The transition from college to a career is both an opportunity and challenge. Fortunately, many people in the CNPS community have been where you are today. If you’re a student interested in ecology, conservation, and especially native plants, CNPS can be an active support for you in your journey. Here are a few ways to tap into the CNPS network. (In addition to these resources, we encourage you to contact us at cnps@cnps.org with questions or suggestions.)
Conferences and Symposia — Attending scientific and conservation conferences and talks is a great way to meet like-minded people, hear from experts, present your research, and, of course, network! By becoming a CNPS member, you’ll receive important updates on events near you along with student and member discounts to make your attendance affordable. Learn about conferences and upcoming events.
Local Chapters — One of the best ways to make connections in your desired field is to get involved in your local CNPS chapter. Your local chapter hosts monthly meetings and presentations, restoration activities, rare plant and conservation committees, and more. Find your local chapter here.
Social Media — Make sure you follow CNPS and similar organizations on social media, where we regularly post job announcements and scholarship opportunities. CNPS Twitter. CNPS Facebook. CNPS Instagram.

Additional resources and information
Herbaria, Collections and Databases
- The Consortium of California Herbaria 16 participating CA herbaria
- California Natural Diversity Database
- USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program
- CalFlora — an online database of California plants
- CalPhotos: Plants — California plant images, Berkeley Digital Library
- University and Jepson Herbaria — UC Berkeley
- Jepson Herbarium Links Page
- Carl G. Sharsmith Herbarium — San Jose State University
- Oregon State University Herbarium
- Botanical Society of America Online Image Collection
- Native American Ethnobotany Database
- University of California, Davis Herbarium
- Index to American Botanical Literature — NYBG searchable database
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) — database of names and associated basic bibliographical details of all seed plants
- California Botanic Garden
Leading Collections of California Native Plants
- California Botanic Garden – Claremont
- Regional Parks Botanic Garden – Tilden Regional Park
- Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
- University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley
Additional locations with valuable native collections
- Clovis Botanical Garden
- Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden – Benicia
- Humboldt Botanical Garden
- Living Desert Zoo & Gardens – Palm Desert
- Manhattan Beach Botanic Garden
- San Luis Obispo Botanic Garden
- San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum
- University of California Davis Arboretum
- University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens
- University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum
- CSU Fullerton Arboretum
Taxonomic Resources
- Jepson Manual Corrections
- Jepson Online Interchange — search the Jepson Flora Project using the Index to California Plant Names
- Flora of North America
- Biota of North America Program — North Carolina Botanical Garden
- International Association for Plant Taxonomy (IAPT)
- The Tree of Life — phylogeny and biodiversity
- National Biological Information Infrastructure — all biota
- International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Toyko Code)
- Green Plant Phylogeny Research Coordination Group
- Botanical Glossary — 3700 terms relating to botany, gardening and horticulture
- On-Line Flora of Napa County — by Joe Callizo, Jake Ruygt, and Gilbert Muth
- Encelia and its relatives — Heliantheae, Asteraceae
- Flora of Ventura County:
Non-vascular Plants
General Botany Resources
- Discovering Botany — British Natural History Museum
- Nevada Natural Heritage Program
- Directory of Botanical Resources — Botanique
- Missouri Botanical Garden Library — searchable catalog and digitized rare books
Additional California Organizations
- California Botanical Society, CBS
- California Indian Basketweavers Association, CIBA
- California Native Grass Association, CNGA
- California Oak Foundation
- California Invasive Plant Council, Cal-IPC
- The California Society for Ecological Restoration, SERCAL
- Northern California Botanists
- Southern California Botanists

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