Upcoming Events

The Global Food Systems Institute is pleased to announce that the 2024 Future of Food Forum, “Resilient Food Systems: Beyond the Rhetoric.” will be held on April 3 at the Reitz Union and registration is now open! This year’s Forum will have limited tickets available. Please register using this link by 3/19/24. Registration will close 03/19/2024.

We are pleased to announce that there is no cost to attend the Forum this year.

Registration is required to attend the Future of Food Forum* and registrations will include lunch. Please email Michelle Jones (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) with any questions. 

*No registration is necessary to attend the York Lecture only.  

The York Distinguished Lecture will be the centerpiece and keynote address of the Forum and it will be delivered in the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom by Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, Executive Managing Director of the CGIAR system and former Chief Scientist of FAO.

Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor

Free, 4-part, online seminar conducted in partnership with the UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning

1000 Friends of Florida, the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, Florida Climate Smart Ag, Florida Conservation Group, Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, Live Wildly Foundation, and Solutions from the Land are proud to be partnering on the free online seminar, Planning to Protect the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

We hope you can join us for one or more of these free webinars, each of which is being held from noon to 2 p.m. EST

·       Part 1: Looking at the Big Picture, Thursday, April 4

·       Part 2: Fostering Community Vision, Wednesday, April 10

·       Part 3: The Planning Toolbox, Wednesday, April 24

·       Part 4: Building a Big Tent, Wednesday, May 1

 

Part 1: Looking at the Big Picture
Thursday, April 4 from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

Register for Part 1 Now!
What is landscape-scale conservation and why is it important? How has the Florida Wildlife Corridor evolved from decades of GIS-based analysis and why should we be concerned about protecting it? What role does agricultural land play in the corridor, and what are some of the threats and opportunities? What impact will climate change and associated population migration have on the corridor? Join University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Director Thomas Hoctor, PhD, cattle rancher and conservationist Jim Strickland, Florida Conservation Group Executive Director Julie Morris, and Florida Atlantic University School of Environmental, Coastal & Ocean Sustainability (ECOS)​ Founding Director Colin Polsky, PhD, as they address these questions and more.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284639), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401224N), Florida Landscape Architects (2.0 DBPR hours #0014186), and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).

 

Part 2: Fostering Community Vision
Wednesday, April 10, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

Register for Part 2 Now!
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood …” noted urban designer Daniel Burnham once famously stated. Learn about two Florida communities that have or are establishing “big plans” to protect critical natural resources while promoting vibrant communities. Dover Kohl & Partners principal-in-charge Victor Dover and Exum Associates’ Dr. Jay Exum will discuss Lake Wales Envisioned. This community-based planning process focuses on the ongoing revitalization of historic and compact downtown Lake Wales, linking it with an interconnected regional “Big Green Network” of conservation land. Next, Marion County Growth Services Deputy Director Kenneth Weyrauch will discuss harnessing your community’s comprehensive planning process. Marion County has a 193,000-acre designated Farmland Preservation Area in its Future Land Use Map, supporting comprehensive plan provisions, a transfer of development rights program, and more. Challenges, including significant growth pressure, will also be covered.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284640), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401226N), Florida Landscape Architects (2.0 DBPR hours #0014187), and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours). 

 

Part 3: The Planning Toolbox
Wednesday, April 24, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

Register for Part 3 Now!
Florida’s communities have numerous land conservation options at their disposal. Presenters will provide frank evaluations of the strengths and weaknesses of some of these options. Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy and Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University Tim Chapin will discuss the importance of “following the land” in planning, sector planning, urban development boundaries, and more. University of South Florida Urban and Regional Planning Program Director and Associate Professor Evangeline Linkous, PhD, AICP, will focus on transfer of development rights programs. University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Urban and Recreational Green Infrastructure Coordinator Isabella Guttuso Browne will cover appropriate siting and design of conservation subdivisions. The Trust for Public Land Vice President and Director of Conservation Finance Will Abberger will conclude with a primer on county ballot measures to fund conservation land acquisition in Florida.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284641), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401227N), Florida Landscape Architects (2 DBPR hours #0014188), and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).

 

Part 4: Building a Big Tent
Wednesday, May 1, from noon to 2 p.m., Eastern

Register for Part 4 Now!
For decades, Florida has led the nation in land conservation initiatives. This includes science-based regional landscape conservation including wildlife corridors, comprehensive GIS conservation priority analyses and databases, and significant state funding to protect conservation and agricultural land. But there is always room for more in the “tent” of conservation and need for additional tools and strategies to achieve conservation goals while fostering sustainable communities.

This final seminar will focus on reaching out to new constituents. Urban3 Founder and Geoaccounting innovator Joe Minicozzi will address how land use choices have significant impacts on the bottom line for local governments and taxpayers alike. He will present easy to understand economic models showing the costs and benefits of standard development patterns, as well as compact models. The discussion will include economic considerations for land conservation. Dover Kohl & Partners principal-in-charge Victor Dover will facilitate a panel including UF Center for Landscape Conservation Planning Director Dr. Thomas Hoctor, landowner and rancher Jim Strickland, Florida Conservation Group Executive Director Julie Morris, Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks, and others discussing how to engage landowners, elected officials, the development community and others in the movement to conserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

This event has been approved for the following professional certification credits for those attending the live event: American Institute of Certified Planners (2.0 AICP CM #9284642), Certified Floodplain Managers (1.0 CEC), Florida Bar ( 2.0 General #2401229N), Florida Landscape Architects (2 DBPR hours #0014189),and Florida Environmental Health Professionals (2 DOH contact hours).
 

Sea Secrets Lecture Series – kicks off January 23, runs through April 9.

The University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science invites the South Florida community to join distinguished scientists and explorers at the edge of discovery for the 2024 Sea Secrets lecture series. The series will present speakers and topics relevant to today’s global challenges, from climate change to mapping the ocean floor, to understanding how marine protected areas can impact conservation efforts. The lectures are all in a format designed for the non-scientific community.

All lectures will be in person and offered via virtual link which can be found in the press release.

Two of the lectures are specifically about climate change – January 23, Kurt Shickman and April 9, Rosenstiel Professor of atmospheric sciences, Brian Soden.

Call for Abstracts and Invitation to Present

 SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Friday, May 10, 2024

View abstract submission details here

The Symposium on Flooding Adaptation — Spotlighting Solutions for Florida, will be held October 28-31, 2024 in Kissimmee, Florida at the Embassy Suites Orlando – Lake Buena Vista South.

We invite you to share your story of solving flooding issues in Florida communities!

Across the state, inland and coastal communities both large and small are taking bold steps to prepare for a wetter future. This convening of practitioners, researchers, advocates, and community stakeholders will focus on projects in Florida that demonstrate a paradigm shift in addressing flooding impacts on community design, ecosystem restoration, housing, and infrastructural development.

We invite individuals and teams representing site-specific flood adaptation projects from across Florida’s diverse landscape to share their work, process, experiences, and project results. In addition to providing participants with opportunities to cultivate new partnerships, this exchange of knowledge will result in the publication of a compilation of abstracts spotlighting solutions to flooding in Florida.

We encourage individuals or up to three presenters representing multidisciplinary projects to submit an abstract for an oral or poster presentation. We welcome presentations that respond to community flooding concerns, and that seek to transform how we plan, design, visualize, and implement changes to the built and natural environment.

Submissions should include real-life examples of flooding challenges and solutions that were implemented to eradicate or mitigate impacts. Presentations may also include applied academic efforts that inform new approaches and offer practical solutions.

Presentations will be categorized into the following key themes:

1.     Open and Public Space Planning and Design

2.     Ecosystem Adaptation 

3.     Housing and Buildings

4.     Transportation and Critical Infrastructure

If your work involves addressing the impacts of flooding — you should attend this symposium and submit an abstract for presentation.

The Climate Leader is an online training in systems thinking to help fuel the global response to climate change. These materials will help you to be more effective at addressing climate change by enabling you to see the interconnections and big picture in your work. Behind the Climate Leader are decades of experience from the team at Climate Interactive and powerful ideas developed at MIT.

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The Symposium on Flooding Adaptation - Spotlighting Solutions for Florida will be held October 28-31, 2024, in Kissimmee, Florida at the Embassy Suites Orlando – Lake Buena Vista South.

Across the state, inland and coastal communities both large and small are taking bold steps to prepare for a wetter future. This convening of practitioners, researchers, advocates, and community stakeholders will focus on projects in Florida that demonstrate a paradigm shift in addressing flooding impacts on community design, ecosystem restoration, housing, and infrastructural development.

The goals of the symposium are:

  • Share project findings and learn how they address flooding impacts
  • Share successful approaches and lessons learned from a community perspective.
  • Promote interdisciplinary exchange of ideas.

During this conference, teams representing site-specific projects from across Florida’s diverse landscape will share their work, process, experiences, and results. In addition to providing participants with opportunities to cultivate new partnerships, this exchange of knowledge will result in the publication of an edited volume of case studies spotlighting solutions to flooding in Florida. A call for presentations will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.

If your work focuses on any aspect of flooding adaptation, you should participate in this symposium! Join us and learn how Florida is adapting its built environment to not only survive, but to thrive in these new conditions.

Learn more on the web site: https://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/flooding

Join the mailing list to receive updates.

In this webinar series, practitioners will share information, results and lessons learned through recent work by FHWA/US DOT and State and MPO partners to make the transportation system more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events. The first track focuses on the processes used in the Gulf Coast Study, Phase 2 (Mobile) and transferable methods developed for other agencies to assess the vulnerability of transportation infrastructure. The second track focuses on FHWA's recently completed Climate Resilience Pilot program, which supported 19 pilot projects around the country to assess vulnerabilities and develop strategies to make transportation infrastructure and operations more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events.

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