Nature Talks: Coastal Heritage at Risk Task Force
May 30 at 7:00 pm
FREE
Join us for Nature Talks at Vizcaya. Through this series, we hope to expand awareness of Vizcaya’s natural landscape, the effects of climate change, and Florida’s environment from the perspective of different field experts.
Coastal Heritage at Risk Task Force
This talk will bring to light the 300 years of the Saltwater Underground Railroad from Key Biscayne to the Bahamas, as well as Indigenous and Cuban histories on islands on the west coast of Florida. Climate change is impacting historical sites across Florida, where a three-foot rise in sea level will result in the loss of 16,015 archaeological and historical sites across the state. These sites tell a critical story about the history of Florida. What stories do we lose as these sites disappear underwater?
The Coastal Heritage at Risk Task (CHART) Force documents sites and stories of Florida’s history that are missing from the historical record and are at risk from climate change. For many of these heritage sites, stories of Florida history that are currently missing from the public record will also fade into obscurity as destruction occurs due to sea-level rise. Many of these stories are of marginalized groups who encountered violence from the start of Florida state history, and who often had to flee their communities or were forcibly removed by city planners or state military. These sites include (but are not limited to) the stories of the Underground “Saltwater” Railroad for Black Americans in Miami, and the forced removal of Indigenous people to internment camps on the west coast of Florida.
In this presentation we will examine the untold stories of these popular Florida tourist destinations, discuss our AI for heritage equity project, and future adaptation strategies for threatened sites.
Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with complimentary wine | Talk starts promptly at 7:30 p.m.
TICKET OPTIONS
ONLINE TICKETS ARE REQUIRED. TICKETS NOT SOLD AT THE DOOR.
GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS
$5; FREE for students (must have valid student ID) and Vizcaya Members
VIZCAYA MEMBERS
FREE with Vizcaya membership card or proper ID.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Sara Ayers-Rigsby specializes in cultural resources management and historic preservation. As the Director for the Florida Public Archaeology Network’s Southeast/Southwest Regions, Ayers-Rigsby is responsible for designing educational outreach and programming for Florida’s southernmost 9 counties which comprise half of the state’s population.
Prior to beginning her role as Southeast/Southwest Regional Director for the Florida Public Archaeology Network, she spent 10 years working as an archaeologist throughout the United States, with a regional focus on the archaeology of the southeast and Mid Atlantic. She earned her M.A. in Archaeology for Screen Media from the University of Bristol, UK, and her B.A. in Classical Archaeology from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.
She is certified as a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA). Her research interests include public outreach and archaeology, resiliency, archaeological compliance legislation, and industrial archaeology in Florida. She loves visiting state parks, historical sites, and house museums in south Florida and is always thrilled to talk to others about them.
Dr. Shriver-Rice is a digital anthropologist and environmental archaeologist. She directs the masters of Environment, Culture, & Media at the University of Miami.
Dr. Shriver-Rice is a member of the Alliance for Diversity and Inclusion in Ethnobiology (ADIE) and serves as PI of the Coastal Heritage At Risk Task Force (CHART) composed of state and county archaeologists, the National Park Service, The Tribal Historic Preservation Office, and academic archaeologists who are addressing the challenge of salvaging, preserving, and conserving thousands of sites at risk from sea-level rise along Florida’s vast coastline.
She is certified as a member of the Register of Professional Archaeologists (RPA). Her research interests include Palaeoethnobotany, Community-based participatory research, Digital decolonizing practices by museums and heritage sites, Digital Ethics, Data sovereignty, and the role of environmental archaeology in contemporary conservation.
Nina Jean Louis is a structural engineer passionate about bridging engineering, cultural heritage, and climate science to devise innovative solutions protecting our underrepresented heritage sites from climate-induced impacts. During her ten-year career in the engineering and cultural resource industries, Nina has supported various communities, private sector partners, non-profits, and municipal agencies in solving some of the most challenging preservation and engineering issues.
This issues range from retrofit repair guidance, resiliency & cultural resource education, community engagement and relationship building with industry professionals, as well as site condition assessments just to name a few. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. research at the University of Miami in developing climate-resilient solutions for cultural landscapes and the underrepresented communities that depend on these landscapes.
MORE INFORMATION
All refund requests must be submitted 48 hours prior to the event date via email to vizcayainformation@vizcaya.org.
To cancel member tickets email chris.rodriguez@vizcaya.org. All other ticket holders make refund requests on the Eventbrite sales page. No-shows and late arrivals are not eligible for a refund.
Vizcaya members get discounted tickets to community programs like this! They also get unlimited free daytime visits to the estate and other great perks.
Learn more about these perks and check out the membership options by clicking below.
LEARN MOREEvery person, regardless of age or member status, is required to have a ticket and will not be admitted without one. Tickets must be purchased in advance and are not sold at door.
Making a donation to Vizcaya Museum and Gardens does not grant entry to this program. Health and safety regulations remain in place. This program is rain or shine.
To promote inclusion for all, Vizcaya ensures that all community programs, after-hour and weekend events for locals, feature activities that are physically accessible to all visitors. While not all areas of the estate are wheelchair accessible, community programs are purposefully located in areas without stairs or that can be accessed via a ramp.
To leaen more about accessibility at Vizcaya, please click here.
By entering Vizcaya’s premises, you consent to your likeness being captured in photos, videos or audio as well as the release, publication, exhibition and reproduction of these. For more details, see the Film and Photography Notice.
