Final Fundraiser: $25 for 2025!
Yes, it’s true. As my senior year approaches, I will be saying a lot of hard goodbyes including my final project with Earth Inspired Kids. It has been an amazing experience to be able to make a difference on so many levels. My project has evolved from this small little kid picking up cans on the side of the road to raising over $11,000 for conservation and research efforts in southeast Georgia. It has been an honor and privilege to partner with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Satilla River Water Trail Partnership, Caretta Research Project, Jacksonville University’s Lemon Shark project on Little St Simons Island, and the St Simons Sea Turtle Project. But before I go, there is still one more thing left to do to complete my environmental legacy.
This year, I will be raising money to upgrade the Satilla Riverkeeper’s water monitoring program. For the past three years, I have helped monitor water at two sites in the Satilla River watershed, Jamestown Landing and Hacklebarney Creek, and enter data into the Georgia Adopt-A-Stream database. I am partnering with the Satilla Riverkeeper to purchase equipment to create a more advanced, practical program for staff and volunteers. For instance, the current method for acquiring the dissolved oxygen is tedious and can require multiple measurements to get consistent results. A dissolved oxygen meter, however, produces more accurate results in half the time. By having modernized equipment, more volunteers can contribute to active science and the Satilla Riverkeeper staff can more accurately and more quickly address any water quality issues. Also, this allows the database to have more precise data and tracking of Georgia’s rivers and streams that so many people depend on and enjoy. It’s a win-win!
Here’s where you come in! Because I graduate in May 2025, I am calling this project my $25 for 2025 project. My goal is to have 25 people donate $25 for a total of $625 for new equipment. With your help, I hope to leave this program even better than I found it!