Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve prepares to mark 50 years of coastal science

DARIEN, Ga. (WTOC) -The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve in McIntosh County will soon mark 50 years of conservation, education, stewardship and research.

The research reserve was officially founded on Dec. 22, 1976. Scientists, educators and conservationists have worked to understand and protect Georgia’s coastal ecosystem at the site.

Research hub serves multiple purposes

The reserve’s mainland Sapelo Island Visitors Center serves as a hub for visitors before they travel to the island.

“And to be a destination in itself to learn about all the great things that we’re doing on the island,” said Brittany Dodge, collaboration and training coordinator for the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The reserve trains the next generation of scientists. Sapelo Island offers a setting for long-term coastal research.

“We have research that’s going on out there that is really hard to be conducted in kind of a more isolated area everywhere along our coast. And so, this is kind of one space that has a lot of different places for us to conduct our research and to have our long-term monitoring program that we have,” Dodge said.

Decades of data inform current research

Long-term data collected decades ago is still used by scientists today as a foundation for current experiments.

In 1998, the reserve hired its first full-time research coordinator, shifting its focus more heavily toward coastal research.

“Some things that are as simple as, you know, how our oysters are doing, which affects the livelihood of a lot of different people on our coast, especially here in McIntosh County,” Dodge said.

The reserve continues to serve its community, hosting trainings on coastal resilience and helping communities prepare for and recover from future storms.

Future research will examine the marsh’s response to changing water quality and challenges of growth along Georgia’s coast.