Trip Planning

Mike Klenke

Wahsega 4-H Center | Environmental Education Program Coordinator

(706) 864-2050 Office

mklenke@uga.edu |  Book time to meet with me

RESERVE DATES

PLANNING CHECKLIST

Teacher Planning Checklist

MAKE CLASS SELECTIONS

Select Your EE Classes

 SUBMIT DIETARY RESTRICTIONS

DOWNLOAD GROUP & CABIN ASSIGNMENT FORM

DOWNLOAD GROUP T-SHIRT ORDER FORM

DOWNLOAD PARTICIPANT CONFIRMATION FORM

PAY THE INVOICE FOR YOUR TRIP (No T-Shirt Invoices)

READ SIGN AND RETURN THE CONTRACT

We will email  a contract shortly after your reservation is made. To secure the contracted dates:

1. 1. Please sign and return the signature page of the contract ASAP.
   2. Please send a current COI (Certificate of Insurance) showing retention and coverage limits.
   3. Please remit the required deposit at your earliest convenience.

Note: Reservations are not secured until the signed contract and deposit are received in our office.

INVOICES AND PAYMENTS

Environmental Education Program Payments: Email wahsega@uga.edu to request an invoice(s). For payments, we accept both credit card and/or checks for your deposits and final balances.  Please make checks payable to Wahsega 4-H Center

Group T-shirt order invoices (Canteen): Email wahsega@uga.edu  to request an invoice(s).  T-shirt orders are cash or check only, and must be paid with a seperate check made payable to Wahsega 4-H Center.  A GROUP t-shirt pre-order can be completed by following the link here.

Select Your EE Classes

GSE Correlation Guides
Classes are matched to the GSE by grade level. This means that the major concepts taught in a class are determined by GSE requirements. The concepts we teach are listed in the Wahsega GSE Correlation Guides below. There may be numerous indirect relationships in a class to many concepts
covered by the GSE; however, these indirect concepts are not listed.

Kindergarten-2nd Grades
3rd-5th Grades
6th-8th Grades

Visit our Classes page for complete class descriptions and videos

Submit Dietary Restrictions

Our Food Service Manager, Amanda Smallwood, is an experienced food service provider and can accommodate any special dietary needs your group has. We cook special meals for vegetarians, persons with food allergies or those who observe religious dietary restrictions.

• Please be aware that our products, prepared items, and cooking facilities may contain or may have had contact with the following food items: fish, eggs, milk, wheat, peanuts, soybeans, sesame, tree nuts and shellfish. We understand that food allergies are a daily concern for many. Our staff are allergen aware and prepared to assist you.
• Please allow us  to work with you to create a meal plan to help accommodate your individual dietary needs.  The Wahsega Dining Hall can be reached at 706-867-2905.
• We will accommodate your dietary needs to the best of our ability during your stay. However, we realize that those with highly restrictive diets may prefer to bring their own food and/or snacks as our options and variety may be limited. For those who would like to bring their own food items, we do have food storage, refrigerator and freezer dedicated to serving this purpose.
• Our FS staff are trained in food safety and are allergen aware
• Please ask if we maintain allergen friendly food preparation areas in our kitchen(s)

Note: We need to be notified as early as possible about special diets and not less than 2 weeks in advance of your visit.

ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES ARE LISTED ON THE CONTRACT COVER LETTER AS FOLLOWS:

Your scheduled arrival: Monday, 3/24/2045 at 9:30 AM
Your scheduled departure: Tuesday, 3/25/2045 at 12:30 PM

PLEASE DO NOT ARRIVE EARLIER THAN SCHEDULED OR DEPART LATER THAN SCHEDULED.

Some teachers like to go to a park in Dahlonega for a picnic lunch before arrival.

ABOUT THE PARKS

• The DAHLONEGA CITY PARK is suitable for a small group. It has a small restroom, four or five covered picnic tables and playground equipment. There is adequate parking for a bus or two but not extensive parking. Reservations are required but usage is free. You must call ahead to reserve the Dahlonega City Park for your group. Call the Dahlonega City Hall at 706-864-6133.
• YAHOOLA CREEK PARK is also available. It is a large park with pavilions, trails, picnic tables and plenty of parking. It is open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day. No reservations are required but the pavilions are provided on a first come first served basis unless a $40.00 fee is paid to reserve the pavilion. Call the Lumpkin County Parks and Recreation Department at 706-864-3622 to make reservations for the Yahoola Creek Park.

DIRECTIONS TO THE PARKS
Going north on Georgia 400, turn left where 400 ends, this is GA 60 North. It goes directly to Dahlonega. Near Dahlonega, there is a Shell station on the right at the top of a hill. Chestatee Regional Hospital and McDonalds are on the left down the hill from the Shell station.

• To DAHLONEGA CITY PARK: At the stoplight at the bottom of the hill, turn right onto U.S. 19 & GA 60. Go less than a mile. Turn right onto Riley Rd. The ball field is on the left. Follow Riley road around and behind the field. City Hall is directly ahead and the Park and Recreation building will be on the left. Proceed to City Hall. The public park area is on the right as you face City Hall.
• To YAHOOLA CREEK PARK: At the stoplight at the bottom of the hill, turn right onto U.S. 19 & GA 60. Go less than a mile. Pass Riley Road and take the next left onto Mechanicsville Road. The park is about a mile down and the road dead ends at the park, so you can’t miss it.

First Aid Station

24-HOUR SERVICE
Wahsega does not provide a nurse on center. Minor incidents can be treated in our First Aid Station 24 hours a day. It is at the end of the hall  on the right in the Canteen building.

INCIDENT REPORT FORM
If you provide first aid, please complete our Incident Report Form located on a clipboard in the First Aid Station.

MEDICATION
Medication should be left in the care of an adult. Refrigerators are available in our First Aid Station and Pavilion 4 for medication that needs to be refrigerated.

On-center Emergencies

HOSPITAL VISITS 
We will help you obtain emergency medical treatment for students if necessary at the hospital in Dahlonega.

PERMISSION SLIPS 
Be sure to bring the proper paperwork with you to Wahsega when you come. Our office does not collect permission slips for each child.

TRANSPORTATION
We strongly recommend that an adult drive a vehicle to Wahsega that can be used in an emergency.

RESPONDING TO WEATHER OR OTHER EMERGENCIES 
If we need to evacuate the 4-H center, or respond in some other way to an emergency, officials from the 911 Center will advise us. Lumpkin County Emergency Services has a County Emergency Operations Plan to provide services to residents, tourists and residential education facilities like Wahsega.

STOP: Use Our Directions

GPS, smartphone map apps and online maps provide directions that are not accessible to buses. These navigation options select the route with the shortest distance to camp. The shortest route into Wahsega travels down rough winding forest service dirt road. Use the driving directions that we provide here . The best routes to Wahsega 4-H Center will always include traveling the entire length of Camp Wahsega Road. Please communicate this to your bus company or school bus drivers and individuals driving their personal vehicles to camp.

The driver will need to back down the driveway to just past the basketball courts for unloading.

Maps

• Map to Wahsega 4-H Center

Our General Location

Wahsega 4-H Center is 12 miles north of Dahlonega on Forest Service Rd. 28, one mile from the end of Camp Wahsega Road and the entrance to the Army Ranger Training Facility. We are in the Ward Creek valley on property owned by the University of Georgia in the Chattahoochee National Forest.

Directions from the Atlanta area

• You will need to travel north on GA 400 out of Atlanta.
• GA 400 ends near Dahlonega at GA HWY 60 where the highway becomes a 2-lane road.
• Go to the end of GA 400, which is 53 miles from the exit off I-85.
• Take a LEFT onto Highway 60 toward Dahlonega at the end of GA 400. If you pass the Home Depot on your left and the road becomes 2 lanes, you have missed the left turn.
• Skip to Step #1 in the Directions Continued section below.

Directions from the Athens area

• You will need to travel north.
• Take US 129/Jefferson Hwy/Pierce Avenue north out of Athens.
• In Gainesville, cross Jesse Jewel Pkwy and stay on GA 60.
• Go 15.5 miles from Jesse Jewel Pkwy to where GA 60 crosses the end of GA 400.
• Skip to Step #1 in the Directions Continued section below.

Directions from other areas

• Use GPS, online maps, or a Georgia map to go to the intersection of East Main Street (GA 60/GA 52/U.S. 19) and Morrison Moore Parkway (GA 60/GA 52/GA 9/U.S. 19) in Dahlonega.
• If you use GPS or online maps to find it, the address of a Walgreens  at this intersection is 566 East Main Street.
• Skip to Step #4 in the Directions Continued section below.

Directions Continued

1. Go north toward Dahlonega for 5.4 miles from the end of GA 400 to the first traffic light.
2. Turn RIGHT at the traffic light onto Morrison Moore Parkway (GA 60/GA 52/GA 9/U.S. 19).
3. Continue through the 1st traffic light to the 2nd traffic light. Prepare to turn LEFT on East Main St.
4. Turn onto East Main St. toward downtown Dahlonega. Walgreens is on the corner at this intersection across from the entrance to the Walmart shopping center and Consolidated Gold Mine.
5. Go to the traffic light and turn RIGHT on North Grove Street. Pueblo’s Restaurant is on the corner.
6. Go 2.2 miles on N. Grove St. Watch for signs to Camp Frank D. Merrill and Wahsega 4-H Center.
7. Turn LEFT onto Camp Wahsega Rd. and go 8.5 miles to Frank D. Merrill Army Ranger Camp.
8. Curve around the barricades and pull up to the stop sign across from the military check point.
9. Turn LEFT on Forest Rd. 28-1 (Hightower Church Rd) . After 100 feet of pavement, this road is gravel. Continue 1 mile.
10. Turn LEFT into Wahsega 4-H Center. The driveway is named Cloverleaf Trail.

Chaperones

Each learning group needs at least one chaperone. Our staff will not teach a group that does not have a chaperone present. Cabins will need to be chaperoned by members of your group as well. Wahsega does not provide cabin counselors.

Phones

A phone for adults to use is in the First Aid Station. A phone is not available for students.  Most cell phones will not work at Wahsega due to our extremely remote location.

Computers

Access to our office computers is not available. Wireless access over WiFi is available near the office building for iPhones, iPods and lap top computers.

Nametags

Most school groups choose to give their students nametags to wear. Wahsega does not provide nametags and does not require them.

Rules

Please enforce the rules for students listed on page 20. Lights out is 11:00 p.m. You may want to impose a few other rules or remind students of your school’s rules.

Carpooling

Parking is limited, so please encourage carpooling if your group is not using buses.

Damage Fees

A schedule of damage fees is posted in each cabin. The fees for damages, if any, will be assessed on the last day of your visit and billed to the school.

Accessibility

University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, Veteran, Disability Institution. If you need reasonable accommodation or language access services, contact Wahsega 4-H Center at wahsega@uga.edu or the center director David Weber at dweber@uga.edu or call 706-864-2050, at least three weeks prior to the program date.

Custom field study schedules

We can provide more or fewer meals or classes in your schedule to fit your students’ needs more closely. There is no premium fee for this service. Call us for a quote.

Exclusive use option

Exclusive use of the center during a 4-H Environmental Education field study is available. A premium conference fee is assessed for groups that request this service. Call for an exact quote.

Religious services

We will work with you to schedule times and provide facilities to accommodate religious practice or events. To avoid scheduling conflicts with other groups, mention these needs to the Program Coordinator when you make class selections.

Guidelines for Chaperones

At least one chaperone stays with each learning group and is present in classes at all times.
Our staff will not teach a class without a chaperone present. If there are several chaperones assigned to a learning group, please keep conversations at the back of class to a minimum.

At least one chaperone is required per cabin.

Enforce Wahsega’s rules and any rules the school has in place.

We have one rule at Wahsega:
RESPECT your T.O.E.S.

Teachers

• The teachers and chaperones
• The EE instructors
• All Adults

Others

• Friends and classmates as well as students and adults from other schools or adults on Wahsega’s staff
• Turtles living in Turtle-topia, water snakes living alongside the creek, other living creatures

Environment

• Youth are responsible for cleaning up after themselves
• No food in cabins
• Throw away trash and recycle bottles
• Stay out of the stream and pond
• No throwing rocks
• No chewing gum
• Personal belongings need to be taken with you when you leave the bathhouse

Self

• Wear good shoes around camp – no flip flops.
• Wash your hands before a meal in the bathhouse or Canteen restroom.
• Adult supervision is needed on hiking trails, at the waterfall deck, or when going off center.

.

Assist children with first aid and emergencies.
The First Aid Station is located in the Canteen building. A nurse is not on duty. We ask that chaperones help children with first aid needs. Feel free to use our supplies. Please log treatment provided on the clipboard on the counter in the First Aid Station. In an emergency, dial 9-911.

Supervise the students during free time.

Assist with KP, bathhouse cleanup and camp cleanup.
Wahsega staff will direct these duties, but chaperones are required to be present and assist.

Make sure that students clean their cabins and pass inspection before checkout.
Cabin cleanup takes place on the morning of your departure. Cabins should be clean and empty. They will be locked up before breakfast that morning by our staff that comes by to inspect. There is a list of cleanup tasks in each cabin. It is helpful to have the students pack up the night before.

Be positive.
Students will adopt your attitude.

Cell phones won’t work at Wahsega.
A phone for adults to use is in the First Aid Station. A phone is not available for students.  Most cell phones will not work at Wahsega due to our extremely remote location.

Please carpool.
If your group is traveling in personal vehicles rather than buses, please make plans to travel in fewer cars if possible. There is limited parking at Wahsega.

What to pack

• Sleeping bag or twin sheets & pillow (No linens or pillows provided)
• Towels & washcloths
• Toiletries (shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, etc.)
• Bag or basket to carry supplies from the cabin to the bathhouse
• Daily change of clothing (Some days you may need two)
• Old shirts & jeans (for ropes courses)
• Jacket or sweatshirt (for cool mornings and nights)
• Rain gear (classes continue regardless of the weather)
• Shoes (Some to keep dry and some that can get wet):
  Note: Wearing wet socks, shoes or sandals all day causes blisters.
• Sun block
• Plastic garbage bags marked with the owner’s name (for wet clothes)
• Water bottle
  Note: Label clothing and personal items.

What not to pack

• Chewing gum
• Flip-flops or any sandals without a heel strap (except for showering)
• New or nice clothing
• Electronics, cell phones, iPods, etc.
• Skate boards, roller blades, bicycles, etc.
• Other items of high value
  Note: Wahsega 4-H Center is not responsible for lost or stolen items.

No housekeeping service

CLEANLINESS IS THE STUDENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY
There is no cleaning service for the bathhouses or cabins. It is the responsibility of the students to keep bathhouses and cabins clean.

KEEP UP WITH YOUR OWN BELONGINGS
You will share the bathhouses with other schools. Please be considerate of them and keep the bathhouses clean. Each time you leave the bathhouse, carry your own dirty or wet clothes and towels as well as soap, shampoo and other toiletries with you.

Bring old clothes & shoes

Bring old clothes and shoes that can get dirty and old shoes that can get wet while in Stream Ecology class.

Do not plan to wear sandals without a heel strap

Sandals without heel straps are not allowed. To prevent injury, you must wear shoes that will stay on your feet.

Bring a pillow & sleeping bag or twin size sheets & covers

Pillows, sheets and blankets are not provided for guests. Bring a pillow and sleeping bag or twin sheets and adequate covers for the bunk beds.  Each cabin has two electric heaters, but warm bedding is encouraged especially in early spring and late fall.  

Remember toiletries

Towels, washcloths, soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant and other toiletries are not provided. Some of these products may be available for purchase in the Canteen.

Money for souvenirs from the Canteen store

We sell a selection of souvenirs, clothing and snacks in the Canteen. Soft drinks are available in vending machines on the outside of the Canteen building.

About our First Aid Station

Wahsega’s First Aid Station is on the right at the end of the hall in the Canteen Building. It has Ace bandages, band-aids, water and soap. Also, some pain and allergy medications are available. A nurse is not on duty. We will help teachers get emergency medical treatment at the hospital in Dahlonega if necessary.

Medication

If a child is taking any medication, the medication must be left with a teacher who will oversee its use. Refrigerated medication may be kept in a refrigerator in our First Aid Station or in the Pavilion 4 kitchen.

Rules

We have one rule at Wahsega:
RESPECT your T.O.E.S.

Teachers

• The teachers and chaperones
• The EE instructors
• All Adults

Others

• Friends and classmates as well as students and adults from other schools or adults on Wahsega’s staff
• Turtles living in Turtle-topia, water snakes living alongside the creek, other living creatures

Environment

• Youth are responsible for cleaning up after themselves
• No food in cabins
• Throw away trash and recycle bottles
• Stay out of the stream and pond
• No throwing rocks
• No chewing gum
• Personal belongings need to be taken with you when you leave the bathhouse

Self

• Wear good shoes around camp – no flip flops.
• Wash your hands before a meal in the bathhouse or Canteen restroom.
• Adult supervision is needed on hiking trails, at the waterfall deck, or when going off center.

Anyone who has questions or concerns about the protection of minors involved in UGA programs/activities can contact  Wahsega 4-H Center Program Coordinator, wahsega@uga.edu, 706-864-2050.

Additional contacts include the Wahsega 4-H Center Director, David Weber, dweber@uga.edu, 706-864-2050,  and/or UGA’s Director of Compliance for Programs and Activities Serving Minors at programsforminors@uga.edu or 706-542-7255.

In an emergency situation, contact 911 or UGA Police at 706-542-2200 (as applicable).

• Buildings and grounds at Wahsega
• Trails at Wahsega