentor? Registration is still open for Mentors and Mentees. Seating is limited so make sure to register before the end of January. The Mentor Luncheon connects new and early career scientists and students with career researchers, managers, and practitioners in the San Francisco Bay-Delta community.

• Luncheon Date: Monday, March 16, 2026 (12:12 p.m. - 1:42 p.m.)
• Registration: Early Career Luncheon Registration Form (registration end January 27)
• Contact Kristi Arend or Brian Schreier for questions.

Workshop Volunteers Needed!

The IEP Workshop needs volunteers for the program to run efficiently and smoothly. We need mic runners, timekeepers, overflow room monitor, and backup volunteers. Volunteers get automatic registration for the day they volunteer. Volunteer slots are 1/2 day minimum.

• Volunteer Signup Form (signup closes February 23)
• Contact the Volunteer Chair Tim Malinich for questions.

Early Career Award Judges

Judges are needed to evaluate the presentation and posters of participating early career candidates. If you are interested in being a judge, a signup will be included in the EventBrite in-person workshop registration (registration opens February 2). If you want to signup now or if you have questions, contact the Awards Chair, Ted Flynn.

Workshop Questions?

Contact the workshop organizing chair, Adam Nanninga, and IEP Program Support.