Cannabis agriculture offers a unique opportunity to study and promote conservation on private lands, particularly in the Emerald Triangle of northwestern California where many farms have small footprints and are located within and contain habitat for sensitive and protected species such as the Northern spotted owl, coho and Chinook salmon, red and yellow-legged frogs, northwestern pond turtle, western bumble bee, and sensitive forest carnivores. Despite the extractive reputation of the cannabis industry, many remaining small-scale cannabis farmers are incredible land stewards who promote, facilitate, and enjoy the biodiversity on their farms. Acknowledging and supporting these farmers through our grant-funded work serves to support the farm as a business, provide educational opportunities for farmers to improve the ecological functionality of their farms and adjacent habitats, and helps shift away from the negative cultural views of outdoor cannabis agriculture. This poster will highlight biodiversity research and projects occurring on licensed cannabis farms in Humboldt and Trinity Counties carried out by Cannabis for Conservation, the only nonprofit focusing on supporting biodiversity on and through licensed cannabis farms. We will also highlight the collaborative relationships our projects have with these farmers and will encourage a reframing of the outdoor cannabis industry to recognize the potential for these farmers and their land to support sensitive as well as common wildlife species and their habitats.

Janelle is a Project Director with Cannabis for Conservation and has spent almost 15 years studying wildlife, mostly songbirds, and their ecosystems. She's also had positions focusing on entomology, botany, forestry, mammals, and environmental education. She's an avid birder, soccer player, whitewater kayaker, and gardener and loves being part of the incredible outdoor and environmental community in Humboldt County.