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Ogeechee River Project

Overview
People
Data
Activities
Final report
Gallery

Overview

Project Title:
Assessment of Hydrological, Biological and Environmental Components of the Lower Ogeechee River Ecosystem

Overview:

The Ogeechee River Project is geared towards investigating ecological processes in this important watershed. The work of our research is meant to provide more than short-term monitoring of biogeochemical components in this river basin, but also to ensure a long-term holistic approach for research conducted on the Ogeechee River. The Ogeechee River Project consists of two research themes carried out by two distinct teams of researchers at Georgia Southern University and partner entities. One group from the Department of Geology & Geography at Georgia Southern is focused on atmospheric and terrestrial processes in the watershed while the other, from the Department of Biology at Georgia Southern in conjunction with the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy (SNSA) is focused on the in-stream processes and biological communities of the Ogeechee River.

This Supplemental Environmental Project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action taken by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division for violations for the Georgia Water Quality Control Act.

People

Faculty

Geology and Geography Team

	Jacque L. Kelly, Ph.D., University of Hawaii-Manoa, 2012 Assistant Professor; Geochemistry, Subsurface Hydrology, Remote Sensing
	James S. Reichard, Ph.D., Purdue University, 1995 Interim Department Chair, Geology and Geography; Professor; Hydrogeology, Field Methods, Geochemistry
	Wei Tu, Ph.D., Texas A&M, 2002 Associate Professor; Geographic Information Science, Spatial Statistics, Spatial Database Management
	John T. Van Stan, Ph.D., University of Delaware, 2012 Assistant Professor; Ecohydrology, Forest Biogeochemistry, Instrumentation Development

Biology Team

	Risa Cohen, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2003 Professor Dept. of Biology; Aquatic Ecology; Toxicology
	Jose C. Colon-Gaud, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University, 2008 Associate Professor Dept. of Biology; Aquatic Ecology; Invertebrate Ecology
	Johanne M. Lewis, Ph.D., Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2008 Assistant Professor Dept. of Biology; Physiology; Environmental Stressors
	Vinoth Sittaramane, Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia, 2008 Assistant Professor Dept. of Biology; Developmental Biology; Environmental Stressors
	Stephen P. Vives, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1988 Professor & Chair Dept. of Biology; Aquatic Ecology; Ichthyology
	Damon Mullis, MS, Georgia Southern University 2014 Research Program Manager, Phinizy Center for Water Science

Graduate Students

	Marina Osier, B.S. Forestry, Iowa State University, 2013
	Jason Duff, B.S. Environmental Science, University of Southern Maine, 2013
	Byron Collins, B.S. Biology, Middle Georgia State College, 2013
	Shauna Tietze, B.A. Biology, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2013
	Thomas Kuhn, B.S. Biology, Kansas State University, 2012
	Allison Lutz, B.S. Biology, Juniata College, 2015
	Stefan Petersen, B.S. Biology, Buena Vista College, 2012
	Elizabeth Prier, B.A. Biology, Bethany College, 2009
	Elizabeth Craddock, B.S. Biology, Georgia Southwestern State University, 2014
	Julien Buchbinder, B.S. Biology, Computer Science, University of Maryland, 2014
	Anna Wagner, B.S. Biology, University of North Georgia, 2016

Data

Water Quality Data (real-time data)

Georgia Department of Natural Resources Environmental Protection Division

Phinizy Center for Water Sciences

Meteorological/Climatological Data

ArcGIS – Ogeechee River Project

Taxa List:

Activities

Presentations

2015 Georgia Water Resources Conference in Athens, GA – Special Session on the Ogeechee River Basin (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Preliminary assessment of organic material flux in the Ogeechee River system: a Lagrangian perspective. Oscar Flite, Shawn Rosenquist, Matt Erickson, Chalisa Nestell, Kelsey Laymon, Nate Hobbs, Damon Mullis, Jason Moak

Summary and comparison of continuous sonde data from the Ogeechee and Savannah River Basins. Oscar Flite, Shawn Rosenquist, Matt Erickson, Chalisa Nestell, Kelsey Laymon, Nate Hobbs, Damon Mullis, Jason Moak

A Comparison of Macroinvertebrate Communities within Two Southeastern Rivers. Damon Mullis, Oscar Flite, Nate Hobbs, Jason Moak, Chalisa Nestell, Kelsey Laymon

Benthic macroinvertebrates colonizing leaf packs in the Ogeechee River near Rocky Ford: Contrasting assemblages between drought vs. wet years. Checo Colon-Gaud, V. Byron Collins, Tori Goehrig, and Kody Franks

Post fish-kill monitoring on the Ogeechee River. Thomas C. Kuhn and Stephen P. Vives

Evaluation of Ogeechee River water using Zebrafish as a Biomonitoring tool. Vinoth Sittaramane, Elizabeth Prier and Lan Nguyen

Effect of Tetrakis (hydromethyl) phosphonium chloride (THPC) on Zebrafish (Danio rerio). Lan Nguyen, Elizabeth Prier and Vinoth Sittaramane

Preliminary results of continuous water quality monitoring in the Ogeechee River*. Jason Moak, Nate Hobbs, Chalisa Fabillar, Matt Erickson, Damon Mullis, and Oscar Flite

Leaf Decomposition along a longitudinal gradient of the lower Ogeechee River*. Tyler Reeves and Checo Colon-Gaud

2015 Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science in Milwaukee, WI (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Macroinvertebrate community assemblages and leaf decomposition in three river basins of the Southeastern Coastal Plain. V. Byron Collins and Checo Colon-Gaud

2016 Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology in Portland, OR (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Effects of rapid pH and salinity change on the physiology of a local estuarine fish species, Fundulus heteroclitus. Shauna Tietze and Johanne M. Lewis

2016 Meeting of the Southeastern Estuarine Research Society in Bluffton, SC (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Antibiotic and nutrient mixtures influence phytoplankton subsidies to coastal systems. Jason Duff and Risa Cohen

2016 Meeting of the Association of Southeastern Biologists in Concord, NC (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Combined effects of a flame retardant and ammonium on plankton community structure in blackwater pond mesocosms. Marina Osier and Risa Cohen

2016 Georgia – Alabama Chapter Meeting of the AFS in Columbus, GA (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Fish community and health assessment in a blackwater system in Southeast Georgia. Thomas Kuhn and Stephen P. Vives

A Comparison of Benthic Macroinvertebrates Colonizing leaf, Wood, and Artificial Substrates in Two Southeastern Coastal Plain Rivers. Damon Mullis, Kelsey Laymon, Skyler Lamberth, and Checo Colon-Gaud

Consumer community structure along a ~200-km stretch of the Ogeechee River. Allison Lutz, Thomas Kuhn, Checo Colon-Gaud, James H. Roberts, and Stephen P. Vives

2016 Annual Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science in Sacramento, CA (Select this heading to view abstracts)

Leaf decay rates and litter dwelling invertebrates in Georgia Coastal Plain river. Byron Collins and Checo Colon-Gaud

Macroinvertebrate community structure along a ~200 km stretch of the Ogeechee River. Allison Lutz and Checo Colon-Gaud

2016 Meeting of the Society of Integrated and Comparative Biology in Portland, OR

Effects of rapid pH and salinity change on the physiology of a local estuarine fish species, Fundulus heteroclitus. Tietze, S.M. and J. M. Lewis

2016 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Orlando, FL

Accumulation of silver nanoparticles in aquatic food webs following pulsed vs. repeated exposure in artificial streams. Petersen, S. and R. A. Cohen

2017 Meeting of the Georgia Chapter of the AFS in Statesboro, GA

Spatial and Seasonal Variation of Macroinvertebrate Biotic Indices of the Lower Ogeechee River Basin. Buchbinder, J.M., A.K. Lutz, V.B. Collins, J.C. Colon-Gaud, and S.P. Vives

Comparisons of leaf-litter processing and macroinvertebrate assemblages in three Coastal Plain rivers of Southeast Georgia. Collins, V.B., and J.C. Colon-Gaud

Diet of the Snail bullhead (Ameiurus brunneus) in the Lower Ogeechee River. Lutz, A.K., J.C. Colon-Gaud, and S.P. Vives

2017 Meeting of the Society for Freshwater Science in Raleigh, NC

Seasonal differences in community composition of Ogeechee River macroinvertebrates in response to temporal and environmental factors. Buchbinder, J.M., A.K. Lutz, V.B. Collins, C. Colon-Gaud, and S.P. Vives

Comparing leaf breakdown and macroinvertebrate assemblages among three coastal plain rivers. Collins, V.B., and J.C. Colon-Gaud

Connecting the Dots: A Basic Food Web of the Lower Ogeechee River Basin. Lutz, A.K. and C. Colon-Gaud

2017 Southeastern Estuarine Research Society and Benthic Ecology Meeting in Myrtle Beach, SC

Antibiotic and nutrient mixtures influence phytoplankton subsidies to coastal systems. Duff, J. A. and R. A. Cohen

2017 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry in Minneapolis, MN

Effects of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) on the predator-prey interaction between zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Daphnia magna. Wagner, A.C., Sittaramane, V. and R.A. Cohen

Publications (or scholarly activity)

Outreach Activities (workshops, training, educational programs)

Partnerships

Final report

SEP Final Report

Gallery

	Fish Monitoring Crew getting ready for quarterly sampling at Morgans’ Bridge
	Benthic Macroinvertebrates Crew collects samples new Rocky Ford Landing
	ORP graduate students get ready to paddle from Scarboro Landing to Rocky Ford with the Ogeechee Riverkeeper
	Fish Crew finds 23-lb grass carp during quarterly monitoring
	Habitat and water quality monitoring during quarterly sampling
	Outreach Activity during Ogeechee Riverkeeper Paddle Trip (photo courtesy of Jesse Demonbreun-Chapman; Ogeechee RiverKeeper)

Last updated: 4/3/2019