2026 May 21 Meeting – “What Is That Plant?!” Life As Field Botanists with CNPS

See the landscape the way botanists do, from the comfort of your home and start to notice what’s really growing around you. We invite you to settle in with us for a virtual evening of learning and connection.

Thursday, May 21, 2026
Pre-chat begins at 6:45 PM, with the presentation starting at 7:00 PM.

Attend via Zoom

Reserve your spot and join us from wherever you are:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/mrcsBO5jRaOFcaaowKkKHQ

Meeting ID: 997 1108 3108
Passcode: 634169

Talk Description: Have you ever wondered what the day-to-day looks like for a field botanist? Well, if you have, you’re in the right place! Field botany is essential for the conservation efforts happening across the state. Through field work, we can learn what is happening in the ground to better inform research, conservation, and management practices. This presentation will focus on the work that revolves around being a field botanist: preparing for the field, conducting surveys, life in the outdoors, as well as a peek into the botanical wonders we get to witness.  

Sharon Estrada Bio: Sharon Estrada is a Lead Field Botanist for the Rare Plant Program at the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) state office. She has a BS in Environmental Biology with a focus in Conservation and Botany from Cal Poly Pomona. Her work has primarily consisted of rare plant surveys, floristics, and seed collecting in the Transverse ranges, the Mojave Desert, the Sierra Nevada, and the Great Basin. Their botanical interests include parasitic plants, graminoids, and bryophytes. Outside of work Sharon loves to read, draw, listen/dance to live music and be involved in their community.

Mike Heine Bio: Mike Heine is a Lead Field Botanist for the California Native Plant Society’s Vegetation Program. He has a BS in Natural Resources Conservation from University of Massachusetts Amherst. After moving to California, he fell in love with the region’s biodiversity and his work for CNPS allows him to travel across the state surveying wetlands with the Bureau of Land Management’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring program, as well as vegetation mapping along the Central Coast and Mojave Desert. Outside of work Mike likes to fly fish, explore Big Sur, and garden.