2023 CPC National Meeting
CPC at Desert Botanical Garden
On the Horizon: Looking to the Future of Plant Conservation
May 4-6, 2023
Mark your calendars – we are thrilled to announce that the 2023 CPC National Meeting will take place May 4-6! Back by popular demand, the 2023 meeting will feature a hybrid format, with both in-person and online presentation sessions highlighting the theme of “On the Horizon: Looking to the Future of Plant Conservation.” In-person sessions will be held at Desert Botanical Garden which offers 55 acres of gardens and trails for you to explore and immerse yourself in the beauty of the desert. In-person sessions will be live streamed and recorded for later viewing on the conference platform. Virtual attendees will also have access to pre-recorded presentation content and virtual breakout sessions. Registration offerings and more details coming soon!
Presentation sessions will include updates from the CPC National Office on network-wide initiatives, plus lightning talks from CPC network partners on plant conservation research, accomplishments and challenges, and future initiatives. We welcome both Institutional and Individual Conservation Partners to submit abstracts for presentation sessions highlighting this year’s theme of “On the Horizon: Looking to the Future of Plant Conservation.” We encourage our contributors to consider presentation proposals that spotlight new conservation projects and research; ways your institution is visioning the field of plant conservation, goals, and outcomes in the future; or topics that otherwise adhere to the theme.
Post-meeting Field Trip
Journey with CPC and Desert Botanical Garden (DBG) to the Verde Valley where we’ll visit three sites that are home to two of the four known pre-contact domesticated agaves grown by the Sinagua peoples: Sacred Mountain (Agave verdensis Hodgson & Salywon) and Page Springs agave (Agave yavapaiensis Hodgson & Salywon). We are thrilled to give conference attendees a chance to tour this site following the National Meeting on Saturday, May 6. Access to these sites will require moderate hiking and walking, occasionally up steep slopes.
Note: registration for the field trip will be first come, first served as space is limited.
Board of Trustees Meeting
CPC’s Board of Trustees meeting will take place the Wednesday before the CPC National Meeting on May 3, 2023. The Board will have the opportunity to join the field trip on Saturday May 6, 2023.
Health & Safety
Our attendees’ wellbeing is top of mind as we gather for the 2023 National Meeting. The CPC National Office is following local health and safety protocols for COVID-19 outlined by the City of Phoenix. At this time, masking indoors is not required. We encourage in-person attendees to test for COVID-19 ahead of the conference and respectfully ask those who are feeling unwell to remain at home.
Important Dates
March 15, 2023
Presentation Abstracts Due and Early Bird Registration Ends. The last day to book rooms in our hotel block is March 31, 2023.
April 15, 2023
Last Day for In-person Registration and Deadline for Online Presentation Content. We recommend in-person registration during the early bird window to secure a spot in our hotel block. Virtual registration closes April 27.
May 4-6, 2023
National Meeting Activities Begin. Conference sessions take place Thursday, May 4 and Friday, May 5 at Desert Botanical Garden. The post-meeting field trip will take place Saturday, May 6.
Registration Offerings
In-Person
We are excited to gather in person at Desert Botanical Garden. Early bird registration is available before March 15, 2023 and costs:
- $425 for CPC members
- $500 for Non-members
- $250 for full time students
- Add $85 to each category to secure a spot for our post-meeting field trip on Saturday, May 6
- Late registrations between March 16 – April 15 will add $50 to all categories
In-person registration includes:
- Two full days of face-to-face networking with top conservation experts
- Eligibility to present conservation research from your organization in-person as either a 5-minute lightning talk or poster presentation
- Lunch and free entrance to the Star Award Banquet during conference session on May 4
- Lunch and cocktail reception during conference session on May 5
- Transportation from The Residence Inn Tempe Downtown/University to conference on May 4-5
- Networking with in-person and virtual attendees through the Whova conference platform
- Eligibility to compete in the conference photo contest and botanical art contest for cash prizes
- Access to the Whova conference platform and recorded meeting content beginning two days before and six months after the meeting
Not a CPC Conservation Partner? Become a member to enjoy discounted meeting registration rates and to submit presentation abstracts.
Requests for registration refunds will be considered at the discretion of the CPC National Office up until April 15, 2023.
Virtual
We are thrilled to provide the CPC National Meeting experience to a wider audience through our virtual registration offering. The virtual registration deadline is April 27, 2023 and costs:
- $70 for CPC members
- $85 for Non-members
- $40 for full time students
- There is no early bird registration discount for the virtual platform.
Virtual registration includes the following:
- Access to a high-quality live stream of the CPC National Meeting conference proceedings
- Opportunity to ask live questions to in-person presenters through the Whova conference platform
- Eligibility to present conservation research as an ONLINE ONLY 5-minute lightning talk (see presentation guidelines)
- Virtual breakout sessions moderated by CPC National Office
- Networking with both in-person and virtual attendees through the Whova conference platform
- Eligibility to compete in the conference photo contest and botanical art contest for cash prizes
- Access to the Whova conference platform and recorded meeting content beginning two days before and six months after the meeting.
*Our hope is to upload recordings of individual conference talks shortly after sessions conclude.
Not a CPC Conservation Partner? Become a member to enjoy discounted meeting registration rates and to submit presentation abstracts.
Requests for registration refunds will be considered at the discretion of the CPC National Office up until April 15, 2023.
2023 CPC National Meeting
Wendy Hodgson
Herbarium Curator Emerita & Senior Research BotanistWendy has lived in the Sonoran Desert for 54 years and worked at DBG one year shy of 50. Her areas of interest include Southwest US and northern Mexico floristics, including the Grand Canyon region. She also studies rare/endemic plants, taxonomy/systematics of agaves and yuccas, including the study of pre-contact agave domesticates, and southwest US cacti, having been the coordinator for the Cactus family treatment for Intermountain Flora. Of the 33,000+ herbarium specimens she has collected, many are those spiny and hard to press plants in the agave and cactus families. Wendy is a believer in collaboration, especially with Indigenous peoples whose voices we have ignored far too long.
In addition to be this year’s Keynote Speaker, Wendy will also be leading our field trip excursion to the Verde Valley agave sites along with Andrew Salywon, Herbarium Curator and Research Botanist at Desert Botanical Garden.
Don't Miss Moments
Field Trip to the Verde Valley
Journey with CPC and Desert Botanical Garden (DBG) to the Verde Valley where we’ll visit three sites that are home to two of the four known pre-contact domesticated agaves grown by the Sinagua peoples: Sacred Mountain (Agave verdensis Hodgson & Salywon) and Page Springs agave (Agave yavapaiensis Hodgson & Salywon). We are thrilled to give conference attendees a chance to tour this site following the National Meeting on Saturday, May 6. Access to these sites will require moderate hiking and walking, occasionally up steep slopes.
Note: registration for the field trip will be first come, first served as space is limited.
Rare Plant Conservation Stories from the CPC Network
The theme of this year’s meeting is “On the Horizon: Looking to the Future of Plant Conservation,” so you can expect to hear exciting updates from CPC’s network of conservation partners about their projects and research that will help advance rare plant conservation both now and into the future during 5-minute lightning talk presentations. You’ll also learn about initiatives spearheaded by the CPC National Office that support our network’s shared mission to Save Plants from extinction, and we’re thrilled to introduce CPC’s new President and CEO, Dr. Carlos L. de la Rosa, during his inaugural National Meeting.
Photos courtesy of Desert Botanical Garden.
Global Conservation Consortia Symposium
Win Prizes in Our Photo Contest!
We love rare plant photos and the people who take them! Attendees of the 2023 National Meeting are invited to submit photos of their plant conservation activities over the past year for our 4th annual National Meeting photo contest! Any conservation adjacent photos are welcome – rare plants, your team in the field, or your team in the lab. There will be cash prizes for the first, second, and third place winners. Both in-person and virtual registrants will be eligible to participate. Submission details coming soon!
Botanical Art Contest
Friends of CPC are invited to submit their botanical artworks for our inaugural CPC Botanical Art Contest! These fine artworks of rare and native plants will be exhibited at the 2023 National Meeting at Desert Botanical Garden for attendees to peruse, and a panel of jurors will select first, second, and third place winners for cash prizes.
Each artist is permitted to submit up to two (2) original artworks to the contest. Only 2D original artworks will be eligible for the contest with preference given to those featuring rare, endangered, and native plant subject matter.
Accepted media: Pen and ink, watercolor, pastel, oil, acrylic paint, color pencil, mixed media, linocut/woodcut, and fabric wall hangings. Submitted artworks must be original and available and ready to hang.
Size and framing requirements: Submitted artworks may be no larger than 36” x 36” and must weigh no more than 15 pounds. It is recommended that artworks include simple frames (wood preferred) with white matting.
Entry fees: $35.00 per person for up to two (2) submissions. Entry fee is nonrefundable.
Deadline for submissions: March 23, 2023. Artists will be notified on the status of their submissions by early April 2023. If selected, artwork(s) must be shipped to Desert Botanical Garden no later than April 24, 2023. Additional details will be provided to selected artists at the time of notification.
Contest Jurors:
- Kimberlie McCue, Ph.D. | Chief Science Officer, Desert Botanical Garden
- Lesley Randall | Horticulture Manager, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance
- Laura Spalding Best | Senior Director of Exhibits, Desert Botanical Garden
Submit your entries through this form!
For questions about the Botanical Art Contest, please contact the CPC National Office.
Travel and Lodging
Travel Information
Phoenix is served by Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), located approximately 6.6 miles from our conference hotel, The Residence Inn Tempe Downtown/University.
The Residence Inn Tempe Downtown/University is a convenient place to stay due to its location in Downtown Tempe and its proximity to Desert Botanical Garden. All attendees should make their own arrangements to get to and from the hotel/airport. Shuttles from the hotel to the meeting and field trip are included in the conference registration.
Hotel Information
CPC has reserved a block of rooms at The Residence Inn Tempe Downtown/University (510 South Forest Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85281) for the nights of May 3 – 5 (check out Saturday, May 6). The group rate is $165/night, and availability may be limited. The deadline to book a hotel room at the group rate is March 31, 2023.
Make your reservations online or call Marriott reservations at 1 (800) 331-3131 or (480) 967-2300.
Hotel Parking: Overnight guests can utilize self-parking at a rate of $15.00 per car, per day. Parking is based upon availability in the hotel’s parking lot.
Presentations
BEFORE March 15, 2023, we invite Institutional and Individual Conservation Partners to submit abstracts with their registration form. We are limiting in-person oral presentations to ONE per institution.
Oral Presentations
We invite one representative per CPC Institutional and Individual Conservation Partners to contribute a 5-minute update about the rare plant conservation research at their institution. This year, the theme of our meeting is “On the Horizon: Looking to the Future of Plant Conservation.” We encourage our contributors to consider presentation proposals that spotlight new conservation projects and research; ways your institution is visioning the field of plant conservation, goals, and outcomes in the future; or topics that otherwise adhere to the theme. With your permission, we will catalogue these videos through our CPC Rare Plant Academy platform as an educational resource.
In-person lightning talks will be live-streamed to the virtual attendees via the conference platform. In-person oral presenters will have the opportunity to field questions live from both in-person and virtual attendees. Conference presentations will be recorded and embedded onto the conference platform shortly after each session for all attendees to view.
We ask that presenters bring their powerpoint presentations to the conference on a flash drive and email Katie Heineman their PowerPoint presentations the day before their presentations. Abstracts for in-person presentations are due by March 15, 2023.
Not a CPC Conservation Partner? Become a member to enjoy discounted meeting registration rates and to submit presentation abstracts.
For institutions who cannot send a representative to the meeting, we invite the submission of online-only presentations. This content may be submitted by virtual registrants prior to the meeting no later than April 27, 2023. These presentations will appear on the conference platform two days before the start of conference sessions, but will not be streamed live to in-person conference attendees. Online-only presenters will have the opportunity to field questions and feedback about their presentation via the conference platform, which is available to all meeting participants. Online-only content will also be catalogued on CPC Rare Plant Academy. Please follow the content guidelines suggested for in-person presentations.
Please self-record your oral presentations using the software of your choosing (Zoom, PowerPoint, Panopto, Screen cast-o-matic). You will receive instructions in mid-April notifying you how to transfer files to the CPC National Office. If possible, please use headphone or air pod microphones when recording your presentations to maximize the audio quality of presentations. Avoid settings with loud ambient background noise (labs with autoclaves, etc.) Good audio quality makes your recorded presentations more enjoyable and allows CPC to reuse your valuable information for educational purposes.
Not a CPC Conservation Partner? Become a member to enjoy discounted meeting registration rates and to submit presentation abstracts.
Poster Presentations
If you would like to highlight the work of multiple members of your institution or multiple projects, you may give one or more poster presentations in addition to an in-person or online oral presentation. Posters will be featured in person only, and should be printed a standard size (3 ft x 4 ft) using a material than can be hung with push pins into a conference poster bulletin board.
Poster session will be subject to interest/number of submissions.
Ready to Get Started?
If you have meeting access questions, contact the CPC National Office at info@saveplants.org.