79^th SWCS International Annual Conference
July 21-24, 2024
Sheraton
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

This year, we are bringing our conservation family to a place where families gather every year to witness the region’s natural beauty and enjoy the company of one another.

We will assemble a diverse, multigenerational conservation network of researchers, practitioners, industry leaders, farmers, and students from around the world to Myrtle Beach, a coastal community located in South Carolina, just minutes from the North Carolina border. Surrounded by breathtaking scenery, Myrtle Beach and the other coastal communities along the strand showcases the charm and vulnerability of our world’s great ecosystems. From the beaches you can view islands and inlets surrounded by coastal wetlands. Coastal ecosystems transition up river to a diverse agricultural area that covers two-thirds of the state and includes peanuts, corn, cotton, livestock, and timber production. From there a sharp rise in elevation leads into the Blue Ridge Mountains, a beautiful section of the Appalachian Mountain Range.

This year’s conference theme, “Rising Together: Collaborative Conservation for All,” challenges all conservationists to rise to the great challenges and opportunities ahead of us, together.

At this year’s event, we will share successes and embrace lessons learned so that we can move toward our natural resource goals with greater speed, efficiency, effectiveness, and inclusivity. We will navigate the capacity, innovation, and partnerships needed to regenerate our land, water, and other natural resources.

The agenda will feature the latest ideas, technologies, and practices, and foster a dialogue around their adoption. Cutting-edge research and practice developments in soil health, water quality, and resource management will be shared through various workshops, sessions, symposia, tours, exhibits, and demonstrations. Scientists and practitioners will present their work at the field, farm, and watershed scales across an array of private and public arenas. Applications of social theories and examples of successful outreach and education will enable you to identify ways to scale up localized successes. As an attendee, you will also hear about policy and economic developments that build a framework to increase conservation adoption and support future generations.

Outside of the formal program, you can carry on discussions while the sun sets along the strand, watch the tides rise and fall, listen to the birds sing, and have fun with your conservation family and maybe some of your own family as well!