Wednesday, May 28, 3:00-5:00pm​

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Whitehall Forest and Dam Removal Site

Hosted by Rhett Jackson, UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and Jay Shelton, UGA Cooperative Extension

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Visit the 840-acre Whitehall Forest and the Oconee River to discuss dam removal and initiatives of Watershed UGA. On 2017, the White Dam was modified to remove an 80-foot stretch of concrete that would  allow the Oconee river to flow free once again.

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Bus transportation will be provided to White Hall Forest but the walk to the dam removal site is through woods. 

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Lilly Branch Site Tour (Required for CED/AED Course)

Hosted by Jon Calabria, UGA College of Environment + Design

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Lilly Branch, formerly known as “Stinky Creek,” is located on UGA’s Main Campus. The charrette will grapple with a 375-foot reach located downstream of 0.5 square miles of heavily urbanized campus that generally lacks green infrastructure. The site is actively used by the campus community and is wedged between the art school, dorms and recreational facilities along the greenway system. 

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The tour will start at the Classic Center and attendees will walk the greenway to the site where Lilly Branch daylights.  The tour will be approximately a 2.5 mile walk roundtrip. 

 

North Oconee Greenway

Hosted by Kyle McKay, USACE ERDC Environmental Lab, and Seth Wenger, UGA Odum School of Ecology

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The North Oconee Greenway runs adjacent to downtown Athens and provides an interesting example of multi-purpose management required in urban areas. This field trip will explore the corridor with experts from city government, a local non-profit group, and the research community. Participants will learn about balancing recreational uses, water supply, flood equity, riparian buffer management, and river ecology. Along the way, issues like collaboration, long-term change, and unexpected surprises will provide context for how ecological engineering plays out in this system.

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The Greenway sits directly behind the Classic Center and Atkins Ford Arena. The tour will explore various components of the area and will be approximately 1 mile walk round trip. 

 

University of Georgia Botanical Gardens

Hosted by Lisa Renzi-Hammond & Jenay Beer, UGA Cognitive Aging Research and Education Center, Jennifer Cruse-Sanders & Cora Keber, State Botanical Garden of Georgia, and Lydia Burton, UGA CARE Center

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Attendees of this tour and presentation will be invited to learn about the impact of utilizing community gardens for public health programming (e.g., case example of Meet Me at the Garden, a collaboration between College of Public Health and the Botanical Gardens, to serve persons with dementia and their caregivers). Evidence-based person-centric garden programming has been shown to reduce stress, improve connectedness, and improve quality of life for caregivers. Following a presentation, participants will be invited to discuss the development of sustainable public heath garden programming. Public parking is available at the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia.  The State Botanical Gardens of Georgia is known for celebrating the best in southern horticulture, natural heritage and culture through excellence in gardening displays, and practices and stewardship of healthy natural ecosystems.​​​

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Tour will cover 1 – 2 miles of various indoor and outdoor elements of the garden, showcasing the vibrant flora of the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia located in Athens, GA. Transportation from the conference venue will be provided.

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UGA Vertical Hydroponic Farm

Hosted by Rhuanito Ferrarezi, UGA, Powered by PONIX

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Housed in the greenhouses of the University of Georgia’s Horticulture Department, this innovative farm showcases the seamless integration of agriculture and technology through sustainable practices. This guided tour will spotlight how this USDA-funded initiative, part of the Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program, addresses critical challenges at the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. Participants will learn how the farm optimizes resource use while enhancing productivity in non-traditional farming settings, right here on the campus hosting the conference.​

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Transportation from the conference venue will be provided.

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Field trip signups are available in the online conference registration portal. All field trips will be held at the same time, so (unfortunately) you can only sign up for one.