The 17th Biennial State of the San Francisco Estuary Conference will be held in Oakland on October 28-29, 2025. The conference planning team is holding an open call for poster presentations and, for the first time, is opening the call up to include oral and creative session presentations! 

Authors are welcome to propose abstracts that touch on topics related to policy and management, socioeconomic issues, and environmental education programs. We seek abstracts that explore the challenges and opportunities we face in enhancing environmental well-being and community health as relevant to the San Francisco Bay and Delta Estuary. Authors are encouraged to address collaborative, interdisciplinary, and/or engaged approaches to solving Estuary ecological and community health challenges. 

Additionally, we welcome creative sessions that offer non-traditional approaches to engaging in important conversations, whether through lightning round talks, poetry slams, collaborative workshops, networking opportunities and more.  

The conference will include an evening reception on October 28th that will feature sponsor tables, an art installation, community & tribal organization tables, and a poster session. Abstracts can address any topic areas related to the four Goals in the 2022 Estuary Blueprint (https://www.sfestuary.org/estuary-blueprint/). 

• Blueprint Goal 1: Sustain and improve the Estuary’s habitats and living resources. 
• Blueprint Goal 2: Bolster the resilience of Estuary ecosystems, shorelines, and communities to climate change. 
• Blueprint Goal 3: Improve water quality and increase the quantity of fresh water available to the Estuary. 
• Blueprint Goal 4: Champion the Estuary. 

Poster Session 

Posters will be displayed at the conference on October 28-29, 2025. An evening reception will be held in the early evening of October 28th. The reception will allow participants to present their work and findings in an informal setting and allow presentation of detailed technical information of individual topics and studies that cannot be covered adequately in plenary sessions. In addition to technical posters, displays presenting information about policy and management, socio/economic issues, and environmental education programs are encouraged. Poster topics must be relevant to the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary. We strongly encourage posters to draw linkages to the Estuary Blueprint.

Student Participation 

The conference planning team encourages student participation from high schools, community colleges, undergraduate degree programs, and graduate degree programs. Awards will be given for the best student poster presentations. To qualify for a student award, you must have carried out the presented work while you were a registered student, you must make the presentation yourself, and you must indicate your desire to be considered for a student award on the abstract form. 

For additional information, contact the conference coordinator, Aurice Guyton (aurice@auriceguyton.com).