Timucuan Parks Foundation and the National Park Service’s Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve have rescheduled the Timucuan Science and History Symposium for Thursday, April 28 at The Ribault Club on Fort George Island. The full-day event will showcase the connection between the natural and cultural resources within the preserve through presentations from experts. It was originally scheduled for the end of January but the threat of COVID Omicron transmission prompted the organizers to move the event to spring.
“We are excited that we will be able to hold the symposium in person and look forward to seeing everyone there,” said Mark Middlebrook, executive director of TPF. “We have been able to retain the original lineup of speakers that will be sure to provide some great information on interesting topics including the natural habitats of the preserve along with the history of the land and its inhabitants.”
There are a limited number of tickets still available for the event and guests can register at www.timucuanparks.org/symposium/. Registration is $45. Students can register at the $15 student rate. Those who kept their original registration do not need to register again and the tickets will carry forward to the new date.
The topics covered during the symposium include a look at the Civil War experience of the enslaved laborers at Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve with experts from Auburn University, the excavations being conducted by UNF in the Mocama Indian community with UNF Professor of Anthropology Keith Ashley, coastal wetland transgression with experts from the U.S. Geological Survey Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, the wilderness and Willie Browne with Timothy Gilmore from Florida State College of Jacksonville, and a look at the heritage at risk at Talbot Islands State Parks with the Florida Public Archaeology Network. There are also speakers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service Southeast Coast Network, Villanova University, and many more.
Check-in will begin at 8:30 a.m. followed by an update on research and projects going on in the Timucuan Preserve. There will be five sessions throughout the day, and each will conclude with a question-and-answer session. The day will wrap up by 4 p.m. Guests will be served a light breakfast and lunch. The event is open to the public.
Sponsorships, which help fund student research grants, are still available for the rescheduled event. More information can be found at www.timucuanparks.org/symposium/ or contact Timucuan Parks Foundation at symposium@timucuanparks.org or (904) 374-1107.