This year’s conference theme, “Elevating Conservation to New Heights,” embraces the mountainous region of the location while emphasizing the shared vision held by conservationists around the world to scale our work, repair ecosystems, and create resilient working lands.

This year’s event is situated on the Front Range, where the plains meet the Rocky Mountains and where one can see the vast impacts of a changing climate and increased populations on our natural resources. A central concern for much of this semiarid to arid region is water, most often the lack of water. The west depends upon irrigation for crop production, which depletes both surface water and groundwater supplies. Additionally, competition between urban and agricultural land and water uses has increased as populations and cities grow. Other challenges pressing to the region include wind erosion, high soil salinity, rangeland soil health, brush control, and wildfire impacts. Here, the possibilities for partnerships to elevate soil health and water conservation are not only endless, but necessary. Regional sessions and tours will provide a space to share the latest projects and tools addressing impacts of a changing climate and increased populations on the natural resources of the area.

In addition to working lands, many of the nation’s most awe-inspiring parks and protected areas are present in the region, and the natural beauty serves as a reminder of the value of the conservationists’ work. Colorado is a wild and scenic state where residents and visitors alike immerse themselves in the natural resources our professionals labor daily to improve and protect.

After two years of virtual conferences, this stunning conference location offers an opportunity for the global conservation community to come together and collectively share solutions, combat obstacles, and accelerate conservation efforts. This year’s conference will feature the latest ideas, technologies, and practices and foster a dialogue around their scaling. Through workshops, sessions, symposia, tours, exhibits, and demonstrations, cutting-edge research and practice developments in soil health, water quality, and resource management will be shared.

Driven by the conservation community’s need to be up-to-date on agriculture industry trends, economies, and technology, this conference will invite and engage farmers, agribusiness, and commodity groups. Current policies, practices, and research about climate change and climate-smart agriculture will be shared as well.

Join us on the frontier of conservation to share insights and advice on projects and partnerships that take meaningful action toward creating and supporting systems that sustain soil and water resources and serve people equitably.