SkIO in the News

Articles mentioning Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and/or Priest Landing
listed in chronological order.

February 28, 2008
The Post and Courier, www.charleston.net
Author: Jenny Peterson

Ever wonder what an ocean fish's life is like without the threat of being caught by fishermen or of having its habitat destroyed by humans? Curious as to whether fish respond to natural changes in the environment such as water temperature or salinity?

Marine biologist Mike Arendt and other biologists from the S.C. Department of Natural Resources wondered, and they created a one-of-a-kind method to answer the questions by monitoring and recording fish behavior in as natural a setting as possible. The organization worked with the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Georgia on this project.

"In a perfect world, we could all go back in time and see how fish respond to changes in their habitat," Arendt said to nearly 30 people Feb. 20 at the DNR building on Fort Johnson Road. "We try to find small, isolated areas where (environmental) destructions are minimal and try to study those areas."

He spoke about the artificial reef as part of the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Coastal Explorations Series.

For the past eight years, biologists have monitored fish population and behavior off the Georgia coast using six underwater remote cameras attached to an artificial reef.

The cameras record 10 seconds of every hour, capturing the behaviors of a number of different types of fish, including blue runners, cod, triggerfish, grouper, barracudas and even sand sharks. The cameras can record only during the daylight hours in intervals from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The camera video clips are transmitted by wave radio to the shore, and biologists study them and record data based on the types of fish seen during particular times of the day and the year and water temperatures.

There were 14 species of fish that were especially affected by overfishing, Arendt noted, and he is interested in studying the populations and behaviors of those fish.

To create the artificial reef, biologists dropped concrete pyramids on the sea floor so different types of growth could colonize on the structures, attracting fish.

Artificial reefs provide a habitat for fish to feed and reproduce, and the reefs can offer excellent recreational fishing and scuba-diving opportunities.

But not this artificial reef. Arendt was deliberate about not disclosing the location so fishermen couldn't find it, saying that it needs to remain as natural and untouched as possible. "We want to keep it a secret."

Over the years, and after reviewing 23,000 video files, data was recorded to make some generalizations about the fish population.

There were some gaps in the research when there were technical difficulties with the cameras. Yet there was enough data to make conclusions about when the fish were more likely to reproduce or feed at the small, undisturbed artificial reef.

The gray triggerfish, for example, have been observed feeding on bottom dwellers such as crabs and shrimp. Arendt's results showed that the triggerfish were seen more frequently from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., when the light intensity was the greatest.

"They are visible feeders; it makes sense," Arendt said.

He used video data to show these results, with hundreds of fish swimming caught on tape in black-and-white.

Another example are black sea bass, which are known to enjoy cooler water temperatures.

"The black sea bass formation was in the winter," Arendt said.

Eleven of the 14 species studied showed significant associations to water temperature. The fishes' response to water salinity was harder to make generalizations about.

"Salinity doesn't follow predictability," Arendt said, although he added, "Salinity goes down; barracudas go up."

The peaks of the different fish populations changed year to year.

Arendt said that might have to do with more predatory fish discovering the reef, or possibly the rise and fall of the tides, which can change by 6 feet at the test site.

Most of the species studied were present at lower tides.

Fishermen can apply Arendt's data to their businesses by learning which time of day, temperature and tide level are the most ideal for catching a particular type of fish.

"It's something every angler and fisherman is screaming about," Arendt said. "It's our greatest challenge."

Arendt said another reason for using the underwater camera method is to see if it actually works. "It's a very promising technique."

The DNR biologists are sharing their information with wildlife and fishery organizations.

Arendt and the DNR are asking for more funding to continue the program and possibly expand it to more sites. "There is a lot more to be built on the heels of this," he said. "This method is very unique. We need to expand this approach to more locations."

For more information, visit fishwatch.dnr.sc.gov or e-mail Arendt at arendtm @ dnr.sc.gov.

[Editor's note: The URL that DNR notes above is a link to a webpage hosted by Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. You may visit SkIO's fishwatch webpage directly at: www.skio.usg.edu/research/sabsoon/fishwatch]

February 27, 2008
Connect Savannah, News & Opinion, Environment
Author: Jim Morekis

Treasure Island
Groundbreaking real-time, long-distance internet monitoring program set for Ossabaw

About ten miles south of Savannah lies the living laboratory of Ossabaw Island. Administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the Ossabaw Island Foundation, it is protected from development and now serves as an educational and research platform. The newest wrinkle to Ossabaw's outreach is made possible by a $200,000 grant from Georgia Power and the Georgia Research Alliance. With that money, the Foundation and our own Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will build a network of sensors so that educators and scientists can monitor changes in Ossabaw's environment without having to get in a boat.

"Ossabaw Island is a heritage preserve, which means it has limited access," explains Herb Windom, professor emeritus at the Skidaway Institute and one of the organizers of the plan. "One of the things the state wanted to do, and get the Ossabaw Island Foundation involved in, is to make it available--within the framework of a heritage trust--to the citizens of Georgia for education and research. to make that experience more meaningful, we started talking about virtual access."

According to Paul Pressly, director of the Ossabaw Island Foundation's education programs, the goal of the project is two-fold.

"We want the information coming from the sensors, video cameras and other monitors to go into every classroom in the State of Georgia," he says. "Secondly, we want researchers to be able to place sensors that serve their research purposes on the island, whether monitoring water quality, tarpon activity in the creeks or other forms of animal life."

The Ossabaw monitoring program will likely be the first one like it in the country.

"Most of the observing systems that are out there are local," says Windom. "But nowhere have I seen one for a barrier island. It's a whole different concept, using terrestrial and aquatic systems side by side."

"We said, look, it's practical with technology right now to put sensors and cameras out there so that people can see what's going on there environmentally from their desk," Windom recalls.

So why do you need real-time access? Windom recounts a telling episode which explains the reason:

"We had a well out on the beach, and it was in between two palm trees. We lost it when the sand covered it, so we decided to come back a couple of weeks later with some shovels and dig it out," he remembers.

"We did, but one of the palm tress was gone so we couldn't find the well. We came back a couple of weeks after that and both palm trees were gone," Windom says.

"It's very dynamic. We know what's going on, but we don't see what's happening in between. When there's a hurricane or a big stormfront you're not going to have people out there seeing what's going on," he says.

"Some of the most interesting things in nature happen during unique circumstances. One big storm changes more of the coastline than all weather events throughout the rest of the year."

Windom says with real-time video and sensors, "There's real science to be gained from that , to understand barrier islands and how man influences what's going on there."

The idea is to have a website for the public with visuals and brief data, with a second, more comprehensive online component -- perhaps available on a subscription basis -- for researchers and scientists.

"With Armstrong Atlantic State University, we'll be working on products for education, working through a website," Windom says. "Teaches and students can come in and say, "How does groundwater relate to rainfall?" And it will start showing these relationships and plotting things together, and showing things in a way that starts linking cause and effect."

With a $1.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, AASU professor Ashraf Saad has developed OssaBest, a three-year project to better prepare local students and teachers entering information technology careers.

The next step comes in April, when workers begin the step-by-step process of expanding the island's wireless connectivity from the north side on down, an effort made possible by funding from Georgia Power.

Already in place are monitoring wells on the island to monitor ground water, made possible by the The Alliance for Coastal Technology (ACT), a consortium of research laboratories, including Skidaway Institute. Last year, also with funding from Georgia Power, a weather station was set up, which can be monitored at www.georgiaweather.net.

After wireless connectivity has been established, three water quality sensors will be established. Additional sensors will be deployed in wells to monitor groundwater levels, temperature and salinity. Video cameras will follow, on the beach and other locations on the island.

"When the National Science Foundation, Georgia Power, and the Georgia Research Alliance made grants this fall to create an observatory on Ossabaw Island, we knew we had crossed a magical threshold," says Pressly. "We now have the resources to put together a path-breaking program for research and education that respects the island's undisturbed nature."

Georgia's barrier islands are perhaps the state's greatest -- and least known -- natural treasures.

"One of the very important things barrier islands provide is support for a very large sports fishery," Herb Windom explains.

Additionally, barrier islands provide protection from hurricanes. "It would take an awfully large hurricane to sustain a storm surge like we saw with Katrina, because it gets dampened coming across these barrier islands and saltmarshes," says Windom.

"We have to feed our spirit, and part of feeding our spirit is an environment that functions and is natural. There are habitats that are unique on barrier islands that need to be maintained undisturbed," says Windom.

"Go down to Florida and up to South Carolina and see what development really is."

Imagine having potentially harmful bacteria from fecal matter in the river your kids swim in and you fish from. That's exactly what is happening in the Vernon River.

The river is in Chatham County in the town of Vernonburg which is just south of Savannah. NEWS 3's Tristan Tully spoke with one researcher from the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography who has been working to help fix the waste worries.

The Vernon River has been a scenic retreat for wildlife and boat owners alike. However, those who enjoy the riverfront as their backyard getaway are warned to not eat fish from or swim in the Vernonburg waterway.

Dr. Marc Frischer with the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography has been working to figure out where the contamination is coming from, "The big problem in the Vernon River and in the Vernon River basin is contamination from coliform bacteria which impairs its designated use for recreation and fishing." The coliform bacteria comes from fecal mater in the river. Dr. Frischer says they have an idea of where the waste is coming from, "At this point we think that about half of the bacteria are coming from failing septic systems and the other half from animals. We are pretty certain that it's not coming from sewage."

Aside from the disgusting thought of swimming in waste, there are dangerous side effects, "The risks are greater than one in one hundred thousand people getting sick from exposure and that 's a risk that's too great for us, for our society to handle."

So to reduce the risks and track the source of the matter, the folks at Skidaway are working on new technology to track the septic systems that might be failing and contributing to the problem, "If that technology works, we'll develop plans and protocol for routinely using that to test the over, if we have to, 2,500 septic systems that are currently in Vernonburg to find the failing ones."

State Sen. Eric Johnson, Skidaway Institute officials and architects turn a ceremonial shovel of earth for Skidaway Institute's new laboratory building. From left are Amy Leathers of Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Johnson, Skidaway Marine Science Foundation Chair-elect John Duren, Skidaway Institute Director Jim Sanders and Dan Nemac of Lord, Aeck & Sargent.

State Sen. Eric Johnson joined officials from the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography to break ground on the Institute's new laboratory building. The Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center will contain 11,000 square feet of research laboratories, space for visiting scientists and instructional space for marine science students from throughout the University System of Georgia. It is expected to be certified under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.

The center will allow Skidaway Institute to expand its research in several areas.

During the 2006 legislative session, the Georgia General Assembly approved a $5 million appropriation for the construction of a new laboratory and instructional building.

The architects for the MCSRIC are Lord, Aeck & Sargent, Inc. The construction manager is Choate Construction. Engineering work will be done by Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung International, Inc. and Nottingham, Brook & Pennington, Inc.

State panel gives go-ahead on docks in Isle of Hope, McIntosh Co.

COMMITTEE MIGHT CHANGE

Committee member Dick Eckburg's term ends Dec. 31. Department of Natural Resources board member Jenny Lynn Bradley of Savannah has nominated the Landings resident for reappointment. Also nominated are:
●Peter Verity, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography
●Wesley Woolf, managing director of the Center for a Sustainable Coast.
●Doug Baughman, of CH2M Hill
●Dionne Hoskins, fisheries biologist at Savannah State University.
The DNR Board is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the appointment.

A state panel designated to protect the salt marsh approved the building of two mega docks Friday, including one nearly five football fields long.

The five-member Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee approved John Willis' request for a 1,394-foot-long community dock to serve residents of a McIntosh County subdivision called Tranquility on the South Newport.

Response to the proposed dock has been anything but tranquil, as nearby residents protested vehemently against it, saying it would, among other complaints, ruin their view, tear up the marsh as it was being built and eventually trap dead marsh grass that would then smother living marsh.

Environmental attorney Don Stack argued the subdivision property, like that of nearly all long-dock applicants, doesn't naturally qualify as deep-water access.

"We're subsidizing these people as a state," Stack said. "They buy marshfront property and convert it to deepwater access. Not every piece of marshfront property is deepwater."

The committee had twice before told Willis to revise his plans. This time, the previously proposed 1,470-foot, fiberglass-decked dock morphed into a slightly shorter rail system made by Jacksonville-based DockRider Systems. The system is intended to lessen the impacts of shading on the marsh beneath it, with claims that it reduces shading by 80 percent.

"There's no empirical evidence there's less impact from a DockRider System," he said.

Clark Alexander, a Skidaway Institute of Oceanography scientist, plans to use Willis' dock as a case study of the shading effects of the rail system.

With his community dock approved, Willis plans to restrict the building of private docks in the subdivision. Without such deed restrictions there are 20 lots where future owners could build private family docks without coming before the committee.

The panel unanimously approved the dock, but members acknowledged that shading was not their only concern.

"Everbody knows the length of docks is a big issue," said member Leslie Mattingly, at St. Simons Island attorney and wife of former U.S. Sen. Mack Mattingly.

She pointed out that a stakeholder group grappled with the issue of dock length for more than a year before handing it back to the committee last month. The committee agreed to come up with better length guidelines in the coming year.

But in the meantime, it doesn't have a clear-cut message on how long is too long.

IN OTHER BUSINESS

The Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee denied the application of Sasser Family Enterprises LP to change the use of its marina on Turner Creek on Wilmington Island. The denial hinged on plans to fill about a third of an acre of marsh to support a road and forklift driveway.

"I just cannot get past filling in the marsh," said member Leslie Mattingly. "It's an incredibly dangerous precedent. We've watched docks get longer. Are we going to get asked to fill in a little more and a little more?"

Despite at least one objection based on its length, the committee approved Will Herrin's request for a 954-footl-long dock with two fixed platforms in the Herb Creek that will serve two families on Isle of Hope.

Herrin pointed out that he and his neighbor would be within their rights to each build separate docks, but agreed to cooperate and reduce marsh impacts with the joint effort.

"If you pay half a million for the lot, then you have to build your house, then you put in a $400,000 dock. Who's gonna do that?" he asked.

Worried that future applicants are looking too narrowly for precedent in each permit the committee grants, Mattingly offered this warning:

The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will break ground on a new laboratory building at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 13 on the campus at the north end of Skidaway Island.

The Marine and Coastal Science Research and Instructional Center will contain 11,000 square feet of research laboratories, space for visiting scientists and instructional space for marine and science students from throughout the University System of Georgia.

The small but powerful committee that influences coastal development is looking for a new member.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources is accepting nomination until Nov. 14 for the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee and the Shore Protection Committee. The five-person panel, which simultaneously serves on both committees, approves permits for structures such as docks, bridges and marinas as well as beach cross-overs and beach renourishment.

Its decisions are often contentious, as when it gave the go-ahead to the largest marina complex in Georgia at the upscale Cumberland Harbour development in St. Marys. Dock approvals can draw attention, too.

The committee is currently grappling with limits on length as docks in some cases stretch longer than three football fields to get to deeper water.

COASTAL MARSHLANDS PROTECTION COMMITTEE

●Leslie Davisson Mattingly, St. Simons Island, attorney and wife of former U.S. Sen. Mack Mattingly.
●Dick Eckburg, Savannah, retired UPS executive.
●Noel Holcomb, DNR commissioner (votes only to break a tie).
●Sonny Timmerman, Midway and Savannah, executive director of the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission.
●Henry Williams Jr., Camden County, engineer.

The expiring term is that of Landings resident and retired United Parcel Service executive Dick Eckburg, who joined the committee in the summer of 2005 as part of an expansion from three to five members. He is eligible for reappointment.

When Eckburg was appointed, there was not a uniform prescribed length for members. Then last year, four-year terms were imposed and sitting members began rotating off the panel one per year.

In what some said was a deliberate move to get rid of Clark Alexander, a professor of geology at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, members were rotated off in alphabetical order.

Alexander was seen by many as the sometimes lonely voice of science on the panel. His were often the most pointed questions about the effects on the marsh of a proposed dock or marina.

The coastal geologist hopes to serve on the committee again but doesn't think now is the right time, he said.

Will Berson, environmental policy analyst at the Georgia Conservancy, is among those who would like to recruit another scientist.

Potential nominees being discussed among local environmentalists include Peter Verity, a professor at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography; Matt Gilligan, professor and coordinator of marine sciences at Savannah State University; and George Sedberry, superintendent at Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

"We sense the panel would be well with someone with a science background," Berson said. "They have an engineer, a planner, a judge. All those speak to things the committee draws upon. Eckburg, a successful businessman, brings another kind of experience that makes sense."

DNR Commissioner Noel Holcomb, a biologist by training, also serves on the committee. By law at least three of the four DNR board appointees must reside in a coastal county. Currently all of them do, so nominees can come from anywhere in the state, according to Susan Shipman, director of the Coastal Resources Division.

The DNR Board expects to select an appointee at its December meeting.

SUBMIT NOMINATIONS

     The DNR Board is seeking nominees knowledgeable about the conservation, development uses and management of Georgia's coastal environment.
     A detailed resume for would-be nominees to the Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee must be submitted to the commissioner of natural resources no later than Nov. 14.
    The address is 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, SE., Suite 1252 East Tower, Atlanta, GA 30334. Or email the commissioner at nholcomb@gadnr.org
    For information about the committee, call the Coastal Resources Division at 912-264-7218 or email: Cindy-Gregory@dnr.state.ga.us.

October 10, 2007
Connect Savannah

Just a few steps past the lobby of the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium (MECA) on Skidaway Island, visitors will soon be able to enter an underwater world, transformed this summer thanks to a gift from a friendly neighbor.

A dark purple ceiling, "deep blue sea" colored walls, modified lighting and new displays are part of $170,000 worth of renovations giving the 35-year old aquarium a new "wow" quality.

As an arm of the UGA Marine Extension Center, the aquarium has long focused on the classroom experience, mostly using the tanks and exhibits to enhance what occurred in class, according to Bob Williams, acting director of MECA. "The renovation is really meant to appeal more to the casual visitor, the general public as opposed to the school groups," he says.

The public will get a first look at the aquarium's makeover at this Saturday's Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO) Marine Science Day open house from 12 to 5, with a ribbon cutting at noon.

MECA is one of a handful of marine science entities who are housed at SkIO's 710-acre site 16 miles from Savannah.

The idea behind the aquarium's new look is to give visitors more of an underwater experience, according to Williams and to Sue Finkle, Aquarium curator.

As guests step down into the downstairs gallery, they are lured to the brightly glowing wall tanks housing undersea creatures normally found in the ocean along coastal Georgia and Florida.

A four foot long nurse shark, a guitar fish, a skate, a snook, and a flirtatious octopus named Diego are just a few of the marine animals living in the tanks along the wall. A long nose gar swimming among a school of salt water catfish is the longest resident of the facility, over 30 years.

None of the original fish tanks were relocated, but one has been converted to a replica of a salt marsh bank, created specially for MECA by the contractor for the renovation. It comes complete with artificial fiddler crab holes and marsh grass, and a real piece of driftwood draped with real Spanish moss.

A diamondback terrapin and three species of fish occupy the tank, which has sixteen inches of water depth.

A new diorama of Gray's Reef is the centerpiece of the exhibit, and motivated the renovation project.

"In 2004 Gray's Reef approached us with an award for $100,000 for the exhibit area," says Williams. Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary offices are also SkIO tenants.

"It's 17 miles offshore, you can't just go visit on a Sunday afternoon," says George Sedberry, Sanctuary Superintendent. "The aquarium is a great way for us to do it. We were happy to fund their renovation."

With the funds secured from Gray's Reef, MECA allocated an additional $70,000 in state monies and contracted with Aquarium Innovations, an Atlanta firm whose work has included the Georgia Aquarium.

Finishing touches will take place this week on the Gray's Reef diorama, which will use interactive video touch screens to identify and illuminate different fish, coral, and sponges depicted in the diorama.

A new horseshoe-shaped touch tank in the upstairs gallery is expected to be the most popular addition to the aquarium. An instructor will stand inside the horseshoe while two levels of tank space allow children of different ages to have access to friendly ocean animals like horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs and starfish.

A hands-on reef model with rubberized sea anemones, sponges and coral, offers "a fun touchy feely thing for kids," says Finkle.

Completed in 1972, the aquarium is perhaps the best known, and definitely the most visited, of the marine science entities housed at SkIO (which rhymes with Leo.)

The aquarium averages over 20,000 visitors a year. Over the decades, all that wear and tear, plus the corrosion that comes with a salt water environment, took its toll on the aquarium.

"We have salt water running through the building, plus we're 200 yards from the river. Salt has its way with things out here," says Williams.

Less visible improvements include new floors and fresh paint in several classrooms, replacement of old countertops and corroded or outdated HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems.

This year's facelift completes nearly $500,000 in upgrades to UGA's facilities on the SkIO campus in the past three years. Highlights include a nature walk and pier, and an enclosed porch for additional heated and cooled classroom space. A new floating dock was built to replace the original.

Williams hopes to make even more improvements in 2008. He hopes to work with the Bamboo Farm & Coastal Gardens on landscaping the expansive lawn.

For hundreds of visitors to the aquarium on Skidaway Island over the years, meeting Clifford the Spiny Lobster was a highlight of the trip. For over 15 years, until this past spring, Clifford lived in one of the tanks in the aquarium gallery and seemed to thrive as much on human attention as on the shrimp that he ate each day.

"You don't think of invertebrates and crustaceans as having personalities, but some of our fish do, and Clifford did," says Bob Williams, acting director of the Marine Education Center and Aquarium (MECA). "You could scratch his head and he'd grasp your hand in his [leg]." Unlike their Maine counterparts, spiny lobsters don't have pinching claws.

One day during curator Sue Finkle's first year at the aquarium, she was deep in conversation leaning on the edge of Clifford's tank in the "behind the scenes" feeding area.

"I felt something tapping on my shoulder and when I turned my head there he was," says Finkle. "It was like he was saying, 'Hey guys, I want to be a part of this.'"

The lobster's friendliness earned him his name, bestowed by a visiting middle school group raised on the "Clifford the Big Red Dog" books. Over the years, Clifford would swim toward the glass or up to the surface of his tank to hang out with humans, even crawling out of the tank on one occasion to follow a couple of startled electricians.

In captivity, spiny lobsters can live up to 30 years, but last fall Clifford's health began to fail. On March 10 staff found Clifford "dead at the bottom of the tank," says Finkle.

Two weeks later, a handful of aquarium staff, interns, and boat captains boarded the research vessel Sea Dawg for Clifford's burial at sea. "It was a joyous occasion to celebrate his life," says Finkle. After three eulogies, "Cindy [Lingebach] and I dropped him back into the ocean," weighed down with fossils so he wouldn't float, she says.

Word went out in the marine biology network that the aquarium was seeking another spiny lobster. In late June, a researcher donated a new lobster to the aquarium. "Once you do research you can't put them back into the wild," says Finkle.

The new critter, named Clifford Junior in honor of his predecessor, made his debut in the display tanks this month. "He's been very interested in running up to the glass. He's following in the footsteps of Clifford Senior," says Finkle, who still seems to miss the old guy.

"I cried," she says. "I'm not gonna lie. I shed a tear. He was a blast to have around."

1967 -- Year the research laboratory now known as Skidaway Institute of Oceanography was founded.

1972 -- The year the University of Georgia Aquarium was constructed on Skidaway Island.

9 -- Number of science-oriented organizations with a presence on the Skidaway Institute campus. (WSVH radio station, also on SKIO's campus, is number 10.)

14 -- Number of display tanks housing fish, reptiles and invertebrates in the gallery areas of the UGA Aquarium.

17.5 -- Distance in nautical miles from Sapelo Island, GA to Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

4 -- Number of new species of invertebrates discovered in Gray's Reef (3 tunicates and one sponge).

Sources: Skidaway Institute, UGA Marine Extension Service, Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

Two Mercer University students watch a redfish in one of the UGA Aquarium exhibits

The grand re-opening of the University of Georgia (UGA) Aquarium will highlight a day of science-related fun and activities on Saturday, October 13, from noon to 5 p.m. at the north end of Skidaway Island. Skidaway Marine Science Day is a public open house, presented by the marine-research and educational organizations on the campus of the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. All activities at Skidaway Marine Science Day are free.

"All our campus partners are combining efforts to present a day filled with interesting activities for both adults and children," says Michael Sullivan, external affairs manager for the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. "We would like to demonstrate that marine science can be both educational and fun."

A popular attraction year round, the UGA Aquarium has been closed for renovations since August 1. Families will be able to explore the newly designed educational and kid-friendly spaces and participate in hands-on activities and demonstrations. Visitors will experience new exhibits, including an aquarium tank reconfigured to represent a salt-marsh tidal creek.

"This is one of the most significant ecosystems we have in this area, explains Bob Williams, acting director of the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium. Children and adults will also have the opportunity to touch and examine some of the marine life that lives in the marshes and rivers that border Skidaway Island. A new touch tank will be filled with horseshoe crabs, hermit crabs, whelks, snails and sea stars. "We will use whatever is appropriate from what we pull out of the river," continues Williams. However, you won't find any blue crabs. "We won't put anything in there that is too delicate for the kids to handle or that may hurt the kids."

Other new exhibits include an interactive model of a portion of Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary and a display of the archaeological work being done on Skidaway Island. The $170,000 renovation has been in the works since 2003. The design and construction work is being handled by Aquarium Innovations, a company that produced some of the displays at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

Skidaway Institute professor Rick Jahnke (right)
explains a CTD water sampler to a visitor onboard
the R/V Savannah during last year's
Skidaway Marine Science Day

Another new activity at this year's Skidaway Marine Science Day will be a high-tech treasure hunt dubbed "Skiocache." The event is modeled after the increasing popular "geochache" activities in which "treasure hunters" use GPS devices to track down the locations of hidden prizes. Using their own GPS devices, they will locate the various piles of "hidden loot." Participants without a handheld GPS device will still be able to participate and will receive a different set of clues.

Other features at Skidaway Marine Science Day will offer visitors behind-the-scenes looks at how marine science is conducted. The Skidaway Institute of Oceanography will offer tours of the Research Vessel Savannah, science demonstrations on current research and a campus-wide scavenger hunt. The staff of the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary will introduce visitors to an underwater Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and visitors will have the opportunity to maneuver the ROV in the campus pool. The UGA Shellfish Research Laboratory will provide educational presentations and hands-on touch tank activities.

The Department of Natural Resources will provide a life-size model of a whale that visitors can walk through and a display by the DNR underwater archaeology program. In addition, WSVH Georgia Public Radio will be open for visitors.

Earlier in the day, runners will participate in the third annual Skidaway Marine Science Day race. This year's event will be broken into two separate distances -- 8K and 12K. The races will begin at 8a.m. on the Skidaway campus.

For additional information, call 598.2325 or visit www.uga.edu/aquarium.

September 16, 2007
Savannah Morning News

You can't blame people with marshfront homes in Georgia to want docks that give them access to the water.

Unfortunately, the explosion in the number of private docks, as well as the length of some docks being constructed, is generating greater concern about the health of the state-owned marsh.

The state Department of Natural Resources, which is charged with protecting this important public resource, must commission a study that takes a hard look at this question. It does the DNR little good to regulate and issue permits for new dock construction if the fruits of its labor will potentially damage property owned by all Georgians.

The major concern is dead marsh grass, called wrack. Marsh grasses are like tree leaves. It matures, dies then falls off, making room for new growth.

Under normal conditions, dead marsh grass gets flushed out to sea with the outgoing tides. But in some coastal areas, much of the dead grass isn't rafted way. Instead, it's getting trapped by pilings underneath docks that are built out over the marsh.

If left untouched, the wrack can trap increasing amounts of dead grass, forming a thick blanket that can smother healthy, new growth underneath.

The issue is worth a serious look based on new residential growth. On Wilmington Island just east of Savannah, the number of docks increased from 174 to 301 between 1970 to 2000. A near doubling of docks during a 30-year period may not seem extreme. But many newer docks are getting longer, since homesites with easy access to deep water were developed a long time ago. And longer docks mean more pilings, which mean more trapping of dead grasses that could choke growth.

The DNR, to its credit, altered its rules in July this year to protect the marsh from potential damage caused by the shade that docks create. Clark Alexander, professor of geology at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, and colleague Mike Robinson looked at how dockshading affected the growth of marsh grass under and beside the structures. After they finished, the DNR implemented a positive change that minimizes harm. It can be summed up this way: The longer the dock, the narrower its width must be.

It's time for a similar study on wrack buildup as it pertains to dock lengths, especially those nearing 1,000 feet.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that large accumulations cause short-term damage. James Holland, who's with the Altamaha Riverkeeper group, gave sworn testimony in a dock permitting case before U.S. District Judge William T. Moore in Savannah this year about what he's seen firsthand. Mr. Holland said the buildup "leads to the creation of huge expanse of dead and dying vegetation and the resultant creation of huge mud flats, devoid of natural flora and fauna."

Clearly, no one wants to see a beautiful marsh -- a public treasure -- become black muck. But marshes can rebound. The unanswered question is how long does it take a mud flat to become thriving.

The DNR is monitoring the situation from the air. That's not good enough. It must get busy at ground level, especially when coastal development is expected to boom. That means more private docks reaching out over marshes.

The state should enlist scientists, then determine if additional regulations are necessary. It can't risk sacrificing the long-term health of vast areas of marsh owned by all Georgians for the desires of a few.

That's wrack as in dead marsh grass that has accumulated in mats up to a foot thick in front of Betsy Cain's and her neighbors' homes.

The decaying rafts of dead grass have smothered some of the living Spartina beneath it and left a muddy moonscape at low tide. For weeks this summer it trapped the small boats at Cain's and nearby docks.

The wrack is natural. Much like trees shed their leaves, last year's marsh grass dies off to make way for new growth. It normally sheets down the coasts on high tides, dispersing naturally.

But the huge buildup of marsh wrack in that particular spot is not so normal, Cain said.

Such long docks are becoming more the norm. The Department of Natural Resources, charged with protecting the state-owned marshlands, puts no overt restrictions on dock length, even though there are concerns about dock's environmental effects, including how they trap wrack.

The effects of wrack buildup may be especially noticeable this year because it's been a boom year for dead grass.

"A number of people have commented it's been years since we've seen wrack buildup like this," said Susan Shipman, director of the Coastal Resources Division of the Department of Natural Resources.

She speculated that a late spring and subsequent higher-than-normal high tides may have contributed to the phenomenon.

It's not just docks, but any obstruction, including natural elevations, that make wrack pile up, Shipman said.

"Right near our (Brunswick) office on 17 there's an incredible layer of wrack where the marsh meets the road shoulder," she said.

In any year, boom or not, wrack decays in the marsh, adding needed carbon back to that ecosystem. Or it lands on the beach and assists natural dune formation. It even adds carbon to the ocean.

"Lots get rafted out to sea," said Clark Alexander, professor of geology at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. "In our research vessel we've gone through piles of the stuff a mile across."

Mark Dana, who owns the 980-foot dock near Cain, points to wrack's ecological role as a reason its buildup is not a problem.

"A perfect analogy is you can look at a snake and say it's ugly, while others say it's important to the ecosystem," he said.

But Cain's argument is an ecological one, too: A man-made structure is casing the buildup of too much dead grass in one spot and killing the live marsh beneath it.

As marshfront property owners, the Danas applied for and received a permit last year from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to extend their existing dock from 210 feet to 980 feet, where it would meet up with deeper water at Tom Creek.

Cain learned of the dock plans only after she saw a construction barge at the site in December. No prior notice was required because she doesn't own property next to the Danas.

She said she spent about a month talking with DNR and trying to engage the Danas about her concerns.

But by January, when that effort looked largely unsuccessful, she, her husband, David Kaminsky, and neighbor Larry Gibson sued the Department of Natural Resources, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Danas to halt the dock construction and re-evaluate the application.

They argued the dock was not in keeping with neighboring docks, none of which are longer than 220 feet, and that it wasn't appropriate for their shallow tidal basin.

"It's too much impact environmentally to justify this one property owner getting to one pocket of deeper water," Cain said.

Both the length of the dock and its position on an east-facing marsh would contribute to wrack buildup behind it, predicted Altamaha Riverkeeper James Holland, who gave a sworn statement in the case.

"I have observed firsthand the accumulation of marsh wracks in and around the pilings of these docks, which in turn leads to the creation of huge expanses of dead and dying vegetation and the resultant creation of huge areas of mud flats devoid of natural flora and fauna of the marsh system," he said.

U.S. District Judge William T. Moore, ruling on the basis of whether the DNR properly followed its procedures for approving dock applications, allowed the permit to stand.

"The court is not empowered to substitute its judgment for that of the agency," he wrote.

After the legal loss, Cain watched Holland's predictions start to materialize this summer.

The wrack made a huge and eventually fetid compost pile around their docks, reaching across six lots. At times it looked like an enormous windshield wiper had swept across the marsh, starting at the outermost point of the Dana's dock and pushing the wrack toward land.

"We always get wrack across the upland part of the marsh," she said. "Every year I push it off. It's never been a lot. The DNR said people who care about the marsh push it off when it collects."

This summer the wrack was more than she could push, although she tried, wading out into the marsh as early as 3 a.m. to take advantage of tides. She feared that if she didn't persevere, wrack would smother the marsh grass on the banks of small creek beds and those creeks would silt in.

Cain called for reinforcements in the form of wrack wrangling parties where volunteers, up to eight at a time, added their muscle to hers and pushed the dead grass out to a marsh creek where the tide could take it away.

"I spent the entire summer with volunteers clearing the wrack off the marsh this year in order to salvage the marsh in front of our houses," she said.

Labor Day weekend storms that brought up to 14 inches of rain to Wilmington Island flushed away much of the wrack, dumping it on property south of the newly extended dock.

"If we had done nothing, all that marsh to the (neighbor's) boat house would be dead," she said earlier this week as she pointed across the marsh that fronts her home.

She continues to push out wrack, heading into the marsh when the tides can assist her efforts.

Alexander and Shipman aren't certain wrack buildup is benign. More research is needed, they said.

Alexander and his colleague Mike Robinson studied the growth of docks on Wilmington Island, where from 1970 to 2000 the number of docks increased from 174 to 301.

As those docks have proliferated, they've also gotten longer because sites with easy access to deep water have already been snapped up. The Danas' dock is not the longest on the island, although the closest one of a similar size is about a mile away on a different creek, Cain said.

Alexander and Robinson looked at how dock shading affects the growth of marsh grass under and beside the structures. That study is already affecting policy.

New rules issued in July for the type of fast-track permit the Danas received include restriction on the total area of a dock, although there's no restriction on length, per se.

Even though area restrictions weren't required at the time, a concern over shading did affect the Dana's dock, which they reduced from a 6-foot width to 4 feet to reduce shading effects.

For wrack buildup around docks, the evidence so far is anecdotal, Alexander said.

"Docks that extend out easterly from islands tend to act as traps for marsh wrack as it's being transported," he said.

The effects could be greater than those of shading, but again, research is the only way to know that.

"Marsh wrack has a more direct and immediate effect on Spartina because it's laying right on it," Alexander said.

The DNR is monitoring the wrack buildup aerially to see how long it takes for smothered marsh grass to grow back, Shipman said.

The results of that and other wrack research may further affect dock policy. But Alexander, who served for eight years on the state's Coastal Marshlands Protection Committee -- the entity that issues permits for community and commercial docks and marinas -- isn't counting on it.

"Even if you had evidence, it's a long shot they'd start restricting dock length," he said. "You have to balance the potential for wrack buildup against the perceived right to wharf out to deep water."

Policy change is exactly what Cain is advocating in light of the trend toward longer docks to smaller creeks. She'd like to see a wider public notice before recreational docks are built. And she wants more scrutiny of possible effects on the publicly owned marsh.

"We don't really understand why long docks are allowed to kill this shared resource," she said.

Skidaway Institute hosts a tasting to highlight its new black sea bass project

Though few locals seem to know about it, one of the most expansive educational facilities in the entire region is the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

An independent arm of the state university system, the Institute (which usually just goes by "SkIO") hosts several different entities on its sprawling campus along the Skidaway River -- the former Modena plantation, a gift from the Roebling family in the late '60s.

While by far its most recognizable "tenant" is the University of Georgia Marine Extension Center and its popular aquarium, it's not just the Bulldogs that are represented at SkIO. Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Savannah State and others have a research presence as well. (In addition, the local public radio station, FM 91, broadcasts from a trailer onsite.)

A current research effort at SkIO involves the search for a solution to the crunch facing a popular area crop, the black sea bass. A staple item in many seafood and Asian restaurants, numbers of the fish are decreasing as demand for it increases.

Enter Dick Lee, Skidaway Institute scientist. Lee and fellow staffer Karrie Brinkley have developed a non-polluting aquaculture system specifically designed to raise black sea bass for the fast-growing sushi market.

"Black sea bass is a very popular fish here," Lee says. "The minute black sea bass comes in at Russo Seafood, it's gone. This has put quite a lot of pressure on this fish, to the point where the legal limit has been raised because of the demand for it."

Lee says the going rate for a two-pound black sea bass, providing 30-40 sashimi slices, is about $20, but that can easily double in the case of the sushi market overseas.

In the SkIO project, the water in the long pens in which the bass are raised is recycled, with no pollutants being released into natural waterways -- not the case with most fish farms, which increasingly are seen as part of the problem of overfishing rather than part of the solution.

Another facet of the SkIO project is that it feeds the black sea bass a diet of juvenile tilapia, rather than the preformed food pellets used by most fish farms.

"If you use the pellets, you have a waste problem. About thirty percent of them aren't eaten," Lee explains.

"But tilapia are easy to keep and feed and breed. And because they're freshwater fish, that avoids a lot of problems with disease moving from freshwater to saltwater," he says.

Lee says there's no waste with the tilapia, since if they're not eaten right away, "they just keep on swimming around until they are."

Though freshwater fish, tilapia can survive several days in a saline environment, but are almost always consumed by the bass within that time anyway.

SkIO also raises "aquaponic" produce, like cucumber and edible seaweed, with water from the black sea bass project.

The sea bass and the aquaponic produce took part in a blind taste test last week, as invited guests gathered at SkIO's Roebling House to give their input as to how well the project might fare with actual customers.

There was a clear taste difference between the three different plates of black sea bass sashimi, prepared by A.K. Tran of Sushi Time Towa: one sample was raised on the typical commercial food pellet diet, one sample was oceangoing wild sea bass caught locally, and one sample was raised at SkIO on the tilapia diet.

The former was healthy and well-textured, but lacking any strong taste either way. The second was good, but had a strong aftertaste. The SkIO sushi had a distinctive tang that wasn't unpleasant, but frankly might limit its mass market appeal.

"We don't necessarily see us getting involved in actually making money off of it, because that might conflict with our mission here," he says.

"But, for example, if we could get something going down in McIntosh County -- the poorest county in Georgia -- and help create 40 or 50 new jobs then, that would be a great service we could provide to the area.

A sushi test panel gives a thumbs up to Skidaway researcher's work during blind taste test

Researchers and their guests Thursday took a bite out of a fish problem at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

The question put to the sushi-loving panel was this: Which black sea bass sashimi is best? One sample was made with wild-caught fish. Another was prepared with black sea bass fed a standard diet of pellet food. The third was made with fish raised on a diet of juvenile tilapia.

About 20 tasters filled out questionnaires as they munched the thin slices of raw sea bass identified only as "A", "B" and "C" that were prepared by chef A.K. Tran of Sushi Time Towa.

Skidaway Institute professor Dick Lee organized the panel to get feedback on the fish he raises using a non-polluting aquaculture system there. He already knows that black sea bass, a type of grouper, grows twice as fast on the diet of live fish.

He just didn't know how acceptable they'd be for the sushi market, which is his ultimate target.

If his semi-scientific panel can be believed, the fast-growing black sea bass are quite acceptable. Five people preferred the pellet-raised fish, seven preferred wild caught, and eight gave the biggest thumbs up to Lee's fish-fed fish.

For sushi lovers, the subtle differences in flavor and texture in the samples made little difference to their dining pleasure.

"I can't complain about any of them," said Felton Jenkins, and investment portfolio manager. "I'm gonna go get more."

Sushi may be one of Japan's most popular culinary-concept exports but, before too long, that California roll you dip into soy sauce may trace its roots to Skidaway Island. Scientists at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography are developing an aquaculture system they hope will provide fish suitable for sushi and economic opportunity for South Georgia at the same time.

Professor Dick Lee has been raising black sea bass in a closed-cycle aquaculture system to develop a process that is commercially viable and environmentally friendly. "We are raising black sea bass," says Lee, "as sushi chefs tell us this is a very tasty fish they really enjoy using to make sushi."

Black sea bass is a relatively small saltwater fish, running approximately two pounds at market size. Typically, black sea bass in the wild take two years to grow to that weight but, in Lee's system, the fish are ready for market in an average of 11 months. The key is the diet. Lee is feeding his black sea bass juvenile tilapia, a freshwater fish. "The tilapia makes an excellent, high-protein diet for the black sea bass, and they are thriving," notes Lee.

Lee continues concerning the objectives of his work, "Ideally, we would like to be able to demonstrate this could become a money-making business for farmers in this region." Aquaculture systems could provide alternative land use for farmers currently raising other crops.

A big issue with many aquaculture projects is their effect on the environment. Typically, in most aquaculture systems, some clean water comes into the process and some waste water is returned to the environment. The Skidaway project is a closed-cycle system that results in no discharge into the environment. The project team operates two separate systems, or cycles, in their greenhouses. On one side is the black sea bass, raised in saltwater tanks. On the other side is tilapia, in freshwater tanks and ponds. The juvenile tilapia are hand harvested to be served later to the black sea bass. In a typical fish-farm set-up, the fish are fed food pellets. Many of the pellets go uneaten. They sink to the bottom or float to the top, and generally foul the water. In the Skidaway system, the baby tilapia just swim around until some hungry sea bass sucks them down in one gulp. "No muss. No fuss. And much cleaner water," says Lee's assistant, Karrie Brinkley.

On both the saltwater and freshwater sides of the system, the researchers use algae and bacteria to cleanse the natural fish byproducts from the water. The water is pumped into a series of trays full of algal mats and bacteria. It takes roughly 45 minutes for it to flow downhill from one tray to the next, until the water at the bottom is relatively clean and then pumped back into the tanks. What looks like an unwanted mess to the casual observer is actually a great filter.

One more twist exists on the freshwater side of the system. It turns out that what is bad for fish water is great fertilizer for plants. So Lee and Brinkley also grow hydroponic vegetables in the freshwater trays. This serves a dual purpose. The vegetables help pull waste elements out of the water and use them as nutrients, while also providing a second tasty crop. Currently, Brinkley frequently puts her latest crop of cucumbers or lettuce out in the Skidaway Institute lunch room for her friends and co-workers to enjoy. But in a larger commercial system, the effect would be two distinct revenue-producing harvests for the farmer -- fish and veggies. "The vegetables are a side benefit, but they could provide an additional revenue source for a farmer," explains Lee.

Right now, Lee's project is fairly small. He raises the fish in a handful of tanks enclosed in two greenhouses. However, he envisions a time when a South Georgia farmer may have dozens or hundreds of tanks and greenhouses and produce adult black sea bass on a commercial level. Last summer, Lee had some help designing such an enterprise. He had a group of interns from Clark-Atlanta University working with him for the summer. However, not all were science majors; some were business students. Their final project for the internship was to produce a business plan for a start-up fish farm using the Skidaway system.

One question that hasn't been answered: "So how do these black sea bass taste?" Lee is currently setting up a taste test. He has been raising some black sea bass on the traditional food-pellet diet for comparison purposes. He would like to find some knowledgeable sushi fans and offer them some delicacies from black sea bass raised on both the food-pellet and the tilapia diets. Any volunteers? Contact the Institute.

We'll let you know how the "Sushi Challenge" turns out.

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography is a scientific research facility, affiliated with the University System of Georgia, located at the north end of Skidaway Island. Mike Sullivan is the Institute's External Affairs Manager.

With Tybee Island's surf at a balmy 83 degrees or so, the jellyfish are out in force.

Michael Taylor, a captain with Tybee Ocean Rescue, estimates Tybee lifeguards lately have been treating about 250 stings by 1 p.m. every day.

Saucer-shaped sea nettles and boxy sea wasps are the offending species locally, Taylor said, although swimmers also are likely to encounter transparent moon jellies and nearly round cannonball jellyfish, both of which are relatively safe to touch. Lifeguards themselves are far from immune from jellyfish venom.

Moreover, wherever jellies sting, you're sure to find as many home remedies as tentacles.

Tybee lifeguards recommend a sand rub and a spray solution of ammonia to get out jelly6-induced burn and itch. Other common remedies include meat tenderizer, vinegar and even urine.

A local businessman has a patent pending on his own concoction, tested and found effective by researchers at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

Chip Grayson, a native of Savannah, created his formula with memories of being stung in mind.

"I was fishing with my dad when I was 11, and I had one really get ahold to me," he said. "Two hours later, my dad asked if I wanted to fish some more, and I said, 'No, I'm pretty well done.' "

At Grayson's request, two professors and the Skidaway Institute tested various sting remedies on themselves, draping the mucousy tentacles of a captive jellyfish over their arms first to get a good sting.

"Vinegar and ammonia didn't work at all," said Dick Lee, professor of oceanography.

Grayson is coy about what's in "Jellyfish Squish," which he expects to market next year. But he said it's "FDA Compliant."

It may well be, but a dermatologist and international jellyfish sting guru, Dr. Joseph Burnett, said most remedies work mainly as placebos if they work at all.

Burnett, a professor emeritus of dermatology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, started the International Consortium for Jellyfish Stings in 1989.

He suggests washing the affected area with sea water and taking an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as aspirin, Tylenol, or ibuprofen, at the first sign of a sting.

"There's a lot of garbage out there because people assume you can put on a topical pain relief," Burnett said. "The fastest an ointment can work is two hours. If it's sea nettles, the pain is gone in two hours."

He's skeptical about claims that vinegar and ammonia prevent additional stinging by deactivating the tiny firing devices, called nematocysts, that jellyfish leave on the skin.

"That makes the assumption that the nematocysts left are clinically going to produce enough pain to be worth (the treatment)," he said.

Hot water has shown some promise, but it has to be so hot it's not practical. The 110 degrees recommended could cause hyperthermia in a small child, Burnett said.

Some home remedies, such as rubbing sand or meat tenderizer on the stung skin, might produce what dermatologists call a counterirritation. It's the idea that one pain inhibits another.

Go ahead and do it, if it makes you feel better, Burnett said. But don't put ammonia on a sting from the potentially deadly Portuguese Man-of-War, a rare visitor to Tybee waters.

You can try to avoid jellyfish by staying out of the water on an incoming tide, when wind and wave action are pushing the jellies toward the beach and bathers.

Or you can wait until the water cools. Jellyfish are typically less numerous at Tybee by mid-September, Taylor said.

July 5, 2007
Savannah Morning News, Southside Closeup

‘So much to share’


Teachers and instructors observe and photograph egrets and wood storks at a rookery on St. Catherines Island. (l-r) Becci Curry, Charles Belin, Laurie Anderson, Karyn Chester and Ben Wells		St. Catherines Island guide Jennifer Hilburn discusses beach erosion with teachers and course instructors. (l-r) Ron Phillips, Richard Riley, Hilburn, Mary Jo Fina, Katy McCurdy, Charles Belin, Rose Laughter, Carol Ebel, Amy Owenby and Karyn Chester

Skidaway Institute, AASU come together to offer teachers summer course

Science class may never be the same for Amy Gorham's students at Coastal Middle School in Savannah. Gorham is one of seven teachers who participated in an intensive, two-week summer course designed to improve the teaching of science and mathematics.

The course was aimed at teachers at public schools in coastal Georgia and was a joint effort between Armstrong Atlantic State University and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

"This class will not only improve the way I teach but change it," Gorham said. "The class gave me so much to share. It made me want to know and share more."

The course curriculum was a mixture of classroom learning with field experiences. It included a day-trip to St. Catherine's Island, an overnight excursion to Ossabaw Island and a kayaking trip to Little Tybee Island. Along the way, they learned about a wide range of subjects.

"In this truly interdisciplinary course, the teachers are immersed into the history and science of coastal Georgia's barrier islands," said Sabrina Hessinger, PRISM coordinator at Armstrong Atlantic. "They investigated integrated science and mathematics topics related to the natural history of these islands."

On a trip to St. Catherine's Island, the teachers covered a variety of subjects from history to natural sciences.

"The first step to exciting students about science is to inspire their teachers," said Peter Verity, education coordinator at Skidaway Institute, who led the team that designed the course curriculum. "The work we did this summer will produce results in these teachers' classrooms in the fall."

In addition to field experiences, the course also included classroom work and study on subjects such as the geology of barrier islands; estuarine ecosystems; edible plants; archaeology and carbon dating; whelk and oyster colonies; coastal Georgia past, present and future; and global climate change. Each day the instructors and student-teachers developed grade-specific activities that the teachers will take directly back to their own classrooms.

Mary Jo Fina will be teaching at Richmond Hill Middle School this fall. She said she takes several courses every summer.

The course also included participation from the Ossabaw Island Foundation and the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service.

Other participating teachers were Amy Owenby, Richmond Hill High School; Ben Wells, Coastal Middle; Salli Eve, Coastal Middle; Richard Riley, Coastal Middle; and Laurie Anderson, Bartlett Middle.

Marsh wrack is also valuable to the beach ecosystem by helping to build up sand dunes.

Richmond Hill High School teacher among 10 learning to bring local environment into lessons

St. Catherines Island guide Jennifer Hilburn discusses beach erosion with teachers and course instructors. (l-r) Ron Phillips, Richard Riley, Hilburn, Mary Jo Fina, Katy McCurdy, Charles Belin, Rose Laughter, Carol Ebel, Amy Owenby and Karyn Chester

Science class may never be the same for Amy Owenby's students at Richmond Hill High School. Owenby is one of 10 teachers who participated in an intensive, two-week summer course designed to improve the teaching of science and mathematics.

The course was aimed at teachers at public schools in coastal Georgia and was a joint effort between Armstrong Atlantic State University and the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

"This course will improve the way I teach by incorporating the natural environment, its history and mathematical concepts to science," said Owenby. "I now have a way to deliver a new concept with the area in which my students live."

The course was titled "Georgia Barrier Islands: Natural Laboratories for Inquiry-Based Learning and Teaching of Science." It was sponsored by Armstrong Atlantic's "Partnership for Reform in Science and Mathematics (PRISM) program. PRISM is a National Science Foundation funded program whose ultimate goal is to raise expectations and student achievement in science and mathematics through highly collaborative partnerships between K-12 teachers and university faculty.

"The presenters, field trips and hands-on activities have made this class so memorable," Owenby said. "I do not believe I will ever forget the inquiry-based lessons I have learned, and I will be able to pass this on to my students."

The course curriculum was a mixture of classroom learning with field experiences.

It included a day-trip to St. Catherines Island, an overnight excursion to Ossabaw Island and a kayaking trip to Little Tybee Island. Along the way, they learned about wide range of subjects.

"In this truly interdisciplinary course, the teachers were immersed into the history and science of coastal Georgia's barrier islands," said Sabrina Hessinger, PRISM coordinator at Armstrong Atlantic. "They investigated integrated science and mathematics topics related to the natural history of these islands."

On a trip to St. Catherines Island, the teachers covered a variety of subjects from history to natural sciences. They stood in the footprint of a 16th century church where Franciscan missionaries and Guale Indians worshipped more than a century before the founding of Savannah and learned about the earliest European settlements on Georgia's coast.

The group visited a fresh water pond that serves as a rookery for hundreds of egrets, wood storks and other birds.

They also learned about the island's captive-wildlife program, including an up-close encounter with the island's lemur colony. A trip to the beach demonstrated a vivid example of the erosion and accretion that are major forces on the barrier islands.

In addition to field experiences the course also included classroom work and study on subjects such as the geology of barrier islands; estuarine ecosystems; edible plants; archaeology and carbon dating; whelk and oyster colonies; coastal Georgia past, present and future; and global climate change. Each day the instructors and student-teachers developed grade-specific activities that the teachers will take directly back to their own classrooms.

Another participant, Mary Jo Fina, will be moving to Richmond Hill Middle School from Coastal Middle School in Savannah this fall. She said she takes several courses every summer.

"This class ranks among the best -- with instructors presenting best practice methods, modeling inquiry-based learning and making a personal connection and commitment to each participant," she said. "The settings chosen, St. Catherines Island, Ossabaw Island and Tybee Island, help heighten interest as the content connects not only to the real world, but the real world in our own back yard."

The course also included participation from the Ossabaw Island Foundation and the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service.

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography professor Clark Alexander recently was honored by being presented with a state Preservation Achievement Award.

The Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources recognized Alexander for his efforts to find additional grant funding for the underwater archaeology program, including non-monetary support not available from the Department of Natural Resources.

Four other similar awards were presented to individuals and organizations in Georgia.

Skidaway Institute of Oceanography hosted students from Kennesaw State University in a special biology "Maymester" course including a trip on the research vessel Savannah. At right, Ashley Smith holds a blowfish while fellow students Beth Hathaway, Rula Osta and Karen Kang look on. Below, Skidaway Institute scientist Bill Savidge explains a core sample to Karen Kang, Faiza Kahn,Wemdee McGuffee and Amanda Miolen.

Are those wooden docks that are synonymous with the good life for the Coastal Empire's waterfront residents helping to destroy the marshes? And can innovative new dock designs lessen damage? And, as the last remaining waterfront footage in the coastal ecosystem draws the attention of developers, are we running out of time to find those answers?

Those questions are on the minds of researchers from Skidaway Institute of Oceanography (SkIO). On a warm morning this spring, SkIO researchers were in a McIntosh County salt marsh, counting stems of marsh grass and collecting samples of sediment. Their purpose was to gain baseline data to measure the impact of a new type of dock on plant growth in a salt marsh.

Developer Darrie Randall is building a 1,600 foot dock for his new community, and it's the first of its kind for a community dock on the Georgia coast. Rather than having a standard six-foot wide series of planks for the walking platform, Randall's dock will consist of an open wooden frame with parallel wooden rails on top. An electric-driven passenger cart will run passengers along the rails from the upland to the end of the dock.

The idea is to mitigate the detrimental impact of the dock on the salt marsh by reducing the size of the dock's shadow. The dock's designers claim it will reduce shading by 80 percent.

"It sounds like a great idea, but no one has documented the shading reduction or the impact on vegetation in the field," said Clark Alexander, a Skidaway Institute of Oceanography researcher.

Alexander, and his team are studying the salt marsh before the dock is constructed, and then will continue to do so after it is completed. Earlier research by scientists from Skidaway Institute and Georgia Southern University demonstrated that shadows cast by docks inhibit the growth of the marsh grass, Spartina.

"We have seen a 50 percent decrease in the number of grass stems below docks," said Alexander.

The number of grass stems per square meter, or stem density, is only one measurement. The stems could compensate by growing taller and thicker, said Alexander. However, the researchers also examined the above-ground biomass and found a reduction of about 30 percent in the amount of carbon being produced under the dock. Carbon is an essential element for the growth of all life in the salt marsh, from bacteria to the juvenile fish and shellfish that spend a portion of their life-cycle in the marsh.

"There are still a lot of missing data for a complete analysis, but we may be losing significant quantities of unrealized shellfish production every year due to dock shading," Alexander said.

An additional problem he said, is no one knows the cumulative impact of multiple docks on a marsh ecosystem.

"Taken by itself, your dock may be fine, but at what point does the impact of your dock and all your neighbors' add up?" he asked. "And is there a tipping point where you overwhelm the marsh's ability to compensate and the system starts degrading?

"No one has been able to figure that out yet. We are interested in the whole cumulative impact issue."

Alexander's research will be in two parts. The first part is to measure the salt marsh growth under the new dock and to the side -- before construction and seasonally for several years afterward. In addition to measuring the counting plants, researchers are collecting chlorophyll samples as a measure of algae production and carbon samples to gauge the level of food in the system. They will also measure the size of the surface sediment, which can be important to salt marsh health.

"This is to see whether you get a change in the texture because of the density of the stems," Alexander said. "They may trap a different size particle over time."

The second part will be to construct a similar dock-section on dry land on the Skidaway Institute campus and measure the light and the dock's shadow.

The researchers will take measurements seasonally and rotate the sections periodically to measure the effect of the dock's orientation.

There are other low-shade dock designs being considered in Georgia. One style uses a metal or fiberglass grate rather than wooden boards for the walking platform. Alexander and his team hope to incorporate additional designs into future research.

Skidaway Institute scientists study dock impact

On a warm morning this spring, researchers from Skidaway Institute of Oceanography were in a McIntosh County salt marsh, counting stems of marsh grass and collecting samples of sediment. Their purpose was to gain baseline data to measure the impact of a new type of dock on plant growth in a salt marsh.

Developer Darrie Randall is building a 1,600 foot dock for his new community, and it's the first of its kind for a community dock on the Georgia coast.

Rather than having a standard 6-foot wide series of planks for the walking platform, Randall's dock will consist of an open wooden frame with parallel wooden rails on top. An electric-driven passenger cart will run passengers along the rails from the upland to the end of the dock. The idea is to mitigate the detrimental impact of the dock on the salt marsh by reducing the size of the dock's shadow.

Skidaway Institute researcher Mike Robinson examines a sample of marsh sediment while fellow researcher Claudia Venherm records the data.

The dock's designers claim it will reduce shading by 80 percent.

"It sounds like a great idea, but no one has documented the shading reduction or the impact on vegetation in the field," said Clark Alexander, a Skidaway Institute of Oceanography researcher.

Alexander and his team are studying the salt marsh before the dock is constructed, and then will continue to do so after it is completed. Earlier research by scientists from Skidaway Institute and Georgia Southern University demonstrated that shadows cast by docks inhibit the growth of the marsh grass, Spartina.

"We have seen a 50 percent decrease in the number of grass stems below docks," said Alexander.

The number of grass stems per square meter, or stem density, is only one measurement. The stems could compensate by growing taller and thicker, said Alexander. However, the researchers also examined the above-ground biomass and found a reduction of about 30 percent in the amount of carbon being produced under the dock. Carbon is an essential element for the growth of all life in the salt marsh, from bacteria to the juvenile fish and shellfish that spend a portion of their life-cycle in the marsh.

"There are still a lot of missing data for a complete analysis, but we may be losing significant quantities of unrealized shellfish production every year due to dock shading," Alexander said.

An additional problem, he said, is no one knows the cumulative impact of multiple docks on a marsh ecosystem.

"Taken by itself, your dock may be fine, but at what point does the impact of your dock and all your neighbors' add up?" he asked. "And is there a tipping point where you overwhelm the marsh's ability to compensate and the system starts degrading?"

"No one has been able to figure that out yet. We are interested in the whole cumulative impact issue."

Alexander's research will be in two parts.

The first part is to measure the salt marsh growth under the new dock and to the side -- before construction and seasonally for several years afterward. In addition to measuring and counting plants, researchers are collecting chlorophyll samples as a measure of algae production and carbon samples to gauge the level of food in the system.

They will also measure the size of the surface sediment which can be important to salt marsh health.

"This is to see whether you get a change in the texture because of the density of the stems," Alexander said. "They may trap a different size particle over time."

The second part will be to construct a similar dock-section on dry land on the Skidaway Institute campus and measure the light and the dock's shadow. The researchers will take measurements seasonally and rotate the sections periodically to measure the effect of the dock's orientation.

There are other low-shade dock designs being considered in Georgia. One style uses a metal or fiberglass grate rather than wooden boards for the walking platform. Alexander and his team hope to include additional designs into future research.

Whitney Palefsky, a University of Georgia graduate student, has been presented the Robert A. Sheldon Award and $500 by the UGA Institute of Ecology to support her research at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography in Savannah.

The prize is presented annually to two students to support their research away from campus.

Palefsky is conducting estuarine research at Skidaway Institute, focusing on the concentrations and effects of certain antiseptics found in personal care products.

Palefsky, a UGA doctoral student, earned a bachelor's degree in biology at Armstrong Atlantic State University and a master's degree in marine sciences at Savannah State University.

'It's pretty grim'

Charles Watson's worst-case scenario for
sea level rise at the Tybee Lighthouse

Those wanting to invest in beachfront property for their great-grandchildren might consider looking west, not east, of Savannah, where a short drive offers a peek at a peculiar coastline of long ago.

From West Bay Street take Highway 21 North and follow the blue Evacuation Route signs that hug the road shoulder beyond Port Wentworth. Bypass Muther's BBQ and continue on until Effingham County welcomes you.

As the road into Effingham begins to slope uphill, find a place to pull over and stop. Perhaps it's not what you were expecting, but there's your shoreline beneath the weeds and anthills.

Poke around and you'll still find quartz sand, the same type of sand found on Tybee Island. Here was the high tide water mark during the planet's last interglacial period (125,000 years ago), when temperatures were warmer and ice sheets thinner.