Author: Ogeechee Riverkeeper

As a child, Michelle Lowery thought she would be a doctor when she grew up. And in a way, she is–she cares for the health of waterways. As the environmental scientist for Ogeechee Riverkeeper, she goes into the field to take samples and bring them back to the lab for testing. She also checks on continuous sampling probes to make sure everything is working properly. 

She runs tests on the samples and then she logs it. “At least 70% of my job is data management, data analysis, and the use of geographic information systems,” Lowery says. “As an environmental scientist, I require a great deal of computer science skills because much of my job involves remote monitoring and research.”

From there, the data is interpreted by the whole team at ORK, and passed along to agencies or municipalities, if needed. Lowery notes the step of sharing data is “crucial to understanding the balance in managing, allocating, and implementing plans for river and wetland resources, as well as conservation and restoration efforts.”

Lowery feels at home in the outdoors. Her vacations are often nature-based, and include hiking, whitewater rafting, kayaking, ziplining, waterfall repelling, parasailing, snorkeling, fishing, and more. She finds it awe-inspiring, whether she is deep in a rainforest in Mexico or atop the rim of the Grand Canyon. “The sheer expansive beauty of such a vast labyrinth of rock formations really humbles you,” she recalls.

Her affinity for natural sciences and being outdoors led her to leading field research in Mexico. She managed one of three camps that were surveying bats, birds, herpetofauna, habitat, mammals, and butterflies in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Campeche. Researchers came from all over the world to study the species found there. “My favorite part of the whole experience was off-trail trekking through the jungle, tracking the habits of a spider monkey population from the moment they woke up until we lost them.  I did that quite a few times,” she recalls. She also discovered she loved habitat surveying, which led to her wetland delineation certification.

Bringing her expertise to an environmental advocacy organization in particular has been eye-opening. She notes there isn’t always a law or rule that can address something happening with our water. “I was surprised by the amount of environmental and social justice carried out by communities and individuals to maintain and preserve their right to clean water,” Lowery says. “Through this experience, I have learned how much there is a need for such community devotion.”