Research
Georgia Southern Biological Survey (GSBS)
Overview
The Georgia Southern Biological Survey (GSBS) began in 2015, via funding from the Georgia Southern University Center for Sustainability. The mission of the project is to document the richness and distribution of biodiversity on Georgia Southern’s campus. In so doing, the project will establish baseline levels of biodiversity that can be tracked over time. Thus far, faculty and students from Georgia Southern’s Department of Biology have documented 194 vertebrate species, spanning birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. See below for a complete list of documented species. Monitoring levels of biodiversity at Georgia Southern helps to ensure the sustainable management of our campus and plan future campus activities or development in ways that minimize impacts to biodiversity. We welcome and encourage additional student and citizen involvement as we continue to grow the project.
Photo credit: John David Curlis
How You Can Help
We are asking for interested members of the community to look for vertebrate animals on and around campus. Any observations may be reported to the Georgia Southern Biological Survey either online or through your mobile device. The GSBS is also available via the popular citizen science program iNaturalist. You can access our page and upload observations two ways:
- Online at the GSBS project page
- Through the iNaturalist mobile app on your smartphone (more instructions below)
Submitting observations to GSBS through the iNaturalist mobile app
Part 1: Joining the GSBS project
- Download the iNaturalist app and create an iNaturalist account on your mobile device
- Once logged in, go to the ‘More’ menu on the bottom right of your screen
- Select the ‘Projects’ menu
- Click the magnifying glass icon at the top right of your screen and search for “Georgia Southern Biological Survey”
- Once on the project page, select the “Join” button at the top of your screen underneath the project icon
Part 2: Submitting observations
- Select the “Observe” button in the bottom center of your screen (camera icon)
- Take a picture or audio recording of your find (or select an existing one from your phone)
- Fill in as much additional information as you can in the following screen
- After entering all the details that you can, click the ‘Projects’ menu at the bottom and make sure that the ‘Georgia Southern Biological Survey’ project is checked. This makes sure that your observation gets sent to us!
- Press ‘Share’, and feel good about contributing to important science!
For More Information
Please contact:
Mammals: Dr. Michelle Cawthorn, mcawthor@georgiasouthern.edu
Birds: Dr. Ray Chandler, chandler@georgiasouthern.edu
Amphibians and Reptiles: Dr. Lance McBrayer, lancemcbrayer@georgiasouthern.edu
Fish: Dr. Jamie Roberts, jhroberts@georgiasouthern.edu
Ogeechee River Project
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
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Jacque L. Kelly, Ph.D., University of Hawaii-Manoa, 2012 Assistant Professor; Geochemistry, Subsurface Hydrology, Remote Sensing |
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James S. Reichard, Ph.D., Purdue University, 1995 Interim Department Chair, Geology and Geography; Professor; Hydrogeology, Field Methods, Geochemistry |
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Wei Tu, Ph.D., Texas A&M, 2002 Associate Professor; Geographic Information Science, Spatial Statistics, Spatial Database Management |
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John T. Van Stan, Ph.D., University of Delaware, 2012 Assistant Professor; Ecohydrology, Forest Biogeochemistry, Instrumentation Development |
Biology Team
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Risa Cohen, Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles, 2003 Professor Dept. of Biology; Aquatic Ecology; Toxicology |
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Jose C. Colon-Gaud, Ph.D., Southern Illinois University, 2008 Associate Professor Dept. of Biology; Aquatic Ecology; Invertebrate Ecology |
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Johanne M. Lewis, Ph.D., Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2008 Assistant Professor Dept. of Biology; Physiology; Environmental Stressors |
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Vinoth Sittaramane, Ph.D., University of Missouri, Columbia, 2008 Assistant Professor Dept. of Biology; Developmental Biology; Environmental Stressors |
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Stephen P. Vives, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1988 Professor & Chair Dept. of Biology; Aquatic Ecology; Ichthyology |
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Damon Mullis, MS, Georgia Southern University 2014 Research Program Manager, Phinizy Center for Water Science |
Graduate Students
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Marina Osier, B.S. Forestry, Iowa State University, 2013 |
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Jason Duff, B.S. Environmental Science, University of Southern Maine, 2013 |
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Byron Collins, B.S. Biology, Middle Georgia State College, 2013 |
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Shauna Tietze, B.A. Biology, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 2013 |
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Thomas Kuhn, B.S. Biology, Kansas State University, 2012 |
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Allison Lutz, B.S. Biology, Juniata College, 2015 |
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Stefan Petersen, B.S. Biology, Buena Vista College, 2012 |
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Elizabeth Prier, B.A. Biology, Bethany College, 2009 |
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Elizabeth Craddock, B.S. Biology, Georgia Southwestern State University, 2014 |
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Julien Buchbinder, B.S. Biology, Computer Science, University of Maryland, 2014 |
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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
Publications (or scholarly activity)
Outreach Activities (workshops, training, educational programs)
Partnerships
Final report
Last updated: 2/23/2024
