ORAS December speaker meeting and Christmas market!

Come to Sandy Creek Nature Center, on Hwy 441 just north of Athens, this Thursday at 6:30pm for our Christmas market and speaker meeting! Among the items on sale will be T-shirts and sweatshirts branded with our beautiful ORAS Yelowthroat logo designed by Alison Huff.

Investigations of American Alligator Habitat Use and Population Abundance on Jekyll Island

Greg Skupien will discuss a research project that focuses on the habitat and behavior of American alligators on Jekyll Island and the conflicts that can arise from alligator-human interactions. In an effort to refute common misconceptions of the American alligator and stress their ecological importance, Skupien will discuss the basic biological and behavioral characteristics of these large, native reptiles.

For the past two years, Greg has worked on Jekyll Island as a researcher at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development in the Odum School of Ecology. His professional interests focus on conservation of perceived nuisance wildlife and translating biological field data into management recommendations and public awareness efforts to reduce human-wildlife conflict.