Adult American alligator on the beach at Sapelo Island. Photo by James Nifong.
Research conducted at UGAMI shows that American alligators are an important link between freshwater and coastal marine ecosystems. James Nifong and Brian Silliman, part of the NSF-funded Georgia Coastal Ecosystem – Long-Term Ecological Research Program, used radio telemetry and GPS trackers to follow the movements of alligators, and discovered that they spend a lot more time in marine environments than previously thought. Their research demonstrates that gators are an important ecological link between freshwater and coastal marine systems. See a description of Nifong and Silliman’s work on the NSF website.
Hurricane Irma hit UGAMI pretty hard. About ¾ of our buildings had some storm surge flooding, including research & teaching labs; the BIRL dormitory; The Powerhouse (lecture hall/dining hall/kitchen); administrative offices; electrical, auto & carpentry shops; houses; and storage facilities. The main lab and nearby buildings suffered the worst damage, with over a foot of water inside. Electrical power to Sapelo Island was out for a week.
The good news is that none of our vehicles, vessels, or vital instruments were damaged. The UGAMI campus is a mess but the contractors are already well into the cleanup/restoration process, so we should be back operating at 100% capacity by Thanksgiving. We’re also trying to use this as an opportunity to improve some facilities and make them less prone to flood damage in the future. It’s a setback, but it’s temporary, and we’ll come out of it stronger in the end.
The scene outside the BIRL dormitory at the peak of the storm surge.
See more images of Hurricane Irma’s effects on UGAMI and Sapelo Island in our Photo Gallery.
The Governor has just ordered a mandatory evacuation for Georgia’s barrier islands. To comply with this order UGAMI will be officially moving its closure to 4:30 PM today. We will remain closed through at least Tuesday Sept 12. Check back at this web site for further updates as the situation unfolds.
Due to the approach of Hurricane Irma, UGAMI will close at 12:00 pm on Friday Sept 8 and remain closed through at least Tuesday Sept 12.
A state of emergency has been declared for the coastal counties of Georgia, including McIntosh. The eye of Hurricane Irma is forecast to pass just east of Sapelo Island on Monday afternoon. Regardless of the path that the storm takes, Sapelo Island will likely experience high winds, heavy rain, and storm surge.
UGAMI staff members have been working for the past few days to secure the facilities and preparations are being rushed to completion. The staff will return to Sapelo Island to assess any potential damage as soon as it is safe to do so. Information about UGAMI’s re-opening will be posted on this web site.
Participants, spectators, and organizers of the 12th Annual Sapelo Island Lighthouse 5K Run
One of the Independence Day traditions on Sapelo Island is the Sapelo Island Lighthouse 5K Run. The race course goes from the Nannygoat Beach Parking Lot to the iconic Sapeolo Lighthouse and back to the beach.
GCE LTER technicians dominated the field of 30 participants (28 humans and 2 dogs). Dontrece Smith jumped out front early and built a 100-m lead by the turn onto Lighthouse Road. His labmate, Alyssa Peterson, started out conservatively, running an even pace throughout the race and steadily working her way up through the field. She passed Dontrece by the halfway mark and kept widening her margin of victory over the second half of the course.
Special recognition goes to the members of the University of Florida’s GCE LTER research team, led by graduate student Sinead Crotty. After finishing the race, they all went back to work on their field experiments in the marsh. While most of the runners were recuperating on a couch or lounge chair, Sinead’s crew was performing physical labor in mid-day heat, all in the name of science. That’s dedication!
On Thursday, May 11, the staff of UGAMI gathered for our annual staff appreciation. Even that infamous pirate, Captain E.C., was in attendance. There was much merriment and cake, too.
UGAMI Staff
Sapelo Island’s remote location often means that extra effort is required to get things done. This group goes the extra mile, every day.
With funds from an NSF Field Stations and Marine Laboratories grant, we completed renovations of the systems supplying water to UGAMI’s seawater laboratories. These facilities allow us to maintain a large variety of tanks and aquaria for studying marine organisms in a controlled setting. The new system is far superior to the one it replaced. It can supply up to 75 gallons of seawater per minute; monitors the creek level and only runs the pumps when the intakes are submerged (preventing damage caused by the pumps running dry); incorporates five 3,000-gallon modular storage tanks to supply seawater at low tide (when the pumps are off); actively manages the pressure in the seawater line to maintain consistent flow; and provides several filter options, including bag filters, a radial flow settler, bead filter, and in-line UV sterilization, so we can supply seawater to suit the needs of any research user. In addition, we have just taken possession of three 1,000-gallon tanks for maintaining and studying larger fish and two 8’ sink trays for washing and processing samples of marsh plants.
Rotary settler (left) and five 3,000-gallon holding tanks. Once the tanks, filters, pumps, and plumbing were completed, this entire system was enclosed under a new structure.Fresh off the boat! Three new 1,000-gallon tanks were just delivered to UGAMI aboard the R/V Spartina. These tanks will be used to study larger fish.
Prof. Chris Craft with his new book at Sapelo Island, site of much of his work.
Indiana University Professor and UGAMI Faculty Affiliate, Christopher Craft, has just published a new book titled Creating and Restoring Wetlands: From Theory to Practice. Given the challenges and opportunities facing wetlands in the coming century, this book will undoubtedly become an essential tool for restoration practitioners.
Publishing a book of this magnitude is a monumental achievement. But Chris is quick to credit the UGAMI scientists who came before him for creating this field and building the foundation on which his research is based.
So now, whereas the rest of the world knows him as “that famous scientist who wrote the text book,” we just know him as “Chris, our good-natured colleague who is devoted to mentoring students, loves Sapelo Island, and has a weakness for oysters.” Congratulations, Chris!
Book Citation:
Craft, C. 2016. Creating and Restoring Wetlands: From Theory to Practice. Elsevier Press. Amsterdam, Netherlands. 348 pp. ISBN: 978-0-12-407232-9.
To get to ocean and estuarine habitats, marine scientists depend on boats; they’re a basic tool of the trade. Most people understand the importance of boats to our work. But there are other, somewhat less exciting, tools that are just as important. For example, a boat is fairly useless unless you have a dock that allows you to get onto your boat. With that in mind, you’ll understand why so many of us at UGAMI are thrilled that we just replaced both of our small boat docks.
UGAMI maintains a dock on Sapelo Island’s Post Office Creek, near the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) office. The dock had been showing its age; the creek bank had eroded and destabilized the pier, and the floats were falling apart. There was a long-term plan to replace this dock, but it would take a few years to implement because the initial cost estimate for the project was $180,000.
Then we lucked out. The Georgia DNR maintains a separate dock, further up Post Office Creek, which was already scheduled for replacement. But because the creek channel had migrated northward several yards over the past few decades (hence the erosion undermining the pier), the construction barge wouldn’t be able to pass the UGAMI dock to get to the DNR dock. So the marine construction company that had the contract to replace the DNR dock, R.L. Morrison and Sons, Inc., contacted Jacob Shalack,UGAMI’s Assistant Director for Operations, to find out if they could temporarily remove our dock to gain access to the DNR dock. Since it didn’t make a difference to the R.L. Morrison construction crew whether they re-installed the old pilings and floats or installed new ones, Jacob realized that this was an opportunity to replace the dock at a small fraction of the original cost estimate. Much of the expense of dock replacement is for labor and for the tugboat, barge, and crane needed to transport and install the new materials. Since R.L. Morrison was willing to waive these expenses, we could get a new dock for just the price of the materials, but we needed to act fast. With the help of UGA’s Office of Research, UGAMI Director, Merryl Alber, cobbled-together the funds to purchase a new walkway, ramp, pilings, and floats. The savings was enormous, and the old wooden dock was replaced with a more durable aluminum structure with space for six small boats.
Just before the Post Office Creek dock replacement opportunity arose, we had also replaced the single floating dock at our boat haulout. This makes it easier to launch and retrieve boats. By making it easier to launch our boats and get underway, we can spend more of our time pursuing our mission: conducting research.
