This summer, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant is offering a wide range of hands-on programs designed to connect people of all ages with Georgia’s coastal and marine environments. 

Most programs will take place at the UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island, just 20 minutes from downtown Savannah. Operated by Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, the aquarium serves as an educational hub for experiential learning and stewardship focused on the coast. 

Kicking off the season is World Ocean Day on June 7 at the aquarium. Taking place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the event will feature hands-on activities, interactive learning stations, and special ocean-themed film screenings. The celebration highlights the global importance of oceans and inspires visitors to take action to protect them. The event is included with the price of admission to the UGA Aquarium. 

Throughout June and July, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant educators will lead a full lineup of weekly coastal programs. Visitors can participate in Turtle Tuesdays, get an insider’s look during Behind-the-Scenes Tours, and meet fascinating marine animals during Creature Features and Friday Feedings. Outdoor activities like Forest Strolls invite guests to explore local habitats and wildlife through guided walks through the maritime forest. 

For those eager to get on the water, several boat-based programs offer unforgettable activities. During Estuary Explorations, participants cruise coastal rivers and sounds in search of wildlife like dolphins and bald eagles. From Farm to Reef includes a tour of the Shellfish Research Lab and a boat trip to nearby oyster farms. During the Trawl to Trash Estuary Trip, guests help sample marine life and learn about marine debris while making their own reusable “trash bags” from recycled shrimp nets. The Marine Debris Cleanup on Wassaw Island takes participants to a remote barrier island to remove litter and protect coastal habitats. 

In addition to Savannah-based programs, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant will host a special program at its Brunswick office focused on ongoing alligator research in the Okefenokee Swamp. This one-time event offers a rare opportunity to learn directly from scientists studying one of Georgia’s most iconic species in one of its most treasured landscapes. 

“These programs are more than just educational—they’re immersive experiences that bring people closer to the coast,” said Shannon Matzke, public programs coordinator.

“Whether you’re exploring a barrier island, cruising local waterways, or meeting one of our ambassador animals, you’ll gain a deeper appreciation for Georgia’s natural resources.”

Most programs are fee-based and require registration. For full details about each program, including pricing and age requirements, visit Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s event calendar at gacoast.uga.edu/events. Space is limited, so be sure to reserve your spot today!

Dive into the mesmerizing world of marine science and metal artistry with Athens-based artist Barbara Mann’s latest exhibition, “Forging Connections: Metal Art Inspired by the Marine Carbon Cycle,” on display at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island from Aug. 23 – Oct. 16, 2023.

Mann has been working with metal and jewelry for more than 45 years. Her fascination with marine processes, like the carbon cycle, and the role of marine life within these processes is serving as the inspiration for her latest collection funded by UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Artists, Writers and Scholars program. The program supports projects designed to produce professional-quality art and literature that increases awareness of Georgia’s marine environments, improves understanding of Georgia’s coastal communities, and helps document history, culture, or heritage of Georgia’s coast.

Artist Barbara Mann gives a talk about her work at a recent Evening @ Skidaway event.

As part of her project, Mann created several pieces representing the plankton community, the marine carbon cycle and oyster growth and development, including four wall pieces, two necklaces, and two vases made of copper, brass, silver, iron and other materials.

Mann’s collection draws inspiration from the plankton research conducted by UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography faculty, as well as oyster research conducted at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s UGA Shellfish Research Lab.

View the exhibition when you visit the UGA Aquarium, which is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. More information is available at gacoast.uga.edu/aquarium.

A selection of Mann’s pieces on display at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium.

The University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant is collaborating with Georgia Southern University to host a special exhibition, “SUBMERGED: An Underwater Exhibition of Bioceramic Artwork,” at the UGA Aquarium. The exhibition will debut during the aquarium’s World Oceans Day event on June 10 and will showcase a collection of sculptures created by Assistant Professor Casey Schachner and her undergraduate students at Georgia Southern University.  

Schachner received funding to create bioceramic pieces as part of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Artists, Writers and Scholars program. The program supports projects designed to produce professional-quality art and literature that increases awareness of Georgia’s marine environments, improves understanding of Georgia’s coastal communities, and helps document history, culture, or heritage of Georgia’s coast. Schachner was one of three projects awarded this year.

Georgia Southern students visited the UGA Aquarium to gather ideas and inspiration for their ceramic pieces.

The pieces are made using algal biomass produced from Algal Turf Scrubbers®, which are designed to remove nutrients from the water and enhance water quality. The algae are harvested from the Skidaway River, ground into a powder and mixed with regional Georgia Lizella clay to make artwork. 

“In 2023, it is an important element to consider environmental impacts of the materials we work with as artists,” said Schachner. “To work with material that has such an important link to the local ecosystem is exciting.” 

The bioceramic sculptures created by Schachner’s students will be submerged in the UGA Aquarium’s 16 saltwater tanks, where they will serve as underwater features to be explored by the aquarium’s ambassador education animals, such as stingrays, striped burrfish, red drum and diamondback terrapins.  

“This is a great opportunity for Georgia Southern art students to create professional quality work to be displayed out in the community, said Schachner. “It also expands their interpretation of the role of an artist as an advocate by engaging with the community about environmental awareness and sense of responsibility as coastal Georgia residents.”

Casey Schachner places students’ work in a tank at the UGA Shellfish Lab to begin the process of growing oyster spat on them before being shown in an underwater exhibit at the UGA Aquarium.

 The exhibition will run throughout the summer, concluding on July 31. Afterwards, some of the pieces will be recycled and used to create new oyster reefs along the shoreline behind the aquarium facility. Oyster reefs are an essential part of coastal ecosystems, providing habitat and protection for a wide range of marine organisms. Educators at the facility will be able to show visiting school groups how the sculptures are being used to establish new reefs.  

“We are excited to present SUBMERGED as a means to engage visitors and raise awareness about the critical importance of our coastal habitats,” said Mark Risse, Director of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “The artwork not only bridges the gap between art and science but also supports our ongoing efforts to promote coastal conservation and restoration.”   

The UGA Aquarium’s World Oceans Day event on June 10 is free and will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., providing attendees with the opportunity to explore the exhibition and talk with Georgia Southern students about the inspiration behind their work. Staff at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Shellfish Research Lab, who specialize in oyster aquaculture and reef restoration, will also be offering oyster-themed activities for people of all ages.     

For more information about the event, please visit: https://t.uga.edu/96w 

A new display at the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s aquarium on Skidaway Island translates the complex life cycles of marine animals into an easily understood snapshot of the ocean ecosystem. The display was created by UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography scientist Adam Greer, UGA graduate student Taylor Kilgore and the UGA Aquarium staff.

For the past several years, Greer has worked with Skidaway Institute scientists Marc Frischer and Jay Brandes to study the impacts of a little-known gelatinous organism called a doliolid. Although small — only about the size of a pencil eraser – doliolids are a major component of the marine ecosystem, with a remarkable capacity to reproduce and form dense aggregations, known as “blooms.” Greer and colleagues wanted to help a larger audience appreciate the beauty of doliolids, but at the same time, help them understand that doliolids have a complicated life cycle that researchers are just starting to resolve with camera technologies coupled to other scientific sampling approaches.

“’The ‘Life Cycles in the Sea’ idea was an extension of this concept to include the huge majority of life forms that spend part of their lives within drifting plankton communities,” Greer said. “We want people to understand these early life stages can’t control where they go and are sensitive to changes in their environment.

“Therefore, we need to do our part to ensure the early life stages have good water quality, so these animals we care about can complete their life cycles.”

The display, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, shows how many ocean animals, including blue crabs and popular fish species that grow much larger as adults, begin their lives as small (1 mm or so), drifting plankton that must survive these vulnerable life stages to reach adulthood. It also includes a video that demonstrates how scientists are using new technologies, like towed camera systems, to study where these plankton live and what kind of environments they are encountering.

“This includes the physical properties of the ocean water where they live, such as the depth, salinity and temperature,” Greer said. “And, also, the biological characteristics, such as the predators and prey they might encounter.”

Greer credits the staff at the UGA Aquarium with helping to narrow their general idea and giving the public a strong and understandable “take home message.” The aquarium staff used their experience to advise Greer on all aspects of the exhibit to have the most impact on visitors. They helped Greer better understand what phrases and visuals would resonate with audiences of different ages and interest levels.

Facilities Manager David Looye installs the new exhibit on a wall in the UGA Aquarium.

“We want our visitors to leave here with well-rounded knowledge of Georgia’s local ecosystems, and plankton are an important part of that,” UGA Aquarium curator Lisa Kovalanchik said. “It’s hard to have a live exhibit with organisms so small, but an interactive display is a great way to fit that need while engaging visitors of all ages.”

Kilgore, a master’s student in marine sciences at UGA, worked with Greer and the aquarium staff to design the exhibit and to maximize its impact. She also viewed hours of video footage collected by Savannah College of Art and Design students who joined the scientists on a research cruise. Kilgore edited the footage down to a two-minute video that shows how the camera system is deployed.

“We want people to understand that the life cycles of ocean animals are often complicated and require huge changes in both their size and lifestyle,” Greer said. “Sampling technologies, like the towed camera system shown in the display, are helping us understand the environments that these early life stages experience.”

The UGA Aquarium is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island near Savannah is offering a three-part Finding Meaning in the Marsh series that encourages participants to view Georgia’s coastal salt marshes from new perspectives.  

Three programs scheduled in March 2023 will feature special guest photographers, artists and naturalists who will lead guided walks through salt marsh and maritime forest habitat at the UGA Aquarium.  

“We often study Georgia’s coast through science, but it’s not the only way,” says Austin Heil, public programs coordinator for UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. He was inspired to launch the series as of way of bringing in creatives who connect with the natural world in unique ways.  

“Artists from different mediums will be able to show visitors how they use photography, painting and natural history to understand the ecology of the Lowcountry.”   

The topics and dates for the Finding Meaning the Marsh series are provided below. The series is open to all ages, but the content is geared towards children ages 13 and up. Participants can register for one, or all, of the programs at http://gacoast.uga.edu/events 

Photography: March 2, 5 -7 p.m.  

Photographers are keenly aware of light, dark, angles and space. They, quite literally, view the salt marsh through a different lens. Join UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant educators and digital media assistant and resident photographer, Shanon Wise, on a guided walk along the Jay Wolf Nature Trail at the UGA Aquarium. Wise has a bachelor’s degree in photography and integrated media from Ohio University. She will provide visitors with photography tips and share techniques for shooting coastal wildlife and scenery found along the trail.   

Art: March 11, 2-4 p.m.

Landscape artists seek connections to place through careful observation of time and light. During this program, Kip Bradley, a local landscape artist and  Georgia Sea Grant’s 2022 Artists, Writers, and Scholar’s winner, will introduce basic color theory and color mixing exercises to help participants observe color shifts in the marsh. By the end of the hike, participants will have a better appreciation of the marsh as a coastal resource through this artistic investigation of nature. 

History: March 21, 5-7 p.m.  

Historians pay close attention to the people, events, interactions, and changes in a particular place. They see coastal ecosystems through the lives of the people that populated these areas, recognizing the major figures and events that shaped coastal habitats and resources. Local historian and naturalist John “Crawfish” Crawford will lead a walk through the maritime forest on Skidaway Island. Crawfish grew up in Savannah and knows the history of coastal Georgia, particularly Skidaway Island, where he worked as an educator for 30 years. Learn about the island’s past and present residents who have shaped its current landscape.

Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant has welcomed four recent college graduates to serve as the 2022-2023 marine education fellows based at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island.

As part of the fellowship, they will gain experience in environmental education, aquarium husbandry and coastal extension. They will also be able to participate in professional development opportunities and build a network of environmental educators, marine researchers and conservationists working in coastal Georgia.

Throughout the year, the fellows will teach field, lab and lecture classes that are offered to visiting school groups. They will also assist with animal husbandry at the UGA Aquarium and work closely with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s extension specialists to incorporate information about their projects into educational programming.

Meet the 2022-2023 fellows:

Vanessa Navarro is from Fort Worth, Texas. She completed her undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi where she studied environmental science with a concentration in environmental health and monitoring. Navarro has experience in research and environmental education, including leading public programs while working at Oso Bay Wetlands Preserve in Corpus Christi. She will spend her fellowship year providing educational programs to people of all ages. She is most looking forward to learning all about the Georgia coast through outdoor adventures while sharing her knowledge with others.

Camryn Arnstein is from Huntingtown, Maryland. She graduated with bachelor’s degrees in marine science and environmental studies from the University of South Carolina. Arnstein served as a NOAA Hollings intern conducting species monitoring at Old Woman Creek National Estuarine Research Reserve in Huron, Ohio. She also worked as a camp instructor at UNC-Wilmington’s MarineQuest summer camps. Arnstein will be advancing her aquatic husbandry skills while working in the aquarium. She is hoping to gain new teaching experiences and connect with experts in the coastal ecology field.

Micayla Cochran is from Atlanta, Georgia. She went to school at Vanderbilt University, double majoring in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology as well as Spanish. For the last two summers, Cochran has been a volunteer with the Sea Turtle Research and Conservation Program at Mote Marine Lab in Sarasota, Florida, where she helped monitor sea turtle nests. Cochran’s fellowship will focus primarily on teaching classes at the aquarium and providing outreach programs to local schools. She looks forward to improving her teaching skills and learning how to communicate with diverse audiences about science.

Annie Laura Schulz is from Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has a bachelor’s degree in sustainability science from Furman University. Schulz worked at Cape Eleuthera Institute in the Bahamas studying sea turtles, mangroves, and sharks in field and lab settings. As a marine education fellow, she will conduct community outreach and work closely with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s extension specialists on different projects. Schulz is excited to learn about Georgia’s coast and marine life while being surrounded by others who are passionate about inspiring appreciation of the natural world through environmental education.

Four recent college graduates have been selected for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s year-long Marine Education Fellowship based at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island.

As part of the fellowship, they will gain experience in environmental education, aquarium husbandry and coastal extension. They will also be able to participate in professional development opportunities and build a network of environmental educators, marine researchers and conservationists working in coastal Georgia.

Throughout the year, the fellows will teach field, lab and lecture classes that are offered to visiting school groups. They will also assist with animal husbandry at the UGA Aquarium and work closely with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s extension specialists to incorporate information about their projects into educational programming.

The 2021-2022 fellows are:

Maura Glovins is from Corning, New York. She graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in marine science and a minor in education. While in college, Glovins served as the education outreach coordinator for the marine science club and worked as an educator for Harbison State Forest where she applied her teaching skills to a forestry setting. She is looking forward to finding her niche in marine education and turning it into a career.

Ashley Del Core is from Vacaville, California. She graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo and received a bachelor’s degree in marine sciences. Del Core’s passion for marine science education and outreach developed through volunteering as an aquarium educator and aquarist, assisting with graduate student projects and serving as a teacher’s assistant for an ichthyology course. Del Core is excited to work with other passionate marine science professionals and introduce visitors to Georgia’s aquatic animals.

Chante Lively is from Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Nova Southeastern University with a bachelor’s degree in marine biology and minors in global engagement and Spanish. Prior to starting her fellowship, she worked as an environmental educator at the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance. She hopes to get back to her roots in marine science and use new tools and skills obtained through the fellowship to help determine her next career steps.

Diane Klement is from Augusta, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in ecology and a minor in studio art. Klement has worked as an elementary and nature kindergarten substitute teacher, helping students discover the wonder and joy that comes from learning about the natural world. She is looking forward to learning strategies to teach more effectively about coastal ecology and to help others better appreciate Georgia’s coastal ecosystems.

It took three years for Neptune to reach the ocean from her nest, but her goodbye was short and sweet.

Transported by boat to Wassaw Island, the loggerhead sea turtle was carried to the beach by her caretakers from UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. She crawled a short distance to the water before disappearing into the surf.

“You’ve watched them grow from where they fit in the palm of your hand … to where you can barely carry them out of the aquarium,” said Lisa Kovalanchik, a curator at the UGA Aquarium on Skidaway Island, who helped with Neptune’s release.

Neptune hatched on Ossabaw Island in August 2018. She was discovered as a straggler in the nest by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA DNR), which coordinates sea turtle monitoring on all of Georgia’s barrier islands.

The UGA Aquarium is permitted by GA DNR to house up to two sea turtles at a time. For two-three years, the stragglers live at the aquarium, growing stronger and bigger, learning to forage for food by hunting and eating the blue crabs and mussels the aquarium staff put in their tanks.

Lisa Kovalanchik (left) and Devin Dumont (right) pose with Neptune before her release.

During Neptune’s time at the aquarium, she was featured in on-site and virtual programming that focused on animal enrichment and the impacts of marine debris on wildlife. She also helped advance research on sea turtles by serving as the subject of a project by scientists at Georgia Southern University that focused on identifying ways to improve environmental enrichment methods for loggerheads in captivity.

“Each experience with a loggerhead is unique,” said Devin Dumont, also a curator at the UGA Aquarium, part of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “They all have their own backstory or behavioral characteristics that we get to share with visitors, which creates a connection, and, hopefully, makes people more likely to care about these animals and do their part to help protect them.”

Usually, you can’t tell the gender of a hatchling.

“We knew Neptune was a female based on temperature gauges placed in the nest as part of research conducted by DNR,” Dumont said. The temperature of sea turtle eggs during incubation determines whether they are male or female. Higher temperatures result in females while cooler temperatures result in males.

“We also know that Neptune’s mother has nested before on Ossabaw Island and Blackbeard Island thanks to DNA samples taken by DNR,” said Dumont, who has worked at the UGA Aquarium for 13 years. During that time, he’s cared for and released six loggerhead turtles who have served as ambassador education animals, reaching thousands of people during their time at the facility.

On the day of Neptune’s release, Joe Pfaller, research director for the Caretta Research Project, attached number coded tags and a passive integrated transmitter to the turtle.
“By giving Neptune individualized tags we will be able to identify her if she is encountered later in life, maybe even at a nesting beach,” Pfaller said. “Because we know when and where the tags were applied, if she is ever seen again, we will know the number of years she has survived and what areas she has occupied.”

Dumont and Kovalanchik carry Neptune to the beach on Wassaw Island.

All sea turtle tag deployments are catalogued in a central database managed by the University of Florida, Pfaller said. All tags also have an address on the back, which means that if Neptune is seen again there will be a coordinated effort to inform groups like the Caretta Research Project of her sighting, helping researchers and resource managers learn about and better protect the species.

While they will miss Neptune, the aquarium staff already have the next straggler to be placed on display once it’s large enough.

Scuttle, a one-year-old straggler hatchling from Jekyll Island, is poised to be the next loggerhead ambassador, continuing the cycle of inspiring visitors to practice responsible stewardship of Georgia’s coastal resources.

Writer: Emily Kenworthy, ekenworthy@uga.edu, 912-598-2348, ext. 107
Contact: Devin Dumont, dumont@uga.edu, 912-598-2337 or Lisa Kovalanchik, lisao@uga.edu, 912-598-2356

On the deck of the Sea Dawg, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s 43-foot research vessel, Marine Educator Dodie Sanders sets up her computer, webcam and teaching props, which include live fish, corals and a stingray.

She introduces herself through her webcam and asks her first question, “What do we call water that’s in between fresh and salty?”

“Brackish!” responds a chorus of students from the speakers of her computer.

A few hundred miles away in Rome, Georgia, 25 fifth graders at the Darlington School are watching Sanders’ program on their iPads. Typically, this conversation would happen aboard the Sea Dawg while trawling for live specimens in Wassaw Sound. For the next two days, educators at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Marine Education Center and Aquarium are bringing the on-site, outdoor experiences to the classroom for the first time by way of virtual school trips.

Sanders describes the importance of Georgia’s brackish water estuaries where so many different species, like red drum, shrimp and blue crabs spend all or part of their lives. She talks about the different animals in her touch tank, explaining the physical and biological characteristics that are unique to each animal.

Sanders uses a computer and webcam to virtually teach students.

The educational trawl is just one of 16 different virtual classes now available to K-12 classrooms across the state. Available classes include marine debris, squid dissection, maritime forest hikes and more.

“Shifting from on-site to virtual programs has made us approach everything we do from a very different perspective with the goal of creating meaningful and impactful education programs,” says Sanders, who, along with her marine educator colleagues, spent several months modifying on-site programs for a virtual setting.

“How do you virtually capture searching for invertebrates living on the underside of a floating dock, the smell of salt marsh mud, hiking across an undeveloped barrier island, or touching cool organisms collected in a trawl net?” Sanders asks. “We’re incorporating the same teaching methods, the same tricks of the trade but perhaps on a more complicated and elevated level.”

The education team developed program templates, wrote teaching outlines, created new pre- and post-activities and tested new audio-visual equipment to prepare for the virtual school programs.

They keep the students engaged by showing pre-recorded videos of local environments and up-close live shots of animals that are native to the coast.

They also frequently pause instruction for question and answer sessions and encourage opportunities for students to share their own stories.

“Do you ever not want to go trawling and just sit on the boat instead?” asks one student during the virtual trawl.

“What happens if you catch a shark?” asks another.

Julie Fine, a fifth-grade teacher at Darlington School, says students at Darlington have been visiting the education facility on Skidaway Island for 10 years.

“We were really concerned that our kids would be missing out on a lot of the things that make fifth grade special. So much has already changed in their world,” says Fine. “When we reached out to see what you guys might be able to offer, we were really excited to hear about the virtual experience.”

Fine and fellow fifth grade teacher Bebe Cline chose the classes they would normally have done on-site, like the squid dissection and dolphin excursion, but they also picked new classes, like the trawling trip and coastal reptiles, which ended up being big hits with their students.

Through virtual programming, students can experience live animals such as this alligator held by Marine Educator Katie Higgins.

“At one point, one of the fish jumped out of the little tray and they loved that. They loved seeing them up close,” Fine says.

Their goal was to make the two days as full and as exciting as possible, without actually being at the coast, Fine says. They also chose topics that aligned with their studies of classification and coastal Georgia as part of the fifth-grade curriculum.

“Our students were definitely focused and learning and really getting the material, much the same that they do while they are actually there,” Fine says.

This positive feedback from Darlington is encouraging for educators at the Marine Education Center and Aquarium, who plan to further enhance virtual school programming and reach more students in the coming year.

In the past, transportation, funding and logistics have often made field trips a challenge for schools who want to come to the Marine Education Center and Aquarium.

With the virtual programs up-and-running, teachers can bring the coast to their students with the click of a mouse and at a fraction of the cost.

“Our new world of teaching virtually affords the opportunity to reach and serve more diverse communities, especially those who may not be able to take part in our on-site programs,” says Sanders. “Virtual programs make us more accessible.”

Teachers can learn about and register for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s virtual school programs at https://gacoast.uga.edu/virtual-school-programs/

For 30 years, John “Crawfish” Crawford has regaled campers and school children on field trips to the UGA Aquarium, guiding them on nature walks through the salt marsh and introducing them to the many creatures that call coastal Georgia home.

His tenure officially ended Dec. 1, when Crawford retired from the University of Georgia. But his legacy will continue through an endowed educator position at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, funded by a generous estate gift made by longtime supporters.

The John “Crawfish” Crawford Public Service and Outreach Faculty Fellowship will generate incentive for a leading naturalist to fill a faculty educator role at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium and provide the resources to support traditional naturalist practices that maintain an emphasis on exploration, curiosity, field interpretation and personal connection to the world.

The endowed funds will also enhance the faculty fellow’s ability to make a difference in the lives of students and help fulfill the university’s public service and outreach mission—as Crawford has.

“Someone who gets the endowed fellowship will need to know who John is, what he cared about, and what he’s like,” says Ruth McMullin, who, with her husband Tom, made the gift. “We want to make sure the way (John) teaches, his enthusiasm, and his methodology remain when he’s no longer here.”

McMullin, who lives on Skidaway Island, has been volunteering at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium for 23 years. She is inspired by Crawford’s curiosity, enthusiasm and ability to mold minds and develop stewards of Georgia’s coastal environments.

“He’s just so special,” McMullin said. “I was really happy to volunteer because I knew I would get to spend more time learning from him.”

“I have learned an awful lot from watching how he interacts with children and adults and how he shares his excitement with other people. You can’t be somebody you admire, but you can copy them.”

Crawford grew up in Savannah, where he explored the coast’s mud flats and maritime forests, discovering corn snakes, fiddler crabs and other animals that often found their way into his house. At age 15, he had dozens of pet snakes, all of which he kept in his room.

He cultivated his knowledge of coastal resources at Armstrong State College and Florida Keys Community College in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After his time in Florida, he made his way back to the Georgia coast where he continued to make his mark on the conservation and environmental education community.

He joined UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant in 1990, where as a marine educator he has spent 30 years sharing his knowledge with K-12 students, teachers, education fellows, coastal residents and conservation professionals.

“He has taught hundreds of professional educators, tens of thousands of students, and changed the landscape of environmental and marine education along the coast,” says Anne Lindsay, associate director of marine education at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “He knows boats, plants, animals and people and a little about every other natural science or coastal topic you can think of.”

Lindsay, who was mentored by Crawford when she was hired at what was then the UGA Marine Extension Service in the 1990s, explains how he laid the foundation for the education programs that are still offered at the facility today.

“He has helped us expand our reach, establish new collaborations and partnerships, nurture long standing relationships with educators, scientists and citizens,” Lindsay said. “He has cemented the reputation of the Marine Education Center and Aquarium as an institution with a standard of educational quality that we aspire to uphold.”

Learn more about Crawford and the importance of this endowed position in a short film by Motion House Media, a video production company based in Athens, Georgia. The film tells the story of Crawford’s impact through interviews with individuals who have been inspired by the larger than life conservationist over the years.

You can watch the film here:

Gifts in honor of Crawfish can be made at http://gacoast.uga.edu/crawfish

Contact: Emily Kenworthy, ekenworthy@uga.edu, 912-598-2348, ext. 107