ED-venture: The Gathering in Cedar Key

March 15 - 17, 2013

$375 per person (Includes Friday evening reception and dinner, Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner, Sunday farewell breakfast, entry fees, and all scholars, guides and presenters.)

UNF OLLI and the Florida Humanities Council invite you to a weekend of cultural tourism! Surrounded by a National Wildlife Refuge, Cedar Key was once a booming port town at the end of a cross-peninsula railroad line that began in Fernandina Beach. Today that picturesque town is a haven for artists and writers who find the unspoiled environment and quaint seaside village an inspiration for their work. The area's economic reliance on marine resources and the unpredictable tourism industry create the perfect setting in which to examine a looming conflict in Florida's future, namely, the struggle between natural resource use, tourism, and environmental stewardship.

Friday Evening :

We will enjoy a reception and dinner at the historic Island Hotel followed by dinner and intriguing look at the changing idea of "nature" on the Nature Coast with University of Florida Professor Jack Davis, co-editor of "Paradise Lost? An Environmental History of Florida."

Saturday:

•Morning - We will walk the paths of historic Cedar Key and also explore the Community as it is today. Local historians will guide our walking tour and tell us of Cedar Key's rich history. County Commissioner Sue Colson will take us on a tour that examines recent changes in Cedar Key. Spearheaded by local residents, these changes resulted from an effort to balance the needs of the maritime and tourist economies, development, and the lifestyles of long-term community members.

•Lunch - Our lunch stop will be the beautiful Island Room with a breathtaking view of the harbor.

•After lunch - We will meet at the library to learn of Cedar Key's revival following the devasting effects of the 1995 net ban. Leslie Stermer, University of Florida Aquaculture Extension faculty member, will discuss the area's remarkably successful transition to clam farming. We will experience first-hand Cedar Key's aquaculture industry by visiting a clam farming facility with local farmers. We will enjoy some time time to browse the galleries and shops that give Cedar Key its charm.

•Evening - We will visit the Cedar Key Museum State Park for a tour of the museum and St. Clair Whitman House. Our reception and seafood dinner will be hosted by teh Cedar Key Aquaculture Association. With a Florida landscape as a backdrop, we end our day with a program of Florida music.

Sunday morning:

•Farewell breakfast followed by a presentation focusing on Cedar Key's sense of place by Maritime Anthropologist Mike Jepson. He will moderate a conversation with local residents who will discuss their perceptions of the community. Take the opportunity to raise your own questions and voice your opinions on the future of Cedar Key, the Nature Coast, and Florida as a whole.

Pre-Gathering Programs

Friday morning, March 15, $55 (Includes lunch.)

•Kayak the Coast and Explore an Ancient Indian Shell Mound - fee includes kayak, guides. We will board kayaks at the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Reserve to enjoy the beautiful coastal scenery, hoping to spot some of the birds, dolphins, terrapins and fishing that call the area home. Upon return we will tour the Ancient Indian Shell Mound and have lunch.

•Seahorse Key - the 1800s to Today - fee includes boat tour and guides. We will board a boat to the key, once an American military reservation as well as a prison for Seminole Indians. We will tour the historic lighthouse and the University of Florida Marine Lab and learn about the natural and human history of the island. There is moderate walking involved in this trip.

Lodging (Participants reserve and pay for their own.)

•3 options ranging from $90 to $200 plus tax

Space in The Gathering and the Pre-Gathering programs is limited. To learn more or to register, contact OLLI Director Jeanette Toohey at (904) 620-1159.

For more information about the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of North Florida, including a list of courses by category, activities and events, and the benefits of membership, visit www.unfolli.com