2026 Annual Conference

Julia is currently carving an urn for each Endangered Species in the United States. Through the use of metaphors and the visual impact of large-scale art installations, Julia hopes to bring attention to the relationship between people and the natural world. Julia’s artwork is in more than 25 museums. When complete, Julia intends to exhibit the-more-than 1,100 Urns in museums, botanical gardens, and zoos on a ten-year tour across North America. In her plenary, Endangered Species: An Artist’s Contribution, Julia will present on visual artists whose work engages with conservation and education about the natural world. She will conclude the talk by discussing the upcoming exhibition of the Endangered Species Project, sharing images of the making process, the inspiration behind the project, and the finished exhibition. Julia will also bring several urns from the project for participants to see and handle.

Ben is a wildlife filmmaker and writer who focuses on conservation and adventure stories. He’s most known for producing Unbranded and directing The River and The Wall, The American Southwest, and Deep in the Heart: A Texas Wildlife Story. Ben studied wildlife biology at Texas A&M University and started Fin and Fur Films in 2012, which has produced large feature films that have been shown on Netflix, National Geographic, Disney+, and released in major theatres. Fin and Fur Films has also produced passionate short films for research institutes and NGOs. In his plenary, Wildlife Films for Conservation, Ben will show some scenes from his films that have led to meaningful conservation efforts… along with some hilarious field bloopers.

Debby is a conservationist, environmental journalist, and children’s author whose work sits at the interface of science and story. She is a Duke University Global Fellow in Conservation Biology and Policy and a National Geographic Explorer, with research and community projects spanning Tasmania, the Himalayas, and Southeast Asia. Debby is the author of Marvellous Mammals, a children’s book that spotlights Southeast Asian wildlife beyond the usual flagships, including species such as the saola and the cloud rat. In her plenary, Duck Stamps to Cloud rats: Art as Conservation Infrastructure, Debby explores how art can create real conservation outcomes by building public attention, shaping empathy, strengthening legitimacy, and helping unlock funding, policy, and habitat protection. Beginning with J. N. “Ding” Darling and the duck stamp tradition, she connects historical conservation art to modern storytelling and offers a practical case for treating popular press and children’s content as part of conservation strategy, not an afterthought.