RELEASE: Applications For $25,000 Fellowship At Ogeechee Riverkeeper Open

09/14/2022
Ogeechee Riverkeeper
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

APPLICATIONS FOR $25,000 FELLOWSHIP AT OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER OPEN
The annual fellowship provides research opportunities in the watershed

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) is accepting applications for the annual research fellowship through October 15, 2022. The fellowship, which runs through the 2023 calendar year, is designed to support research activities for graduate students conducting work in the Ogeechee River Basin as part of their degree program. The $25,000 fellowship will be awarded to a single student. 

“Research is important to our mission to protect the waterways in our basin,” said Damon Mullis, executive director and riverkeeper of ORK. “This fellowship will spur more interest in our basin and result in more academic research projects.”

In January 2022, ORK launched a new research fellowship to be filled each year. The 2022 fellowship focused on different native crayfish species, including Procambarus petersi, an endemic species commonly called the Ogeechee Crayfish. The fellowship is underwritten by investments secured from the 2011 fish kill settlement. 

Students can find guidelines and application details at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/fellowship.

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 21 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

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PRESS RELEASE: Ogeechee Riverkeeper Releases Comprehensive Tool Kit For Citizen Advocacy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

09/07/2022
Contact: Meaghan Walsh Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER RELEASES COMPREHENSIVE TOOL KIT FOR CITIZEN ADVOCACY
The kit includes contacts, ordinances, and other tips for protecting water quality
 
Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) launched a county-by-county campaign to update planning and zoning ordinances in 2020. While these efforts are ongoing, ORK is adding resources for citizens to organize and conduct advocacy on their own.

“With 5,500 square miles to cover, ORK relies on the assistance of residents across the watershed,” says Damon Mullis, executive director and riverkeeper. “Reporting pollution issues to attending local municipal meetings to sending photos from a day on the river – all of this helps us keep our waterways safe.”

This tool kit compiles county contacts and ordinances but it also provides lists and ideas for checking the compliance of the proposed project.

“ORK will continue to work with local governments and citizens to pass updated ordinances, but this will give citizens a blueprint for expressing their concerns today,” says Meaghan Walsh Gerard, communications and administrative director. “It’s key that residents know they do not have to simply accept destructive development practices.”

The tool kit is available for download at: https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/tool-kit-for-citizens/

The contacts and links will be updated on a regular basis, as needed.

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 22 counties in Georgia. 

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Monarchs and Milkweed

In this activity, you will try out your detective skills by being a Biology Detective! Document your process with notes and photos. 

Visit your local library and look up monarch butterflies and milkweed plants. Get familiar with what they both look like, as well as the different species of milkweed. Monarchs have just recently been listed as an Endangered Species. Read about the journey of a Monarch butterfly during its lifetime. Some great resources to start with can be found on Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG).

Next, look up native milkweed species for Georgia. Once you know which species you’re looking for, contact local nurseries or botanical gardens in your area to see if they sell those species of milkweed. If you need help with this step, refer to the MAG Field Guide.

Egg-laying Monarch butterflies are in their second laying period of the year (April-May & August-September) so if you can buy native milkweed, plant some around your yard. You can then continue your detective skills by watching their eating habits, egg-laying, and look for a chrysalis.

Photo by Steven Smith

Keep their chrysalis safe by checking on it and making sure nothing is damaging it but do not move it once it has formed! Continue to watch until it hatches. If there is no available milkweed at nurseries near you, check your local botanical garden during their next plant sale -or- order seeds online from reputable sources and plan ahead for next year.

Fun Fact: Did you know that a cocoon is specific to a moth, while a chrysalis is specific to a butterfly?! Pupa and chrysalis have the same meaning: the transformation stage between the larva and the adult. Pupa can refer to a moth or butterfly.


Activity is open to all ages and meets the needs or can be combined with other activities for the following Georgia Standards of Excellence: 4-6th Grade Science. Activity can be adapted for older ages and still meet certain standards.

  • S4L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
  • S5L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to group organisms using scientific classification procedures.
  • S5L3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to compare and contrast the parts of plant and animal cells.
  • S6E3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to recognize the significant role of water in Earth processes.
  • S6E4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how the sun, land, and water affect climate and weather.

Additional Resources: Sign up for the Monarchs Across Georgia (MAG) Newsletter here: https://www.eealliance.org/the-chrysalis.html#!form/Chrysalis

Erosion and Sedementation

The Copernicus Sentinel-2B satellite captured this true-color image on 5 February 2019, just three days after heavy rainfall in Rome and the surrounding area of Lazio, Italy. It shows sediment gushing into the Tyrrhenian Sea, part of the Mediterranean Sea. The downpour on 2 February led to flooded streets, the closing of the banks of the Tiber River and several roads. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2019), processed by ESA,CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

One of the aspects of the river health that ORK monitors is sedimentation. Everyday impacts of sedimentation include increased likelihood of flooding, loss of soil productivity, decreased recreational value, deterioration of water quality, impacts to wildlife and habitat, and increased maintenance costs.

Erosion is a natural process where the land surface is worn away by the action of water, wind, ice, and gravity. Humans, however, cause accelerated erosion through alteration of the land surface for activities such as agriculture and development.

ORK works to prevent unnatural sedimentation through education and encourages smart development practices like wide buffer corridors and preservation or restoration of vegetation and tree canopy.

via fmr.org

Erosion is also influenced by climate, topography, and vegetative cover which are heavily impacted by human activities. The process of eroded material being transported and deposited by water, wind, ice, and gravity is called sedimentation.

One simple way to decrease erosion and sedimentation is to plant a vegetative cover. Vegetation reduces erosion by absorbing the energy of rain drops, binding soil particles, slowing velocity of runoff, increasing the soil’s ability to absorb water, and removing subsurface water between rainfalls. Ground covers and cover crops are great plants for growing a quick vegetative cover that will reduce the amount of erosion.

Tree roots holding back soil that would otherwise wash into the waterways.

Trees and shrubs with large, deep roots and a spreading canopy provide excellent soil stabilization and erosion control, but can take a much longer time to grow and provide these benefits. Your local university extension is a great resource for which plants are best for your area and will provide you with your desired outcome.

By: Carly Nielsen, Upper Watershed Representative

Source: NPDES Training Institute Level 1B Advanced Fundamentals Seminar Training

Manual: GASWCC Certification Training for Persons Involved with Land Disturbing Activities

ORK received $10,000 Bass Pro Shops Grant

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
08/02/2022
Contact: Meaghan Walsh Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER RECEIVES $10,000 BASS PRO SHOPS GRANT
Funding will be dedicated to Protect the Vernon project

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund. The grant will fund ORK’s on-going Protect the Vernon project that has connected numerous community stakeholders with The ultimate goal to reduce pollution to the point that it will be delisted by the Georgia EPD as ‘impaired.’ 

So far, a total of 1293.18 lbs of trash has been collected from the creeks and canals leading to the Vernon. Styrofoam is the most common litter collected in litter booms, with an average of 292 pieces per clean up. There are a total of 61 unique bacterial sampling sites within the Vernon River watershed that ORK and Adopt-A-Stream volunteers are monitoring. Additionally, ORK has engaged 420 students at 2 different schools in 5th and 9-11th grades with onsite water quality education programming. The grant from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund will help ORK continue and expand these efforts.

“We’re pleased to partner with Bass Pro Shops on this project,” said Meaghan Walsh Gerard, communications and administrative director for ORK. “You can see the waterways we are restoring from the front doors of the store – it doesn’t get any more local. We know Bass Pro Shops is dedicated to conservation efforts and their customers are equally enthusiastic about protecting the environment we all enjoy.”

Details about the Protect the Vernon project can be found at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/vernon.

About Bass Pro Fund: Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charity. When customers round up loose change at the register, we’re uniting more than 200 million customers in supporting key conservation programs across North America.

About Ogeechee Riverkeeper: Ogeechee Riverkeeper 501(c)(3) works to protect, preserve, and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River basin, which includes all of the streams flowing out to Ossabaw Sound and St. Catherine’s Sound. The Canoochee River is about 108 miles long and the Ogeechee River itself is approximately 245 miles long. The Ogeechee River system drains more than 5,500 square miles across 22 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.