Coastal Ecology Internship with GA DNR CRD
Authors: Jonah Rigdon
Faculty Supervisor: C. Tate Holbrook, Ph.D.
Community Partner: The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division (GA DNR CRD)
Abstract:
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division (GA DNR CRD) was everything I had hoped it would be and more. The GA DNR CRD sets out to “balance coastal development and protection of the coast’s natural assets, socio-cultural heritage and recreational resources for the benefit of present and future generations”, and I worked specifically with the wetlands team which focuses on salt marsh preservation. I was involved with multiple projects over the summer, including living shorelines, oil spill cleanup teams for the Golden Ray, a study comparing gulf coast marshes to southeast marshes funded by a Coastal Incentive Grant on Little Saint Simons Island, and a study looking at which organisms utilize marsh shorelines. All these studies were connected in how they focus on marsh health, and I gained a wealth of knowledge from them.
