ANNUAL MEETING
The C2S2 Annual Meeting is a three‑day gathering focused on endangered species recovery across large landscapes, held August 24–26, 2026 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The event brings together current partners, collaborators, and supporters engaged in or exploring large‑scale conservation initiatives.
Over the course of the meeting, presentations and discussions will highlight priority species programs, management of wildlife in large, naturalistic settings, and connections between work in managed care and recovery efforts in native ranges.
The program also includes networking opportunities, admission and a tour of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (including parking and lunch voucher), and a small silent auction that supports ongoing C2S2 projects. Overall, the meeting serves as a space to share progress, explore new collaborations, and build broader support for long‑term endangered species recovery.
Please note: the early bird discount on registration ends June 30th, 2026
DATE
Monday, August 24 at 9:00 AM — Wednesday, August 26 at 5:00 PM
Accommodations
RANCHO BERNARDO INN
17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive
San Diego, CA 92128
A discounted rate of $269/night is being offered to attendees through July 24, 2026 or while rooms are still available.
Book your room by calling the reservations office at (844) 226-8262
Location
SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK
15500 San Pasqual Valley Road
Escondido, CA 92027
Transportation
Shuttle transportation will be provided between Rancho Bernardo Inn and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Beckman Center for Conservation Research each day of the meeting. All sessions will be held at the Beckman Center for Conservation Research, located within the Safari Park. The coach seats 56 people and is offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings, the coach will depart the main entrance of Rancho Bernardo Inn at 8:00 AM, arriving at the Beckman Center around 8:30 AM.
Monday and Tuesday evenings, the coach will depart by 5:30 PM at the latest, arriving back at the main entrance of Rancho Bernardo Inn around 5:45 PM.
On Wednesday afternoon, a shuttle will loop between the Safari Park main entrance and Rancho Bernardo Inn, departing the Safari Park at 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM, 3:00 PM, and 4:30 PM.
Driving Yourself?
Parking is included in the cost of registration, but please contact Tucker Downs at tucker@conservationcenters.org to reserve a parking pass and individual admission ticket. Attendees riding the coach do not need an individual parking pass or admission ticket.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Their generous support helps make this event possible
Southern Black rhino Level
Whooping Crane Level
Loggerhead Shrike Level
Silent Auction Donors
Fahlo
Zooquarius, a subsidiary of Dairy One
Friend of c2s2
Dr. Parker Pennington
Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center
Flying Animals USA
SSA Group
Inform Evaluation & Research
MatriArk Sciences
Key Conservation
Behavior Essentials
OdySea Aquarium
Behavior Essentials
Dr. Holly Haefele
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center
Wild Republic
Zoo Enrichment Lab
Santa Barbara Zoo
SPONSOR THE EVENT
We invite you to support the C2S2 Annual Meeting, August 24–26, 2026 at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a gathering that advances large-landscape wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship. Co-hosted by the Conservation Centers for Species Survival (C2S2) and San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, this event brings together leaders from more than 30 zoos, private ranches, and research institutions worldwide to share best practices, develop professional skills, and deliver impactful results for vulnerable and endangered species. Your sponsorship makes this collaboration possible—please consider the following options:
Sponsorship levels
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XL logo recognition on all materials including a hyperlink to your website (where applicable)
Featured post on our social media story and feed with your organization tagged
Full access to program presentations/materials following the event
Large swag basket including 3 event shirts and other C2S2 promo items
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Large logo recognition on all materials including hyperlink to your website (where applicable)
Featured post on our social media story and feed
Full access to presentations following the event
Medium C2S2 swag basket including 3 event shirts and other C2S2 promo items
-
Medium logo recognition on all materials
Post on our social media feed alongside other level sponsors
Full access to presentations following the event
Small C2S2 Swag basket including 3 event shirts and other C2S2 promo items
-
Small logo recognition on all materials including shirt/printed program/slides/event website/sponsor banner
Post on our social media story
2 complimentary event shirts
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Friend level benefits plus a complimentary event t-shirt
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Name recognition on website and printed program/slides
Silent Auction
We also invite you to boost your impact by donating items to our silent auction. Throughout the week, these items will be prominently displayed in the meeting space with dedicated time encouraging attendees to bid. Popular options include gift baskets, experiences, or exclusive merchandise (please consider donations that are air travel friendly). All proceeds directly fund our programs and donated items receive recognition on all event materials.
Please contact Tucker Downs at tucker@conservationcenters.org for details on how to contribute.
SPONSOR SPECIFIC ELEMENTS
Opening Night Icebreaker
Icebreaker Bar and Drink Tab — $1,000: Have your logo/sponsorship prominently displayed at the bar for the duration of the event. You will also receive the benefits outlined above at the Whooping Crane level.
Ice Breaker Catering — $5,000: Have your logo/sponsorship prominently displayed at the catering line for the duration of the event. You will also receive the benefits outlined above at the Cheetah level.
Daily Lunch Catering (Monday — $4,000 | Tuesday — $4,000 | Wednesday — $4,000)
Lunch sponsors will have their logo/sponsorship prominently displayed at the catering line and on screen for the duration of the lunch break. Sponsors will also receive the benefits outlined above at the Cheetah level.
Keynote Speaker Support — $1,500
Have your logo/sponsorship prominently displayed and recognized during the keynote presentation and on all meeting materials. Benefits also include a post to our social media feed alongside our Oryx level sponsors, and 2 complementary event shirts.
Daily Transportation (Monday — $3,500 | Tuesday — $3,500 | Wednesday — $3,500)
Transportation sponsors will have their logo/sponsorship prominently displayed during transit and on screen upon arrival to the meeting space. Sponsors will also receive full access to presentation materials following the event, and a medium C2S2 Swag basket including 3 event shirts and other C2S2 promo items.
Your gift supports innovative endangered species recovery at every scale. Thank you for considering this important opportunity!
BE A PRESENTER
The C2S2 Annual Meeting brings together scientists, conservation practitioners, and institutional leaders from across the broader conservation community for substantive dialogue on large-landscape conservation and species survival at scale. We'd love to hear from you.
Who We’re Looking for
We intentionally keep our presenter criteria broad. There's no single profile we're after — C2S2 has always valued a genuine mix of voices across career stages, institutions, and approaches to the work. If your research, experience, or practice connects in some way to large-landscape conservation, species recovery, or related ecological themes, we'd welcome your perspective in our program. Graduate students and early-career professionals are also encouraged to apply.
If you're interested in presenting, please submit your presentation abstract via email to Tucker Downs, Program Manager, at tucker@conservationcenters.org by Friday, June 12th, 2026.
Blank presentation abstract templates can be found here.
SPONSOR SPECIFIC ELEMENTS
Our standard presentation format is 20 minutes with 10 minutes for audience Q&A, but we welcome sessions of other styles as well — panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, or other formats that foster meaningful conversation and collaboration. If you have something different in mind, let us know!