How could we even begin to encapsulate everything that happened at the 2026 TOGETHER Conference?

We filled the Gateway Pavilion in San Francisco with nearly 500 people working towards healthy lands and people across the Bay Area. People connected with colleagues new and old, listened to speakers inspire us from the main stage, and dove deep in the afternoon breakouts. They put stickers on their nametags for no other reason than joy, and embraced curiosity and learning all week long. 

We have heard from many attendees that they “got so much work done” by seeing colleagues in person. One participant said that they had been wanting to connect with an organization for months but hadn’t received a response to their emails. The organization was there in the Exhibitor Village, and she spent 30 minutes with them discussing potential projects. “That wouldn’t have been possible without this conference,” she told us. Someone else told us that he just met with three partners and untangled some sticky situations they’ve been dealing with for weeks. “Just like that, it’s now resolved,” he said. And we heard about a college student who landed an internship at the end of the day. This wasn’t time away from work, it was the best kind of work.

We have heard rave reviews about the learning and connection that happened on field trips. On May 14 and 15, over 200 conference participants spread out across the region on eight field trips hosted by TOGETHER Bay Area member organizations. They learned about restoring a marsh, working with community to build trails, co-management agreements with local Native Tribes, and vernal pools and the endemic flowers that live there. They went on boat rides in the South Bay and walked along the shoreline in San Francisco. There were discussions about how projects were funded, how to work with neighbors, how salmon are coming back. 

The 2026 TOGETHER Conference wasn’t just fun, it was productive.