Wednesday, August 21, is dedicated to full and half day excursions to various locations that will highlight Georgia and South Carolina Sea Grant’s work along the east coast and provide participants a chance to experience the lowcountry through a new lens.
Full Day Excursions
Marine Education Center and Aquarium
Depart hotel: 8:15 a.m., return at 5:15 p.m.
Capacity: 50
Description: Visit the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s primary education facility. Home to Georgia’s first saltwater aquarium, the aquarium features 16 exhibit tanks that showcase a variety of Georgia’s marine life. Join the education team for a tour of the aquarium, the UGA Shellfish Research Lab, and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. The trip will also include a plankton exploration and a trawl aboard the R/V Sea Dawg. Lunch is provided for this full day excursion.
Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve
*AT FULL CAPACITY
Depart hotel: 6 a.m., return 6 p.m. – this will be a long day with approximately 1.5 hour drive to and from Sapelo and a 30-minute ferry ride.
Capacity: 40
Description: Join us on an exciting, full-day adventure to Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. After touring the visitor center, we will embark on a 30-minute ferry ride across the Sapelo Sound where we will see dolphins, wading birds and more. On the island, we will take a bus tour with the staff from the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve, stopping at important sites to learn about the island’s rich history, culture and stewardship efforts. After lunch, we will meet partners in the Hog Hummock Community who work each day to preserve the island’s unique character before assisting the Reserve staff with a stewardship project.
Growing Seafood in the Lowcountry
Depart hotel: 7:45 a.m., return 4:15 p.m.
Capacity: 40
Accessibility: The tour will require walking up to ¼ of a mile on dirt or grassy areas to reach farm sites. It will also include boat rides in estuaries as well as sun and heat exposure during warm summer months. Sunscreen and bug spray are recommended. Vegetarian lunch options will be limited.
Description: Spend a day focused on learning about mariculture and estuaries of the lowcountry! Tour Lowcountry Oyster Co., the largest-scale oyster mariculture operation in South Carolina located in the ACE Basin. The tour will include stops at the land-based operation facility, the seed nursery, a boat ride to lease site, and a tour of the gear manufacturing site. The site also features a small working waterfront, and SC Department of Natural Resources has a research station nearby. Following the tour, the group will head to lunch on St. Helena Island, which will be catered by Gullah Grub (vegetarian options are limited). The last stop will be be at Gullahman Oyster LLC, on St. Helena Island, where the group will learn about a wild oyster harvester’s transition into oyster mariculture, and how the community is deeply connected to marine resources.
Half Day Excursions
Moon River District Kayak Trip
*AT FULL CAPACITY
Depart hotel: 8 a.m., return 1 p.m.
Capacity: 20 – 35
Description: Join Coastal Awareness and Responsible Ecotourism (CARE) certified guides for a three-hour paddle along the Skidaway River narrows. This area of the lowcountry incorporates cultural and natural highlights with a unique perspective of the estuary and tidal marshes that characterize Savannah. We will paddle a short stretch along the Intercoastal Waterway before cutting into narrow, meandering creeks that are only accessible during high tide. A grab-n-go lunch option will be provided.
Savannah Stormwater Green Infrastructure
Depart hotel: 9:30 a.m., return 1:30 p.m.
Capacity: 30
Description: Join us for an immersive stormwater green infrastructure experience! The half-day tour begins with visits to a variety of local green infrastructure practices in the Savannah area before assisting with a rain garden installation. Following the installation, we will gather for a well-deserved lunch alongside local project partners. Over lunch, you can discuss the challenges of implementing green infrastructure projects in coastal environments and the importance of community engagement in driving project success. This will be a casual, sweaty, and hands-on experience.
ON-SITE
Sea Grant Research Colloquium
*AT FULL CAPACITY
Time: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Capacity: 60
Description: In collaboration with Sea Grant’s Research Coordination Network, the planning team will host a research colloquium on-site at the Marriott Savannah Riverfront on Wednesday, August 21. The purpose of this one-of-a-kind event is to foster information exchange between Sea Grant funded researchers and professionals, strengthen Sea Grant’s capacity to meaningfully collaborate with community organizations and minority serving institutions, and identify mechanisms to improve the scientific rigor and impact of Sea Grant’s research program.
The colloquium will feature presentations by Sea Grant funded researchers from across the nation to highlight ways in which scientific experts are collaborating with Sea Grant professionals, coastal resource managers, and community leaders to address important issues that impact the nation’s coastlines and people.
DRAFT AGENDA
Questions? Contact Bryan Fluech at fluech@uga.edu