More than 1,500 natural and social scientists, health scientists, agency personnel, non-governmental organization staff, business people and policymakers from around the world are expected to attend the International Congress on Ecosystem Health Aug. 15-20 in Sacramento, Calif. Hosted by UC Davis, the congress will be held in the Sacramento Convention Center with field trips planned to regional sites. More than 120 presentations will be made during technical sessions dealing with science, technology, policy, culture and economics in relation to the quality and health of the environment. Many sessions focus directly on California problems, such as exotic species, coastal conservation and forest management. "California, with its 30 million people and vast environmental diversity, is a living laboratory for studying complex ecosystem-management issues," says Congress Secretariat Calvin Qualset, a UC Davis professor emeritus and director of the campus's Genetic Resources Conservation Program. "Our goal is to integrate science and culture as we explore environmental challenges that are common around the world." Main speakers will include Kenneth Olden, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Robert Watson, director for environment at the World Bank; Ambassador Ola Ullsten of Sweden; Douglas Wheeler, former secretary of resources for California; and New York Newsday's science writer Laurie Garrett, author of the book "The Coming Plague." Field trips will be offered to the San Francisco Bay, Lake Tahoe, Monterey Bay, Clear Lake, the Napa and Sonoma wine regions, sustainable agriculture operations and nearby wetlands. Registration information can be obtained from Claudette Oriole, conference coordinator, at (530) 752-6894, cgoriol@ucdavis.edu.