Category: Blog Post

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RELEASE: ORK offers Georgia Master Naturalist Program

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper July 15, 2025

07/15/25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER OFFERS GEORGIA MASTER NATURALIST PROGRAM
Courses are in partnership with Chatham County UGA Extension Office 

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) and the Chatham County UGA Extension Office (UGA Ext.) are partnering to offer a Georgia Master Naturalist program. The ten weekly classes will include engaging field trips and hands-on activities with topic experts, including Damon Mullis, ORK’s riverkeeper and executive director. Successful participation in the required 48 hours of coursework will earn participants an official certification from UGA. 

Planned locations include Oatland Island Wildlife Center, Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, Tybee Island Marine Science Center, George L. Smith State Park, Canoochee Sandhills WMA, SkIO UGA Marine Science Research Center, and more. Planned topics include dendrology, macroinvertebrates, medicinal herbs, aquaculture, and more. There will also be an optional session that will train participants to become certified Adopt-A-Stream volunteers. Field trips will generally take place at locations no more than about an hour away from the Savannah area. 

“This extended program will allow the participants to gain hands-on learning experiences in multiple ecosystems,” said Damon Mullis, executive director and riverkeeper. “I hope it will allow people to see just how interconnected everything is and why it’s so important we protect the systems that sustain healthy environments.”

Registration fee includes all entry costs to locations, all instruction, and a notebook for the program. The fee also includes one ticket to ORK’s annual oyster roast, which will also serve at the graduation celebration, with certificate, for all participants who successfully complete the course.

The program begins September 3, with the certificate ceremony taking place at ORK’s annual oyster roast on November 12. Group transportation may be available for certain outings. Classes will be held on Wednesdays, usually 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. The fee is $425 per person, or $395 for ORK members.

The minimum age is 14; the class is limited to 20 participants. Application and additional information is available at: https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/naturalist/

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 20 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

About Georgia Master Naturalist program: The Georgia Master Naturalist program is an adult environmental education course developed by the UGA Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources and UGA Cooperative Extension for people who wish to be more informed about habitats, natural resources and the natural environments of our state.

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PDF of press release

Blog Post, Press Releases

RELEASE: ORK Launches Book Club for Members

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper July 9, 2025

07/09/25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER LAUNCHES BOOK CLUB FOR MEMBERS
The group will meet virtually to discuss books about nature 

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) is launching a members-only book club, starting August 12. The group will meet virtually once a month to discuss books that focus on nature, water, the outdoors, and more. The titles alternate between fiction and nonfiction, and vary in tone and style. With guided questions and occasional special guests, participants will find new titles, consider themes, and be inspired by writing.

The titles through the end of 2025: 

August 12: The Source by Martin Doyle
September 9: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
October 14: Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
November 18: The River by Peter Heller
December 9: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The webpage also includes links to local independent bookstores and library catalogs, as well as reader’s guides. https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/book-club/

To participate in the reading club, please register for Hooked on Books. You will receive an email with a link to the virtual meeting each month. 

Not an ORK member? Join now for discounts, members-only events, and perks like this.

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 20 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

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PDF of press release

Blog Post, Press Releases , ,

RELEASE: ORK shares data collected during grant project

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper June 16, 2025

06/16/25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

OGEECHEE RIVERKEEPER SHARES DATA COLLECTED DURING GRANT PROJECT
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s supported the ongoing project with grant funding

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) has updated publicly published data collected throughout 2024, funded in part by a $5,000 grant from Bass Pro Shops. The grant from Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund supported the Lower and Coastal Ogeechee Watershed Monitoring Program, which ORK created to routinely and strategically monitor particularly vulnerable areas within the watershed and address the gap in water quality data. 

Throughout 2024, Onset HOBO data loggers measured water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, and specific conductance at 30-minute intervals. The data collected will help determine the long-term impact that growth and development have on the health of the Ogeechee River Basin and ensure that water quality parameters collected up and downstream of discharge sites are within permitted limits.

The data was collected downstream from the site of a major Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant slated to begin discharging into the Ogeechee River later in 2025. This data can be compared to data collected after the facility starts discharging  and will provide an invaluable baseline for assessing water quality in the river. 

Additionally, the bacterial data gathered over the past year has been instrumental in identifying and resolving issues with sewer and failing septic systems. The data allowed ORK and municipalities to trace leaks and failures so the issues could be repaired, resulting in cleaner water.

In the grant period, ORK collected approximately 450 bacterial samples of E. coli and enterococci. Additionally, the continuous monitoring probes collected 52,800 total continuous monitoring data points.

This project is ongoing, and the long-term data sets that ORK is developing will be used for years to come to monitor the changing environment and inform decision-makers about the impacts to clean water in the basin. 

All the data collected from this project is publicly available on ORK’s website from the following links. https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/data/ and  https://www.ogeecheeriverkeeper.org/vernon/

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 20 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

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Download PDF: 06.2025 – Press Release – Bass Pro Grant

Blog Post , , ,

Fauna: Centronyx henslowii

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper April 24, 2025

Centronyx henslowii
Henslow’s Sparrow

These adorable little birds can be hard to spot. Not only are the small in stature, they tend to stay hidden, down in grassy areas rather than fly to escape predators. You might not hear them either – they have the shortest call of any North American songbird. It is only two syllables and has been described by some as a “weak hiccup.”

Henslow’s sparrows are migratory, spending their winters in the southeastern United States, including the Ogeechee watershed. They enjoy the marshy lowlands with tall grass and pine flatwoods that dot the area. They feed on the insects-like grasshoppers and beetles-that frequent the same habitat as well as seeds.


Adults stand about 4-5 inches tall and weigh just about half and ounce. There are shades of tan with black stripes, but one way to distinguish them from their cousins is a distinctive olive green patch on their faces. They seem to be monogamous, returning to the same location with the same partner in consecutive years.

This spunky, tiny creature was described and named by J. J. Audubon after his friend John Stevens Henslow (Henslow himself was a teacher and close friend of Charles Darwin).

I obtained the bird represented in this plate opposite Cincinnati, in the State of Kentucky, in the year 1820, whilst in the company of Mr. ROBERT BEST, then Curator of the Western Museum. It was on the ground, amongst tall grass, and exhibited the usual habits of its tribe. … In naming it after the Rev. Professor HENSLOW of Cambridge, a gentleman so well known to the scientific world, my object has been to manifest my gratitude for the many kind attentions which he has shewn towards me. – Plate 70, J.J. Aububon

View: https://www.audubon.org/birds-of-america/henslows-bunting

Henslow’s sparrow faces significant habitat loss, but is not listed as a endangered species, despite it being submitted in 1984. Georgia DNR lists it as “SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need.” Both the midwest prairies that provide breeding grounds and the lowlands that form its winter home are disappearing rapidly. The bird has managed to adapt to some kinds of row crops, like hayfields, but other agricultural and lumbering practices can make things difficult for the bird to find a quiet place to nest and feed. Georgia DNR is also finding some success with managed mowing and prescribed burning practices.

Henslow’s Sparrow – Photo by Dan Vickers via GADNR
Blog Post, Press Releases , ,

RELEASE: GORA Request Reveals Hyundai Trucking Wastewater Offsite

by Ogeechee Riverkeeper March 6, 2025

03/06/25
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Meaghan Gerard
Communications and Administrative Director
meaghan@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org

GORA REQUEST REVEALS HYUNDAI TRUCKING WASTEWATER OFFSITE
Wastewater created by industrial processes failed to meet pretreatment standards

Ogeechee Riverkeeper (ORK) has been notified that wastewater created by the Hyundai Megasite’s industrial processes has been hauled away via tanker trucks since September 2024. Documents obtained through Georgia Open Records Act (GORA) requests reveal at least four months of trucking wastewater off-site.

The original plan – agreed to by the City of Savannah, Hyundai, JDA, and state and local regulators – was to send the industrial wastewater via miles of purpose-laid pipe to the City of Savannah’s wastewater treatment plant. This process quickly ceased when the wastewater did not meet the agreed-upon pretreatment standards needed for the City’s facilities to be able to effectively receive and safely treat it. The wastewater exceeded acceptable standards for pH, solids, and metals including copper and zinc. As a result, the City rejected further acceptance of the wastewater until it met standards. 

Additionally, Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) also became aware of a potential issue with Hyundai’s alternative approach. EPD sent a letter of concern, outlining potential issues with having this wastewater hauled away in tanker trucks, including the need for the wastewater to still meet the pretreatment standards at each individual public treatment facility within the State of Georgia. 

It is unclear where the trucks are taking the wastewater, what pretreatment standards those locations may require, and whether Hyundai can meet those standards or have received the necessary pretreatment permits. However, EPD did issue a Notice of Violation following its initial inquiries with Hyundai. 

Hyundai confirmed that its industrial wastewater was taken away by a number of third-party haulers. Hyundai has also since acknowledged that one hauler was taking the wastewater to a treatment plant that did not have the required permits for industrial wastewater. Hyundai said they ceased using that hauler when they learned of the issue.

Meanwhile, the City of Savannah and Hyundai corresponded on the problems and how to fix them. As of mid-February 2025, it is unclear if the City of Savannah’s pretreatment standards have been met by Hyundai or if the City has begun receiving the wastewater again.

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 20 counties in Georgia. More at ogeecheeriverkeeper.org.

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Download PDF of release

Download documents from GORA request (Batch 1)

Download additional documents from GORA request (Batch 2)