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This nation-wide project is sponsored in Georgia by the National Science Center Fort Discovery collaborating with the Georgia Educational Technology Training Centers. The project is directed by the ETTC at the National Science Center. 

 
   
JASON Expedition: Disappearing Wetlands

Georgia Connections

General Georgia Wetland Information

Georgia's Changing Wetlands

  • RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
    • What is a river system?
    • How did the river systems in Georgia create Georgia's coastal wetlands?
    • How do rivers interact with Earth's systems?

  • The Georgia Rivers LMER (GARLMER) is one of four projects funded by the National Science Foundation to examine the interactions between coastal wetlands and rivers and their adjacent oceanic ecosystems.

    The GARLMER project focuses on the transport and transformation of organic and inorganic materials carried from the land into the sea by the five major Georgia coastal rivers confined within a 120 mile segment of the coast. This system offers a unique opportunity for the comparative ecological study of the impact of the land (via the rivers) on the nearshore ocean and of the ocean, through tidal flooding, on the riparian and coastal wetlands. The research is a joint effort of scientists from the University of Georgia Department of Marine Sciences, the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, the University of Georgia Marine Institute on Sapelo Island, and the University of Georgia Institute of Ecology.

  • Georgia River Network  Mission Statement & Goals
     Georgia River Network is the only statewide nonprofit environmental organization solely dedicated to the conservation of Georgia’s waters. We help people organize to protect and restore rivers and watersheds by building local watershed group capacity and providing statewide policy analysis.
  • What is Rivers Alive?
    Rivers Alive is Georgia's annual volunteer waterway cleanup event that targets all waterways in the State including streams, rivers, lakes, beaches, and wetlands. The mission of Rivers Alive is to create awareness of and involvement in the preservation of Georgia's water resources.  Rivers Alive is held annually each October and is sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Program and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs' Keep Georgia Beautiful Program, in cooperation with Help the Hooch.
  • RiverKeeper  Riverkeeper Mission: Our mission is to advocate and secure the protection and stewardship of the Chattahoochee River, its tributaries and watershed, in order to restore and conserve their ecological health for the people and fish and wildlife that depend on the river system.
  • The Savannah Riverkeeper (SRK) is an advocacy group dedicated to preserving, protecting and restoring the Savannah River.
  • The Altamaha RIVERKEEPER is working to restore and protect the habitat, water quality and flow of the mighty Altamaha - from its headwaters in the Oconee, the Ocmulgee, and the Ohoopee to its terminus at the Atlantic Coast.
    Additional Information about the  Altamaha River

  • The Coastal Georgia Adopt-A-Wetland Program encourages individuals,
    schools, and communities to adopt a salt marsh, tidal creek, beach, or swamp.
    Groups are asked to monitor the health of their wetland, perform litter pickups
    and conduct a public outreach event to inform the public about issues that affect
    their local wetlands.

    To obtain a copy of the Coastal Georgia Adopt-A-Wetland Manual,
    contact Mary Sweeney-Reeves msweeney@uga.edu at the UGA
    Marine Extension Service (912) 598-2388.

  • Waters To The Sea   This interactive multimedia educational tool for grades 4-8 provides an in depth multidisciplinary learning experience focusing on the
    environmental history of Georgia's greatest waterway, the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola rivers. A companion Study and Activity Guide (available for
    download from this site) provides classroom activities and connections to
     science and social studies standards.
  • Georgia's Disappearing Mountain Bogs  Only found in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Mountain Bog is a type of wetland that usually
    lacks tree cover. Without trees, rainwater accumulates and creates a soil that is saturated with water throughout the year.
  • Coosa River - The Coosa River Basin Initiative's
    goal is to provide a cleaner, healthier river basin by promoting responsible
    stewardship of our watershed.
  • Sherpa guide of the Flint River

Georgia's Wetland Ecosystems

  • RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
    • What kinds of wetland ecosystems can be found
      in Georgia?
    • What kinds of plants and animals do Georgia's wetlands support?
    • How do plants and animals depend on one another and their environment?
    • How are changes to Georgia's wetlands impacting the plant and animal communities that live there?

  • Wetlands Facts from The Georgia Conservancy

    • Georgia has more than 7.7 million wetlands acres,
       a close second in the Southeast to Florida's 11 million acres.

    • One in 10 wetlands acres in the lower 48 states is in Georgia.
    • Some estimates indicate Georgia has lost almost
      one-quarter of the wetlands that existed during colonial
      times. The most recent satellite analysis (through 1990) suggested
      Georgia loses 8,000 acres of wetlands every year. Given increased development during the 1990s, this estimate may be low.
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
    Endangered Species in Georgia:

    Georgia Birds
    Georgia Fish
    Reptiles & Amphibians
    Invertebrates
    Georgia Mammals
    Georgia Plants
    Species By County

 

Managing Georgia's Wetlands