Open Space Speaker Series

We invite you to enjoy our selected guest speaker series – Free to the public!

Join the fun and enhance your knowledge of our Open Spaces, learn amazing facts about our local wildlife, regional geology, and our human connections to the land. You are sure to come away with a new appreciation of our region’s natural wonders!

All speaker presentations are held online via Zoom. If you have registered for an event, you will receive email instructions in the days leading up to the event on how to join the presentation.

To ensure your place in the audience, you must fill out our online sign-up form for this event!

Recordings of previous events will be accessible by way of the articles below. The event record is generally available a few days after the live event.

Third Annual Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest Drew Enthusiastic Crowds - COSF launched Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest in the fall of 2022 with the goal of producing a free outdoor live event to celebrate and support the Conejo Valley’s rich biodiversity. The community festival’s goal is to educate and inspire… (read more...)

Dr. Thom Davis Reveals the Conejo Valley’s Explosive Geologic History. See the Recording Here - Dr. Thom Davis, a California State registered geologist and founder and director of the nonprofit Geologic Maps Foundation, was the second guest in COSF’s 2024 Speaker Series on September 18, with his presentation "Trail Geology: A Look at Rock Formations, Faults and Landscapes in… (read more...)

Hummingbird expert Dr. Julie Morley explains how you can help these tiny birds—view her recorded webinar presentation here - Dr. Julie Morley's talk focused on understanding hummingbirds’ biology and habits so people can cultivate safer and more welcoming habitats for them. (read more...)

Landscape Expert Shares Guidelines for Gardening with Natives—and Why. See the Recording Here - Erik Oberg, owner of native-plant landscape design company Acorn Design Studios and chair of the Conejo Valley Audubon Society's Conservation Committee, gave a talk in December 2023 about native plant gardening to a group of COSF open space enthusiasts. He… (read more...)

Water expert Jennifer Lancaster explains ‘weather whiplash’ phenomena –plus a recording of the presentation. - On June 28, Jennifer Lancaster, MS, appeared as COSF’s second guest in the 2023 Speaker Series as part of our special “Sustainability” theme. In “Water: Where it comes from, how we use it, where it goes—and why it matters” Lancaster, who… (read more...)

How to do your garbage right: Tips from our Speaker Series “Trash Talk” experts, and the RECORDING of the presentation - If you took away nothing else from COSF’s March 29 Speaker Series panel “Talkin’ Trash: How to Do Your Garbage Right,” we hope you at least memorized these three numbers: 1-2-5. Those represent the types of single-use plastics that actually… (read more...)

Inaugural Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest Draws Crowds of Plant Enthusiasts - On Saturday, October 1, COSF launched a live event as part of its popular Speaker Series: Native Plantpalooza & Eco Fest at Conejo Creek North Park. The first-year, free event, which was blessed with mild, sunny weather, featured beekeepers, butterfly… (read more...)

View the recording of Betina Loudermilk’s talk about the plight of the Western monarch butterflies and what you can do to help them survive - For COSF’s summer 2022 Speaker Series virtual presentation on June 8, butterfly educator Betina Loudermilk of Betina’s Little Farm & Butterfly Garden gave a fact-filled presentation about the East and West Coast monarch migrations and lifecycles. She discussed the mysterious… (read more...)

View Dr. Sean Anderson’s talk about the impact of ‘global weirding’ in the Conejo Valley and what you can do to slow it - For COSF’s first 2022 Speaker Series virtual presentation on March 2, conservation ecologist Dr. Sean Anderson examined the multiple threats posed to the Conejo Valley by global warming—or “global weirding,” as he calls it because of the bizarre weather events… (read more...)

Wildlife-friendly tips from the California Wildlife Center and the video “Wildlife in Our Neighborhood” presented by Jenn Guess - Jenn Guess gave her COSF audience a very enthusiastic and spirited talk to address common ways wild animals get injured and end up at the California Wildlife Center for rehabilitation, where she works. The CWC receives 30,000 phone calls a… (read more...)