A recent study by University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, funded by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division, sheds light on the economic contributions of saltwater recreational fishing to Georgia’s coastal economy. 

Saltwater recreational fishing is a popular activity that draws anglers to Georgia’s coastal water bodies, including its tidal creeks, sounds and open ocean. This industry encompasses a diverse group of amateur anglers and enthusiasts who cast their lines from personal boats and docks, public beaches and piers.  

The study, led by UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Coastal Economist Eugene Frimpong, found that in 2022, over a quarter of a million recreational anglers spent $223.7 million on saltwater fishing activities in Georgia. These activities include purchasing fishing tackle, such as fishing rods, lines, and lures, while also incurring additional expenses related to transportation and food.  

According to Frimpong, money spent on saltwater recreational fishing circulates through Georgia’s economy, creating a multiplier effect where every dollar spent can have a significant impact as it moves across different sectors. Results of the study show that saltwater recreational fishing trips in Georgia supported 3,217 full-time or part-time jobs and contributed $310.6 million in sales in 2022.  

“The study reveals the significant economic contribution of this particular sector to Georgia’s coastal economy,” says Frimpong. “It also provides the state with baseline socioeconomic information to inform management practices that support the economic viability of saltwater recreational fishing and the overall health of our coastal resources.”

According to Carolyn Belcher, marine fisheries section chief at Georgia DNR’s Coastal Resources Division, most fishery management decisions are informed by the health of a fish population, which is determined through stock assessment models. Implementing fishing seasons as well size and catch limits are ways to maintain healthy populations.  

“The effects of these actions are easy to assess on the fish because of the availability of fishery-dependent data sources; however, without socioeconomic information like the data provided by this UGA study, it is difficult to assess how proposed management will affect the people involved in the fishery,” says Belcher.  

Frimpong gathered information for the study through a state-wide survey of recreational anglers. In addition to collecting expenditure data, the survey included demographic and geographic questions to gain insight into who engages in saltwater recreational fishing and where anglers fish.  

“Knowing the most popular destinations for recreational fishing and whether people are fishing by boat or from a pier helps us determine who and where to target educational resources and programs that help protect and conserve our fisheries resources,” says Bryan Fluech, associate director of extension at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.  

UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Guide to Coastal Fishing in Georgia map series feature a map of the inshore coastal waters within each county as well as tips on responsible harvesting practices. Knowing, through the study, that Glynn, Chatham and Camden counties are the top three fishing destinations in coastal Georgia enables extension professionals to make sure tackle shops and marinas in these counties are stocked with the guides and other resources.  

A Trawl to Trash bag hangs on a dock post as a resource for collecting debris along waterways.

This information will also allow UGA staff to target specific counties and sites with outreach programs, like Trawl to Trash, which is designed to educate boaters and beachgoers about the impacts of marine debris and encourage use of recycled trawl bags to collect and remove debris from Georgia’s waterways.  

“Trawl to Trash was launched with recreational anglers in mind, realizing they often need a way to collect and store debris while on the water,” says Fluech. “Knowing that most recreational fishing is happening by boat or from shore validates our efforts to target outreach efforts at marinas and public access points.”  

Georgia’s saltwater recreational fishing sector is intricately linked with multiple industries, including retail, manufacturing, hospitality and tourism. It not only generates government revenue through taxes and fees but also plays a crucial role in supporting conservation efforts. The economic significance and cultural popularity of the industry underscores the importance of adopting sustainable practices and effective management to ensure the industry’s sustainable growth and success in Georgia.

Writer: Emily Kenworthy, ekenworthy@uga.edu, 336-466-1520 
Contact: Eugene Frimpong, eugene.frimpong@uga.edu, 912-262-2379

“We Know Georgia” showcases how UGA is using its expertise and resources to spur economic prosperity across the state and uphold its commitment to serve Georgia. We are sharing stories of resiliency, entrepreneurship, sustainability and economic prosperity to show how UGA works with communities to make life better for Georgians. Learn more here.

Anytime you take a dip in the ocean, you can expect to be swimming among hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of microscopic organisms called phytoplankton. They come in different shapes and sizes, and all play a critical role in the marine ecosystem, serving as the base of the marine food web and providing at least half the Earth’s oxygen.

In a balanced ecosystem, phytoplankton provide food for a wide range of marine life; however, when too many nutrients are available, some may grow out of control and form harmful algal blooms (HABs) that affect fish, shellfish, mammals, birds and even people.

“As nutrients and pollutants are making their way to the coast, monitoring harmful algal blooms is increasingly important,” says Katie Higgins, volunteer coordinator and marine educator at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

Assistant Professor Natalie Cohen, UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

To help monitor the potential for harmful blooms, a UGA team including Higgins and Natalie Cohen, assistant professor at UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography was formed. They are collaborating to better track and understand HAB events along the coast as part of a research project funded by SECOORA, the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association.

“Currently, the only HABs monitoring in Georgia is done through NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network (PMN),” says Higgins, who coordinates a team of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant volunteers who have participated in the network for 20 years by monitoring a site on the Skidaway River behind the UGA Aquarium. Every Thursday, volunteers collect water samples from the river and process them in the lab at the aquarium, counting and observing the abundance the phytoplankton in each sample before submitting the information to NOAA.

Back in 2017, their monitoring efforts helped researchers at UGA Skidaway Institute document a bloom of Akashiwo sanguinea, a type of phytoplankton considered to be a harmful algal species. The bloom coincided with a massive die-off of oyster larvae in UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Shellfish Research Lab, located next door to the sampling site. At the time, researchers hypothesized that this species of algae was to blame. It produces a sticky substance that has killed birds during blooms on the west coast by damaging the water proofing on their feathers.

Mallory Mintz takes a water sample from the Skidaway River.

“The event in the Skidaway River demonstrated that [HABs] have the potential to happen here and could cause harm to local aquaculture,” says Cohen. She is working with Mallory Mintz, a master’s student at UGA, to build on the PMN volunteer monitoring efforts by collecting weekly data on cell densities of HAB species over a two-year period and incorporating more water quality parameters into the sampling effort.

By collecting quantitative cell count data and measuring oxygen, pH and salinity at the sampling site, the team can start to better understand environmental drivers that are conducive to HAB formation in Georgia estuaries, specifically Akashiwo.

“This is sort of the first step in coming up with a forecasting plan. We really have to figure out environmental parameters that are most important, and later we can predict when blooms are likely to occur,” says Cohen.

While volunteer observations have suggested a seasonality to the abundance of Akashiwo in the Skidaway River, through this more robust monitoring effort, the research team was able, for the first time, to quantify Akashiwo presence over an entire year and correlate this with water quality parameters.

“Starting in late July, Akashiwo cell counts went from undetectable to a max of 150 cells per milliliter, reaching bloom level,” says Cohen.

“We hope that through this season and next summer, we’ll see if there are patterns over time.”

The ultimate goal is to establish a regional notification network to communicate with local residents and aquaculture organizations in coastal Georgia about HABs. All the water quality and cell count data obtained through the project will be made publicly accessible so that others will be able to explore the data.

“These UGA and volunteer efforts will promote awareness and establish connections between scientists, shellfish farmers, and residents interested in the seasonal timing of blooms and the potential for HAB events to become more frequent in Georgia,” says Higgins.

Four artists based in Savannah, Athens, and Kennesaw will soon launch new projects exploring Georgia’s coastal culture and natural resources through art as part of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Artists, Writers and Scholars program, which launched in 2021.

The program supports Georgia artists to create 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.

“The Artist, Writers and Scholars program has expanded significantly in terms of reach since its inception two years ago,” says Mark Risse, director of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “We’ve hosted two art exhibitions at our aquarium facility in the last year, and many of our collaborators have been featured in art shows across the state. We’re excited to cultivate these new partnerships with the art community and involve audiences in important coastal issues using creative disciplines.”

This year’s cohort includes artists who specialize in painting, illustration, music and dance. Their projects will use various art forms to highlight relationships within animal communities as well as relationships between humans and the natural world.

The 2023 grant recipients include:

A sample of work by Eckman, Reframe (2020), explores the lines between extroversion and introversion, public and private isolation – lines that artists everywhere were facing during the time of Covid-19.

Autumn Eckman, an assistant professor of dance at Kennesaw State University. Prior to KSU, she served as an assistant professor at the University of Arizona and as an instructor at Northern Illinois University. Her background includes creating concert dance pieces and dance films inspired by environmental issues, including glacial deterioration and forest fire destruction due to wildfires on protected land. As part of her project, Eckman will bring awareness to the environmental challenges along the Georgia coast through movement film and storytelling. She will create a dance piece that explores environmental awareness as an element of survival through themes related to the effects of human activities on the environment, including climate change, pollution and habitat destruction.

“I hope audiences take away ways in which the arts can illuminate the importance of environmental responsibility and build awareness of the beautiful and sacred treasures that exist within and along the Georgia Coast,” Eckman said.

An example of a large ensemble piece by Lane, UNT Wind Symphony (2017)

Peter Van Zandt Lane is an associate professor at UGA, where he teaches composition and electronic music. He also directs the Roger and Phyllis Dancz Center for New Music, a hub for experimental music, recording arts, and electronic music and acoustic research at UGA. For his project, he will compose a piece for a large ensemble that incorporates data sonification and live electronics, drawing on data from Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long Term Ecological Research site based at the UGA Marine Institute on Sapelo Island. The piece will incorporate composition and data sonification to explore concepts of ecological thresholds and resiliency in the face of environmental disturbances.

“I hope that this project brings together people who love classical music and people who care about the Georgia coastal environment. I believe music is a powerful means to reflect on the issues of our time,” Lane said.

A sample of work by Nolan, a red-bellied woodpecker.

Jennifer Nolan graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree in illustration. Animals have always been the subject of her paintings, which have been exhibited in Georgia and abroad. Currently her paintings are represented in galleries in Savannah, including Reynolds Square Fine Art and others. Nolan will be creating five large paintings that highlight moments, situations and emotions that are common to humans but revealed in nature. Her pieces will showcase relationships in the natural world that depict human elements, enabling audiences to better empathize and understand the parallels between human and animal communities.

“My desire is that these paintings will reach past socioeconomic, age, sex and racial differences. I specifically want to remind those who have forgotten or who never had known how precious our coastline is and why it needs to be appreciated. In this process I hope to bring joy, wonder, comfort and beauty to viewers,” Nolan said.

A sample of work by Stutz, an American alligator.

Josh Stutz studied at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, earning his bachelor’s in illustration in 2020 before moving to Savannah in 2021. As someone who loves the outdoors, he developed a strong interest in natural science illustration and the role illustration can play in educational material. Stutz’s project will involve ilustrating endangered and threatened species in coastal Georgia to be featured in a book that describes the threats they face and explains how the health of the coast is connected to the health of the planet.

“I want people to acknowledge the impact we as humans have had on our coast, maybe learn about a new species they haven’t heard of, and feel empowered to do what they can to help keep them around,” Stutz said.

Five graduate students from the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University and Georgia Tech have been selected to lead year-long coastal research projects as part of the Georgia Sea Grant Research Traineeship. This marks the sixth year of the traineeship, which has supported a total of 36 students from universities across Georgia since its launch in 2018.

“The research traineeship allows students to apply their knowledge and identify solutions to real world issues in collaboration with coastal experts in marine science and coastal ecology,” says Mark Risse, director of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “The traineeship gives students the opportunity to design and execute their own projects, preparing a diverse workforce for jobs in the future.”

As part of the traineeship, students conduct independent research projects that address one of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s four focus areas: healthy coastal ecosystems, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, resilient communities and economies, and environmental literacy and workforce development.

The students conduct these projects while being advised by university mentors. They are also encouraged to work with extension and education specialists at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant to collaborate and share their research with coastal communities.

Anna Carnes

Anna Carnes is an undergraduate student in biology at Georgia Tech where she’s studying marsh restoration, particularly the use of native versus nonnative Spartina alterniflora species in Georgia marshes.

As part of her traineeship, she will compare the genetic diversity of Spartina alterniflora populations from natural Georgia ecosystems to those of nurseries from adjacent states. She will also look at the success rate of planting native spartina versus the nonnative varieties. There are currently no nurseries in Georgia that supply native Spartina. Carne’s research will help determine the need for local sources at plant nurseries and will inform future marsh restoration practices.

“I am excited to collaborate with people who are as enthusiastic about the marsh and restoration as I am. This opportunity will help me to grow as a research scientist by providing feedback on my work and connecting me with mentors to learn from,” Carnes said.

Alejandra Daniel

Alejandra Daniel is a master’s student in biology at Georgia Southern University. She is studying corals found along the southeastern coast of the U.S., specifically Oculina arbuscula.

Oculina arbuscula has been found to be resilient to the negative effects of climate change, including ocean acidification. Unlike most corals, Oculina arbuscula can continue to produce its skeleton when exposed to ocean acidification. Daniel’s project will involve studying the mechanism behind the coral’s resilience to ocean acidification.

“My professional goal is to pursue a career where I can both perform marine research and help develop programs that not only strive to eliminate societal pressures that deter K-12 children from developing a baseline knowledge of science, but also spark a curiosity about science that results in a desire for continued knowledge. The traineeship will assist me in reaching these goals,” Daniel said.

Julia Frees

Julia Frees, a master’s student in biology at Georgia Southern University, is studying the impact of contaminants, including microplastic fibers and pharmaceutical chemicals, on oysters.

Her project will involve studying whether microplastic fibers increase the uptake of synthetic estrogen by eastern oysters. She will survey the levels of pollutants in oysters in coastal Georgia and conduct lab experiments to examine how microplastic fiber exposure affects synthetic estrogen concentration in oyster tissue, oyster growth and reproduction. The findings will be valuable to recreational and commercial oyster harvesters.

Frees will be working with Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Water Resource Specialist, Katy Smith, to deliver educational workshops to the public and the aquaculture community.

“As I interact with these groups to increase awareness of microplastic fiber and synthetic estrogen contamination, I will build rapport and gain a better sense of their needs. Ultimately, the skills that I will develop through the traineeship will equip me to accomplish my goal of applying research to improve conservation by working for a non-governmental organization, private conservation group, or federal/state environmental department,” Frees said.

Diane Klement

Diane Klement, a master’s student at the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, is studying migratory bird populations, particularly those experiencing rapid declines, like the painted bunting.

Her project seeks to understand which plants provide high-quality habitat for migratory birds to inform conservation efforts. Her research will use new tracking technologies and corresponding space-use estimates to accurately quantify habitat quality for the painted bunting. Findings will be shared with coastal resource managers and homeowners to inform these groups about which plant species provide preferred bunting habitat.

“I applied for the Georgia Sea Grant Research Traineeship due to the program’s commitment to serving coastal Georgia through integrated research, extension, and education programs in collaboration with the local community. Working with [the organization] in the past allowed me to grow as a science communicator, introduced me to partners conducting innovative coastal research, and ultimately led me to attend UGA for graduate school, and I am so grateful to continue this partnership through the research traineeship,” said Klement, who served as a 2022 marine education fellow for UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

Mallory Mintz

Mallory Mintz is a master’s student in the University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences. Based at UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, her research focuses on harmful algal blooms on the coast.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are increasing due to warming waters and increased nutrient runoff. In Georgia’s Skidaway River, HABs are largely unreported despite their potential impact on oyster aquaculture. Mintz’s research involves collaborating with UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant volunteers who participate in NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network to document the abundance of a HAB-forming red tide species, Akashiwo sanguinea. She hopes to determine the drivers of Akashiwo blooms and enhance understanding of HAB dynamics in coastal Georgia to improve monitoring efforts.

“The traineeship not only provides financial support to allow me to continue research for another year, but it fosters invaluable professional connections with the Georgia scientific community. I look forward to collaborating with peers and mentors to continue my ongoing research and contribute to the broader scientific community,” Mintz said.

The Georgia Sea Grant Research Traineeship program is funded by Georgia Sea Grant, part of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program, a network of 34 Sea Grant programs located in coastal and Great Lakes states and territories.

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.

UGA researchers work to save an iconic plant in the Lowcountry

by Daniel Siegel and Emily Kenworthy

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On Little St. Simons Island, Elizabeth King, an associate professor at the University of Georgia, stands in a knee-high meadow of sweetgrass, accompanied by Sara Meissner, a Ph.D. student at UGA. They brave the bugs, snakes, and a scorching summer heat wave to conduct research as part of a collaborative study with 20 academics, land stewards and coastal community members. Their shared mission: to monitor, restore and conserve the native sweetgrass populations along the Georgia coast through a project funded by UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

Sweetgrass, known scientifically as Muhlenbergia sericea, thrives in inhospitable environments left behind by flattened dunes. From North Carolina to Florida, sweetgrass habitats support communities — ecological and human alike. The plant plays a vital role in erosion control and moisture retention, creating an ideal habitat for other plants, insects and small mammals. For the Gullah Geechee people, sweetgrass basket-weaving represents not only a cultural heritage deeply rooted in their African ancestry but also a source of income.

However, the future of sweetgrass is threatened. Found on barrier islands just behind dune systems, these delicate ecosystems are shrinking due to coastal development, rising sea levels and erosion. King, who holds a joint appointment at UGA’s Odum School of Ecology and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, is leading the project. She explains that these threats, coupled with the encroachment of other plant species, make it difficult for sweetgrass to thrive.

“Sweetgrass is between a rock and a hard place, or, really, between shrubs and a wet place,” said King.

The UGA research team’s objectives are three-fold: mapping existing sweetgrass habitats on the coast, studying different management and restoration strategies at sites such as Jekyll and Little St. Simons islands, and collaborating with the Gullah Geechee community to create outreach materials focused on culturally significant plants in coastal Georgia.

“The more we learn about this ecologically and culturally important species, the better chance we have at improving preservation and restoration efforts,” said Mark Risse, Director of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “We are excited to support King’s efforts to further scientific understanding and enhance community engagement as a way to address economic and environmental issues.”
Some of the largest populations of sweetgrass on the Georgia coast exist on Little St. Simons Island. Managers there have experimented with prescribed burns and mowing to suppress the growth of other plants encroaching on the sweetgrass meadows. King and Meissner are studying the effectiveness of different management strategies and seeking ways to enhance them further. Their goal is to develop best practices for sweetgrass management that can be shared with other islands in Georgia and the Lowcountry region where sweetgrass grows.

Studying sweetgrass meadows comes with challenges. “There’s tremendous variability, even on this small island. There are so many moving pieces,” said Meissner. Factors such as soil moisture, nutrients, groundwater depth, and minor variations in elevation can impact the outcomes of various management techniques.

Their research is working to pinpoint these parameters. In addition to collecting scientific data, they are also documenting the historical management of sweetgrass on the island. “Changes take years or decades to unfold, so learning from people’s knowledge and past experiences is an invaluable source of information,” said King.

Farther south, Joseph Colbert, wildlife biologist at Jekyll Island Authority and one of the collaborators on the project, is focused on restoring sweetgrass habitat on Jekyll Island. Unlike Little St. Simons, Jekyll Island’s sweetgrass meadows are scarce.

“We can’t count on the sweetgrass plots we have left to remain or expand,” said Colbert.

With help from Georgia Audubon, another partner on the project, the team planted 30,000 sweetgrass plugs, transforming acres of unused grass lawn into a diverse native landscape dominated by sweetgrass. Once established, the revitalized habitat will stabilize soils, enhance the island’s resilience to flooding and storm surge, and provide food and shelter for various animals.
Looking ahead, Colbert envisions opening Jekyll’s restoration sites to the Gullah Geechee community, welcoming them to harvest sweetgrass for basket-weaving. In the meantime, the team will collect monitoring data to include in the Sweetgrass Restoration and Management Guide being developed as part of the project.

In addition to research and restoration efforts, preserving sweetgrass populations for future generations requires community engagement. Collaborators, Mya Timmons and Kay’La Brennon, members of the Harris Neck Gullah Geechee community, are working to create innovative outreach resources for the project. They have been interviewing people in their community to create a Culturally Important Plants Identification Guide, drawing on cultural historical knowledge.

“We’re helping preserve Gullah Geechee history that may have been lost otherwise,” said Brennon.

In addition to the plant guide, Timmons, a talented illustrator, is creating a coloring book that not only showcases the beauty of coastal plants but also includes educational information. The aim is to inspire younger generations to appreciate the cultural significance of these plants. “It’s a fun way to get younger generations interested and involved,” said Timmons.

The team is already spreading the word about the project at Gullah Geechee community events, including the grand opening of the Gullah Geechee Heritage Corridor office in Beaufort, S.C. They also have plans to bring students from the Carver Heights neighborhood in Savannah to Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge to learn about Gullah Geechee uses of plants growing there.

As the threats facing sweetgrass persist, the collaborative efforts led by UGA bring hope for the preservation of the plant, from its ecosystem-supporting roots to its basket-forming stems. Through research and community partnerships, King and her multidisciplinary team of researchers, conservationists, and local leaders strive to ensure that the legacy of sweetgrass endures, safeguarding both nature’s delicate balance and the traditions of the Gullah Geechee people.

Researchers Elizabeth King (left) and Sara Meissner (right) work in the field at a site on Little St. Simons Island.

With a pair of binoculars and data sheets in hand, Beth Webster heads out the back door of the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium to her first stop, a wooden nest box just outside the facility. She walks up to the box, gently knocking a few times so as not to alarm any birds, before opening the door to peer inside.

Four Eastern bluebird eggs, no bigger than peanut M&Ms, are nestled inside among twigs, grasses and pine needles. She records her observations on her data sheet before heading to the next box.

Webster is one of five aquarium volunteers participating in UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s bird nest box monitoring program on Skidaway Island. The program involves tracking the nesting and breeding behaviors of common birds, including Eastern bluebirds and Carolina chickadees.

Carolina chickadee

Between March and August, members of the group take turns checking the small circuit of boxes on the UGA Skidaway Marine Science Campus. They collect data on nesting activity, noting failed and successful nesting attempts, and submit their data to NestWatch, a nationwide nest-monitoring program designed to track status and trends in the reproductive biology of birds.

Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant educators have maintained a nest box trail on campus for more than a decade. Katie Higgins, marine educator and volunteer coordinator, decided to establish a more robust community science effort in 2019 with the goal of engaging aquarium volunteers in scientific research and increasing awareness of bird populations on the island.

“Community science is a really useful way to collect broader data on common birds,” said Higgins. “Scientists have access to this data so they can have basic information on developmental time periods and species prevalence. They can also look at long-term trends, like shifts in [population] range or when nesting is beginning in an area and when it’s ending.”

A volunteer opens one of the wooden nest boxes as part of the community science project.

Information gathered through community science can also inform conservation efforts and management decisions. The Eastern bluebird is a prime example of this. From 1920-1970, the number of bluebirds in the U.S. plummeted due to habitat destruction, pesticide use, an influx of domestic cats and competition with non-native birds for nesting space.

In response, community members formed the North American Bluebird Society and set up bluebird boxes, creating networks of trails and monitoring bluebird nesting success. Because of these efforts, Eastern bluebird populations have rebounded and even stabilized.

In 2021, Higgins received funding from the Georgia Ornithological Society to expand the nest box monitoring program and develop a new educational display at the UGA Aquarium focused on community science and bird conservation.

She recruited and trained more volunteers and increased the number of boxes on campus with support from Skidaway Audubon. During last year’s nesting season, six volunteers gave 38 hours of service to the effort. In total, the group documented 28 nesting attempts and 74 baby birds.

Katie Higgins (right) teaches students about the nest box monitoring program during Summer Marine Science Camp at the UGA Aquarium.

“It’s really a magical experience,” said Webster. “You’re in nature, you’re watching the cycle of life really unfold in front of your eyes. From the birds building a nest to the baby birds fledging, it’s a privilege to be able to peek into their world and see this cycle of life that happens so incredibly quickly.”

As part of the new educational display, aquarium visitors will be able to witness the nesting process in real time thanks to a live camera feed. The exhibit also provides information about birds that commonly nest in coastal Georgia and ways to support bird conservation efforts.

“I hope visitors take away that birds are fascinating and easy to observe,” said Higgins. “There are lots of local organizations that are working with bird species, and they can do something to enhance habitat or add to greater scientific knowledge.”

Writer: Emily Kenworthy, ekenworthy@uga.edu, 336-466-1520 
Contact: Katie Higgins, kt.higgins@uga.edu, 912-598-2364 

For years, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant has been helping coastal communities in low lying areas build resilience into planning efforts. Sitting adjacent to some of these communities are U.S. Department of Defense military installations that are just as vulnerable to coastal hazards.

In 2019, the Department of Defense identified climate challenges facing military installations across the country in its “Report on Effects of a Changing Climate to the Department of Defense.” Of the 79 installations included in the report, 53 were experiencing recurring flooding. Flooding and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, pose the greatest risk to installations in the Southeast coastal region.

To help protect coastal installations and surrounding communities, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant secured funding from the Department of Defense and the National Sea Grant College Program to hire Michelle Covi as the country’s first Coastal Resilience DOD Liaison in 2021.

Michelle Covi presents on coastal resilience work in military communities at the Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability meeting in Beaufort, NC. Photo Credit: Sarah Spiegler

Covi’s role involves assisting military communities in Georgia and across the Southeast in becoming more resilient to coastal hazards by improving collaboration and coordination between the DOD as well as with Sea Grant programs, resilience specialists, local governments and community leaders.

“Climate change, shoreline erosion, extreme weather, flooding—the DOD recognizes that these are significant threats to coastal installations, and flooding doesn’t stop at the fence line,” says Covi. She understands that military resilience projects, which often involve land acquisition and conservation to maintain a buffer between installations and surrounding communities, require a collaborative approach between local, state and federal entities.

For the last year, Covi has created a suite of reports and resources that highlight best practices for working with installations and provide examples of successful resilience projects in military communities. These resources are being used by Sea Grant programs, military installations, and coastal resilience specialists across the region to inform collaborative projects.

UGA is also having a national impact through Covi’s leadership. She is directly supporting Sea Grant colleagues and university partners with applying for DOD funding for climate resilience projects. Her efforts helped bring $6.48 million to Mississippi Alabama Sea Grant Consortium to fund the installation of a living shoreline at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. The project, funded by the National Coastal Resilience Fund, will reduce wave erosion, prevent marsh degradation and improve the base’s resilience to extreme weather events.

Her work on a national level is also enhancing local partnerships. In Georgia, Covi helped connect personnel at Fort Stewart with experts the UGA Institute of Government who are applying for federal grants to support studies looking at transportation infrastructure vulnerabilities, sustainable development, and other resilience issues impacting the installation and surrounding community.

Fort Stewart is the largest army installation east of the Mississippi, spanning six counties in Georgia’s coastal plain. The base can train up to 50,0000 soldiers annually and has an economic impact of $4.99 billion.

Traveling between Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, which are part of the same installation but geographically separated, requires the use of community roads that are at risk from flooding events caused by high tides, intense rain events and rising groundwater levels. These events impact those commuting to and from the base.

Military personnel at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point speak to attendees of the 2022 Southeast Regional Partnership for Planning and Sustainability meeting. Photo Credit: Sarah Spiegler

“We hope to identify natural infrastructure solutions that improve transportation issues, like introducing rain gardens to manage stormwater runoff or protecting and restoring marshes and wetlands that are threatened by development,” says Scott Pippin, a public service faculty member at the UGA Institute of Government who is managing the unit’s defense community program.

In addition to looking at flooding issues, the team hopes to support compatible land use studies that look at sustainable development around the installation to maintain the Fort’s buffer.

“The idea is to develop in the right place to protect the natural infrastructure, like forests and marshes that help clean the air, mitigate flooding and improve water quality,” says Pippin.

“Through the UGA Institute of Government’s on-the-ground planning and implementation efforts, paired with Covi’s unique role in coordinating regional efforts through the DOD Liaison Program, UGA is becoming a national leader enhancing military community resilience,” says Mark Risse, director of UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

“Sharing lessons learned with other Sea Grant programs, and experts in the region and around the country, UGA is helping create safer military communities that are less prone to disaster as well as a stronger military that is better prepared to respond when needed.”

For two decades, marine educator and boat captain Dodie Sanders cultivated connections between coastal communities and the natural world by creating science-based educational programming for K-12 students and adults. In November 2022, Sanders retired from her role at UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, leaving a lasting impact on thousands of students, educators, coastal residents and researchers.

Sanders began working at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant in 2002. Based at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island, she developed engaging curricula, programming and workshops offered year-round at the facility on topics like oyster restoration, marine debris monitoring and horseshoe crab ecology. She mentored and trained hundreds of marine education fellows and college interns, fostering their growth in environmental education and marine science.

Sanders speaks to a group during a trip to Wassaw National Wildlife Refuge.

Early on, her work brought prominence to UGA on a regional and national level. In 2003 she helped launch G.E.O.R.G.I.A. (Generating Enhanced Oyster Reefs in Georgia’s Inshore Areas), the first oyster shell recycling program in the state. The community-based program focuses on collecting and recycling oyster shell to create new oyster reefs and enhancing public awareness and stewardship of oyster habitat. Its success led to new projects tied to oyster restoration, including hands-on fishing programs for youth that made the important connection between the conservation, restoration and protection of oyster reef communities and coastal fisheries.

Sanders looks through a microscope alongside a student during a program at the UGA Aquarium.

Between 2007 and 2014, Sanders developed and hosted a series of workshops for hundreds of educators to support the growing need for teacher training opportunities. Educators traveled from as far as New Hampshire to participate in workshops on the Georgia coast that focused on horseshoe crab ecology and marine debris. The workshops were rooted in field-based explorations that used the environment as context for learning, and teachers were able to gain new skills, knowledge and techniques to take back to their classrooms.

“A day on the water with Dodie is good medicine,” said Anne Lindsay, associate director of education for Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. Lindsay shares a 20-year history with Sanders, working alongside her to provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities at the aquarium.

Sanders (left) and Lindsay (right) teach a Summer Marine Science Camp in the early 2000s.

“She has, quite simply, raised the bar on the quality and research content of our field and lab programming and outreach to classrooms and the community,” Lindsay said. “She’s been the link to current research being done along Georgia’s coast and speaks the language of science and education equally well.”

Sanders has been fundamental in bringing science-based information to coastal communities. Her passion for research helped build the connection between Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and researchers at UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. This partnership led to the development of public exhibits at the UGA Aquarium as well as programs and resources designed to make research findings understandable and accessible.

In 2018, Sanders teamed up with professor Jay Brandes at the Skidaway Institute to develop a microplastics monitoring community science program to engage the coastal community in studying the abundance and distribution of microplastics along the coast.

“Dodie was able to entice a series of volunteers to work for us to collect and measure microplastics in the area,” said Brandes. “She also gained funding for supplies, internship funding, and boat trips that greatly expanded our program.”

Between May 2018 and January 2020, volunteers collected 2,880 samples from various locations on the coast. Data they collected generated a map of microplastic abundances and types used by coastal zone managers and municipalities to identify hot spots of contamination for future planning and decision making.

Sanders captains the R/V Sea Dawg on a trawling trip on the Skidaway River.

“She made the drudgery of filtering the numerous samples we would get from all the water sampling sites of the microplastics project feel like fun,” said Roger Cayer, a volunteer who participated in the microplastics monitoring program as well as other community-science programs launched by Sanders over the years.

“Working with Dodie helped me realize how much I enjoy being a citizen scientist,” Cayer said.

Sanders incorporated findings from the project into lab and field activities for K-12 students visiting the aquarium and published an article about the program in the 2021 issue of Current: The Journal of Marine Education with the goal of inspiring scientists across the country to use it as a model for engaging communities in research.

“Involving volunteers provided direct experience with all of this, which made a strong impact on them, and all of their friends and families,” said Brandes.

A theme woven throughout the projects and programs Sanders launched over the years is the focus on action-based conservation, education and research efforts that bring diverse audiences together with a common cause and goal.

Sanders has inspired people of all ages to look at the natural world from a new perspective, fueling a passion within others to study, protect and explore it, including her colleagues at Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

“Her role with us as captain, educator and researcher lies at the heart of our work,” said Lindsay. “She has inspired thousands of people and mentored a lucky subset, including all of us.”

The education team in early 2000 poses on the bluff outside the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island (left). Current staff pose for a group photo with Sanders on her last day in November 2022 (right).

Artists from Savannah and Atlanta will explore Georgia’s coastal culture and natural resources through art as part of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant’s Artists, Writers and Scholars program, which launched in 2021.

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.

“The Artist, Writers and Scholars program is inspiring new collaborations between marine researchers and the art community, and it’s allowing our organization to educate and inform audiences about the coast in exciting and creative ways,” says Mark Risse, director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant.

This year’s projects will document coastal change through paintings, capture climate impacts at a microscopic level through layered imagery, and explore the use of ceramics in oyster restoration.

The 2022 grant recipients include:

J. Kip Bradley, who has 20 years of community-based arts experience working with Savannah’s underserved populations. For the past 10 years, Bradley has worked locally and internationally, organizing sketching and painting groups and teaching workshops that encourage people to explore a sense of presentness through painting and drawing. As part of his project, Bradley has selected six coastal locations that he will paint four times over the span of a year, capturing seasonal and artistic changes in the marsh. He will share the process of painting each site on his blog, documenting the history and ecology at each site as well as observations of the people utilizing these publicly accessible locations. The final writings and 24 paintings will be made into hand-bound artist books, and the final paintings will be shared at an exhibit at the Kalmanson Gallery at East Georgia State College in Swainsboro in September 2023.

Bradley paints a landscape en plein air on Skidaway Island.

“The [project] will support efforts to immerse myself knee-deep in a muddy adventure to further my awareness and effort to find unity in the patterns of nature and painting through repetitive investigation, in order to share a story of appreciation for life at the marshes edge,” Bradley said. 

Dana Montlack, who lives in Atlanta, has been interested in photography since the age of 15 when her grandfather taught her how to take and develop X-rays. Her work, which has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the globe, explores different topics through layered imagery of microorganisms, scientific data, charts or maps as a way of showcasing the natural world and the role humans play in it. She will work closely with Joel Kostka, professor and associate chair of research in the School of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech, who studies microbial processes in the salt marsh, to visually explore the impacts of a changing climate on the Georgia coast.

Photographic work by Dana Montlack featuring a heron among the landscape of Sapelo Island.

She will photograph specimens and data collected at his research sites on the coast, while also incorporating maps and historical elements in her image layering process. The resulting photographs will be showcased at an exhibition in the summer of 2023.

“What I find exciting about collaboration across disciplines is the opportunity to learn about another’s perspective. I believe there is power in bringing two or more motivated individuals together from various fields. I hope my work can build a bridge to understanding, and, therefore, a willingness to make changes necessary for our environment to thrive,” Montlack said.

Savannah-based Casey Schachner is an assistant professor of Art in 3D Foundations at the Betty Foy Sanders Department of Art at Georgia Southern University. She re-configures commodified objects of the tourism industry to create sculptures that exhibit the relationships that exist between materials and place. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, ranging from temporary site-specific installations to permanent public artworks. Schachner will be collaborating with students and faculty at Georgia Southern University to create art using the algal biomass that is produced from algal turf scrubbers. Algal turf scrubbers create algae mats that remove nutrients from the water and improve water quality. Schachner will use the algal biomass to create ceramic objects, including functional ware and sculptures as well as molds that will be used in oyster reef restoration. The pieces will be showcased in several artistic and educational venues to illustrate the value of Georgia’s coastal ecosystems and resources and engage the public on why these resources should be protected.

These bisque-fired test pieces using a clay/algae medium were made by Schachner’s student assistant, Nina Samuels.

“I believe it is critical as a visual artist exploring local environments to explore ways of visually communicating with the public about the places we inhabit. The ethical priorities of this project are to educate the public and provide them with tools to discuss, make plans, and take action for what the future holds in coastal communities,” Schachner said.