The Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids, just outside of the convention center
This past week, Dr. Checo Colon-Gaud’s research lab and I were able to attend the Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (JASM) in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to share our research with the broader scientific community!
Scientific conferences are one of the best ways for scientists to connect with the larger research community to enhance and spread our research impact. JASM was certainly no exception, as it is the premier aquatic sciences conference in the world. In addition to seeing lots of fascinating talks in our field and great conversations with colleagues, I was able to share a poster presentation on the research efforts that we have been conducting on crayfish of the Ogeechee basin.
Brian presents his research poster on crayfishes of the Ogeechee basin.
Lots of people walked by my poster and talked with me about their experiences working with crayfish and coastal plains organisms, and I certainly think I learned immensely from conversations with other scientists I interacted with. Certainly the most common comment on my research was related to how little we know about crayfish of the coastal plains.
Moving forward from this amazing experience, I hope to utilize the knowledge I gained as well as the connections I forged to help me tackle my research in the best way possible. This is not only done by using the best methods or researching the most important topic, but also by collaborating with a diverse group of scientists and the broader public to have the most prominent impact.
The next big aquatic sciences meeting is in Australia next summer, so we’re already looking forward to expanding our connections on a global scale!
Do you often see or hear birds but don’t know how to identify them? Birding is a safe outdoor activity, and you can use our custom birding bingo to get started! And be sure to come see us at UGA Aquarium for the World Migratory Bird Day celebration.
More than just pretty animals, birds are an important part of the ecological system, including the Ogeechee River basin. Various species inhabit different layers of the food web — from birds that eat seeds and insects to the most expert hunting predators. They keep populations in check.
They also help spread seeds and pollen which is vital for plant growth. Maintaining a healthy environment for birds to thrive is crucial to the balance of ecosystems locally and globally.
Red-shouldered hawk. Photo by Chris S. Wood, Macauley Library
What is “birding”?
Birding is the act of birdwatching for recreational, research, or citizen science reporting purposes. Also known as ‘birdwatching,’ it’s the observation of birds in their natural habitats as a hobby or an amateur activity.
Wood Storks. Photo by Mary Ellen Urbanski. Harris Neck National Wildlife Refuge
I see birds all the time, but I don’t know what I’m looking at.
Learn what to look or listen for when birding starting with color, shape, flight pattern, body size, bill or beak shape, calls and more.
Consider purchasing a pair of binoculars (aka “bins”) and searching out local birding trails or sites. You might also join a local chapter of the Audubon Society, an organization dedicated to protecting birds and sharing resources for enthusiasts.
American Goldfinch. Photo by Adam Jackson, Macauley Library.
I want to share some of the amazing things I’ve seen. Is there a way to do that?
Engage in citizen science. Download the eBird app for free. It’s a digital way to keep track of the birds you see or hear while birding. This type of citizen science reporting — the collection of scientific data by amateur scientists — benefits the people participating as well as researchers.
Adult male Barn Owl. Photo by Shlomo Neuman, Audubon Photography Awards
ORK Birding Activity
Plan a birding trip in your backyard or neighborhood park, near a waterway or in a city greenspace.
Download eBird and record what you see/hear. If you aren’t sure how to ID a certain bird, you can search through the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website by characteristics.
Share your checklists with Ogeechee Riverkeeper through eBird by searching “Ogeechee Riverkeeper” or via ORK’s eBird profile.
Tag us on social media with your research adventures and use #ORKOutside.
This activity is compatible with Project Wild “Bird Song Survey” activity which is geared towards middle and high school students in science and environmental education. Birding in general can be a fun family/friends outing for all ages, abilities, and environments.
Activity is open to all ages and meets the needs or can be combined with other activities for the following Georgia Standards of Excellence in science, ecology, environmental science, and zoology.
S3L2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the effects of pollution (air, land, and water) and humans on the environment.
S4L1. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about the roles of organisms and the flow of energy within an ecosystem.
SEC3. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to construct explanations of community interactions.
SB6. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to assess the theory of evolution.
SEC5. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information on the impact of natural and anthropogenic activities on ecological systems.
What kinds of crayfish might you expect to find in the Ogeechee? With so much aquatic diversity in the basin, what you might see in the upper part of the basin can be completely different from what you might see near the coast. That’s because, even though the river is well connected from top to bottom, the habitats found in the upper part of the basin are completely different from the coastal habitats.
The headwaters of the Ogeechee form on the far extent of the Piedmont (the geographic region separating the coastal plain from the Appalachian mountains) making for clearer and swifter flowing water. But as the Ogeechee slowly snakes its way towards the coast, the water starts to move slower and slower, becoming much darker due to the leaching of tannins. Understandably, these stark differences result in differing crayfish fauna.
Procambarus pygmaeus
In the upper part of the basin, the Variable crayfish (Cambarus latimanus) and the Brushnose crayfish (Procambarus pubsecens) are two commonly found species that are strongly associated with this part of the basin, and are rarely if ever found downstream of Millen, Georgia. The Variable crayfish is one of only a couple of species within the genus Cambarus found within the Ogeechee basin, with the vast majority of other species belonging to the genus Procambarus. This is because, in general, Cambarus species are strongly associated with more rocky streams, like those found in the Piedmont. The Brushnose Crayfish is very similar to other Procambarus species found throughout the basin, with the namesake difference being dense hairs along the rostrum (nose area) of the crayfish.
Cambarus latimanus
Some species that can be found in both the upper and lower sections of the basin are the Ogeechee crayfish (Procambarus petersi), Blackwater crayfish (Procambarus litosternum) and Red Swamp crayfish (Procambarus troglodytes). The Ogeechee crayfish, though not common, can be found from the headwaters almost to Savannah. The Blackwater crayfish is incredibly common, and can be found in small streams all over. Chances are, if you’ve seen a small crayfish poking around in a stream in the basin, it was a Blackwater crayfish. The Red Swamp crayfish is one most people are familiar with – it is what people commonly catch for food, and they are easily distinguishable by their large, tubercle-covered red claws.
Procambarus troglodytes
Lastly, you might see as the Ogeechee is flowing into the ocean would be the Hummock crayfish (Procambarus lunzi), and the Christmas Tree crayfish (Procambarus pygmaeus). Both of these species are more associated with slower, stagnant water; but the Christmas Tree crayfish has one particularly interesting adaptation. The bright colors of the Christmas Tree crayfish are thought to be used as camouflage, as it is almost always found in dense mats of lush aquatic vegetation.
Hopefully this brief introduction to some of the crayfish found within our basin encourages you to get out and explore some of the novelties that make this basin a special place!
(All photos courtesy of Chris Lukhaup and Chris Skelton)
We are calling on YOU to celebrate Earth Day with us the entire month of April! Come up with creative, fun and effective ways to better your environment and celebrate the Earth.
Here are some of the ways we are celebrating Earth Day :
Friday, April 8, you can find ORK at the Russell Union on GS Statesboro Campus as a part of Southern Sustainability week
Saturday, April 16, ORK will be assisting with a private volunteer cleanup on the Vernon River with Asbury Memorial Church
Saturday, April 23, join our Earth Day community cleanup in the upper watershed
Saturday, April 30, you can find us at Fire Festival at the Mary Kahrs Warnell Forest Education Center in Guyton
Saturday, April 30, we’ll be on the Canoochee River during our first members-only event of the year, alongside guides from Ft. Stewart, we’ll explore the Canoochee from kayaks and canoes.
If you visit us at any of these events, or celebrate Earth Month in some other way, send your photos to info@ogeecheeriverkeeper.org or tag us on social media by April 30.
Why should we care about freshwater organisms? This is an incredibly common question directed towards freshwater ecologists like myself, and it’s completely valid. Why spend all the time and effort to study things that appear to have little to no impact on human welfare? While the ultimate answer to this question is nuanced, one of the most important reasons why we as scientists care about them is their use as bioindicators.
The concept of a bioindicator is fairly straightforward, generally referring to the use of a living thing (bio-) as an indicator for the health of the ecosystem it lives in. For example, let’s say that there’s a rare crayfish species that is known to only occur in pristine habitat with very clean water, and has no tolerance for pollution of any kind. Therefore, if that species is found, scientists can use it as evidence that the stream it was found in is very healthy. On the flip side, if the only species that are found in a specific stream are fairly common and can tolerate a large range of conditions, then these species might indicate that that stream has poor water quality.
Female Red Swamp Crayfish from 15 Mile Creek, with young on the abdomen. Image by Ray Chandler.
Beyond being good “tools” for humans to assess the health of our ecosystems, different freshwater organisms serve distinct purposes in the aquatic food web. This is especially true of crayfishes, which are commonly viewed as “keystone” species. A keystone species is one that performs such an important role in an ecosystem that without it, there would be a large-scale detrimental effect on the rest of the ecosystem.
The crayfish is a keystone species for a variety of reasons. Firstly, crayfish are omnivorous, eating all kinds of different things in stream ecosystems, from other smaller insects to plant matter. Secondly, crayfish are important food sources for larger predators, like sport fish and amphibians. This combination of eating and being eaten by so many different things make crayfish an integral part of aquatic food webs.
Thirdly, crayfish act as “ecosystem engineers” through the creation of burrows. Many of you may be familiar with crayfish burrows that you see on land (check out this article), but what many people don’t realize is that all crayfish burrow to some extent. In stream ecosystems, these underwater burrows act as key habitat for other freshwater organisms, and therefore harbor the diversity of life that is important for healthy streams.
A crayfish burrow found in the field in southern Georgia.
With spring already in full swing, I’m sure many of you will be seeing crayfish a lot more often, and I’m excited to write more about what you may see out in the watershed.
