11 am Wednesday September 3rd to
12 pm Friday September 5th, 2014
Athens, GA

About SRECA

The SRECA program was first initiated in August 2013, when the Extension leadership in the Southern region asked the coordinators from three USDA/NIFA-funded regional climate projects to coordinate a regional professional development program. SRECA is designed to help Extension professionals who bring a variety of perspectives on climate change become leaders and facilitators in their state for appropriate and relevant programming in climate variability and change. The Academy enables individuals to work in small groups to develop resources or programs and report experiences to the entire group through web-based workshops over the next year.  We aim to improve Extension response and programming in four target areas: Crops, Livestock, Forestry, and Coastal areas.  Through new relationships built with professionals in similar arenas across the region, participants will exchange ideas and enhance their programs.

Agenda

Download here.

Conference Information and location

Wednesday Sept. 3rd, 2014 at 11 am  until Friday Sept. 5th, 2014 at Noon

Location & Hotel

The conference will be held at Flinchum's Phoenix (the first day) and the Georgia Center for continuing education.

• Georgia Center: http://www.georgiacenter.uga.edu/uga-hotel.
• The Georgia Center is located on the campus of the University of Georgia and about half a mile from downtown Athens, GA. Restaurants, stores and access to workout facilities are all within walking distance. Athens is known for its world class restaurants, bars and music scene.
• The conference will start on Wednesday afternoon at Flinchum’s Phoenix within the Whitehall Forest owned by the UGA Forestry School. Directions  to Flinchum's Phoenix are listed below.

Travel information

• Shuttle from Atlanta Airport- Groome Transportation, $36 one way and $72 round trip
• Directions from airport, navigate from the airport to Conyers, Georgia, then to Athens, Ga
• Going directly to Flinchum's Phoenix (first day of conference)? Use this link for directions: https://goo.gl/maps/PvSy5
• Going directly to the GA Center? Use this link for directions.
• Carpool options? Contact Dan Dourte at ddourte@ufl.edu for information on carpooling

Contact for Questions or Additional Information

Dan Dourte ddourte@ufl.edu, or (352) 392-1864 ext. 220

Hotels

The conference will be held at the Georgia Center Conference and Hotel. Room rates at the Georgia Center are $99 for a Classic Room with one queen or one king bed or $129 for a select room with two queen or two double beds. These rates are good until August 6, 2014 and rooms can be booked by going through the registration site. However, if you should choose to stay elsewhere, many hotels are available that are still within walking distance of the GA Center. http://www.visitathensga.com/places-to-stay/hotel-map/

About Athens, GA

http://www.visitathensga.com/

Downtown Athens is known for its fantastic music scene, numerous local restaurants, including farm-to-table options, and many taverns and pubs. Downtown Athens is about half a mile from the Georgia Center, so there is no need to drive.

Restaurants

There are so many restaurants to choose from, within walking distance of the GA center and that serve a range of options from dinner and pub food to five-star.

A few recommended favorites, though not all-inclusive:

• The Last Resort (fantastic fancy southern cuisine)
• The Globe (tavern with food)
• Trappeze Bar and restaurant (Bar with huge selection of drinks and tasty well-prepared food)
• Ted’s Most Best (Italian pizzas with great outdoor patio).
• Five Bar (Seafood restaurant with Florida seafood)
• Cali-n-tito’s (Peruvian food in an eclectic outdoor atmosphere. No alcohol is served, but you can buy some and bring it there).
• The National (local foods and restaurant owned by Top Chef Judge Hugh Acheson)

Work outs/Fresh air

Athens, GA and campus are walkable and have numerous running paths, as well as access to the Ramsey Fitness Center for those staying at the GA center

Climate Science and Sector Educational Resources

Climate science resource Link

Resources for climate science as well as climate change educational tools and resources can be found at this link. Other resources for coastal areas, forestry, livestock and crops can also be found here. If you have any additions, please let us know.

SRECA Vision

• This academy is designed to build capacity among  Extension professionals who bring a variety of perspectives on climate change to be leaders in their state for appropriate and relevant programming in climate variability and change. To this end the academy will enable small groups to work together to develop resources or programs and report their experiences to the entire group through web-based workshops over the next year. We aim to improve climate extension in four target areas: Crops, Livestock, Forestry, and Coasts. Through new relationships built with professionals in similar arenas across the region, participants will exchange ideas and enhance their programs.
• Overall, we intend to focus on 1) the fundamentals of climate science, 2) the management options for improved resilience to climate uncertainties, 3) resources that are available in their program areas, 4) strategies they can use to begin conversations about climate with colleagues and audiences, and 5) ideas to get started incorporating these materials into their programming.