UGA, Spelman, Georgia Gwinnett to study watershed health for planned development
The Rowen Foundation will work with the Odum School of Ecology, Georgia Gwinnett College and Spelman College on a comprehensive research program focused on ecologically sustainable watershed development at the Rowen site, a 2,000-acre planned community in Gwinnett County. The study will examine how the development interacts with the area’s forest streams, wetlands and freshwater ecosystems over a two-and-a-half-year period. Odum School of Ecology professor Seth Wenger, who serves as the River Basin Center Director of Science, and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources professor Rhett Jackson will lead UGA’s efforts on the project.
RBC affiliate brings wastewater professionals together to talk septic
Krista Capps, Associate Director of the River Basin Center, recently brought together experts from across Northeast Georgia who work in different fields related to wastewater infrastructure to discuss current research, policy, and funding needs, future challenges, and potential solutions to emerging problems.
RBC evaluates North Georgia’s Holly Creek
For several years, the River Basin Center has monitored Holly Creek near Chatsworth, a tributary to the Conasauga River, to evaluate the progress of long-term rehabilitation and restoration projects.
Endangered minnow rallies conservationists in race to save the laurel dace
Last summer, a minnow called the laurel dace faced extinction when drought dried up the few streams where it lives in southeastern Tennessee. Conservation biologists rescued two populations to keep at the Tennessee Aquarium, and now two Odum School graduate students are working with other researchers and local residents to save the endangered fish.
Affiliates Rosemond, Pringle named SFS fellows
Amy Rosemond and Catherine Pringle were inducted into the Fellows of the Society for Freshwater Science at a recent meeting in Puerto Rico. Several members of the Pringle Lab also held a two-part panel discussion—“Hydrologic connectivity and watershed conservation: a session in honor of Dr. Cathy Pringle”— to highlight the knowledge amassed during 30 years of working with Pringle, who supervised 24 doctoral and 22 master’s students over her career.
Student researcher uses frog’s call to preserve rare amphibian
Valeria Aspinall was at the Tapir Valley Nature Preserve in northern Costa Rica the day an expert herpetologist declared that the tree frog living there is a distinct species, something that had not been recognized by science. Aspinall is now at the Odum School of Ecology working on a master’s degree with a Spencer Fellowship and conducting research that she hopes will protect the very rare, critically endangered frog, which has only been found in a 20-acre wetland within the larger nature reserve adjoining Tenorio Volcano National Park.
What’s in a name: Consumers prefer purified water to recycled or reused water (even though they’re the same thing)
Athens, Ga. – “Purified water,” “reused water,” “recycled water”—these terms mean exactly the same thing. Even though all three refer to water that’s been treated to the highest drinking water standards, research has shown that people much prefer the idea of consuming purified water to reused or recycled water. A recent study from a team of University of Georgia River Basin Center affiliates has for the first time put a dollar value on that preference.
Wetland protection primer supports local efforts
The Land Conservation Clinic and the River Basin Center have released the updated Local Wetlands Protection Primer, a guide to help protect wetlands that provide flood prevention, water quality improvements, protection from erosion, support for fisheries and biodiversity, and opportunities for recreation activities.
Finding where freshwater shrimp fit into the food web
As an undergrad at the University of Benin in Nigeria, Justin Jimawo studied tropical zooplankton, the tiny organisms that live near the surface of streams and ponds.
Water Resilience Shines at Biennial Georgia Water Resources Conference
ATHENS, GA – Interdisciplinary knowledge is a critical aspect of solving big environmental problems. That’s why, for the 2025 Georgia Water Resources Conference, we brought everyone together. We do mean everyone: ecologists, hydrologists, engineers, geoscientists, lawyers, anthropologists, consultants and certified fish enthusiasts.