80th SWCS International Annual Conference
August 3-6, 2025
Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa
Costa Mesa, California

The Soil and Water Conservation Society (SWCS) invites you to attend the 80th SWCS International Annual Conference, taking place in Costa Mesa, California, on August 3-6, 2025.

In 2024, SWCS held its conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; this year, we’re bringing the event to the West Coast—reinforcing our commitment to nationwide conservation efforts with the theme, "Conservation Coast to Coast." This theme keeps critical conservation priorities at the forefront, spanning regions and perspectives from coast to coast.

The event will gather a diverse, multigenerational community of researchers, practitioners, industry leaders, farmers, and students from around the world to Costa Mesa, a Southern California community held between the beauty of the Pacific Ocean and the majesty of the Santa Anna Mountains.

What better place to showcase the varied work of interdisciplinary conservation professionals than California? As a leading producer of over 400 commodities, the state nourishes the nation with crops ranging from rice in the Sacramento Valley to dairy in the Central Valley and North Coast, and wine grapes in six designated regions including Napa and Sonoma on the North Coast. This agricultural abundance is matched by California’s natural ecosystems, featuring towering redwoods, coastal chaparral, desert landscapes, oak woodlands, and fertile valleys, all supporting unique habitats and countless species of plants and wildlife. Alongside this natural wealth, California is home to vibrant cultures and communities, with people from all backgrounds contributing to its rich social fabric. This convergence of diverse ecosystems, crops, and cultures makes California the perfect setting to highlight the innovative and collaborative work of conservation professionals from across the nation.

At the 2025 conference, we will share successes and embrace lessons learned to advance our natural resource goals with greater speed, efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity. Together, we will explore the capacity, innovation, and partnerships needed to restore and sustain our land, water, and other vital natural resources.

The agenda will showcase the latest technologies, practices, and ideas, fostering dialogue around their adoption and application.

Attendees will:

  • Engage in workshops, field tours, exhibits, and demonstrations offering cutting-edge insights into soil health, water quality, and resource management
  • Connect with scientists and practitioners presenting their work from field, farm, and watershed scales across public and private sectors
  • Explore the application of social theories and effective outreach and education efforts to scale localized successes
  • Learn how policy and economic developments foster conservation adoption and how conservation science can be applied to policy

As the discussions unfold, attendees can enjoy the famously mild weather, take in picturesque ocean sunsets, and immerse themselves in the area's diverse traditions and green spaces.