Posted on Friday, May 19, 2023
Students often think of a project as just an assignment they turn in for a grade. But in Dr. John Tures’ Research Methods class this past academic year, the task of providing data to help Okefenokee Swamp supporters secure a UNESCO World Heritage Site bid had real-life effects that brought the undergraduate researchers to the Georgia Capitol on Feb. 8.
When the students arrived at state government headquarters, they were able to meet with Nick Savas, a representative of Sen. Jon Ossoff's office; Dr. Michael Angelo-James, Mayor of Waycross; and other local politicians and Okefenokee Swamp supporters.
“We just walked in and started talking to people,” said Hannah Godfrey ’24. “The representative from Senator Ossoff’s office was very engaging and interested in what we were doing.”
Daniel Cody ’25 said he remembered speaking with two representatives from Georgia Power.
“They wanted to see how this was going to go because it was going to affect their land usage in the area around Okefenokee Swamp,” he said. “Being able to speak with them and see it not only from the government side but also from the corporation side was a cool thing to witness.”
This cause has a diverse array of supporters, including Ossoff (D-GA) and Representative Buddy Carter (R-GA). Dr. Tures said these government officials will press the secretary of the interior to begin the formal process of adding the Okefenokee Swamp to the World Heritage Site list for the United States.
According to Defenders of Wildlife, a national organization based out of Washington, D.C., Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, which takes up 93% percent of the wetlands in the Okefenokee Swamp, is known as the largest national wildlife refuge in the eastern United States, covering more than 400,000 acres. The organization also states that the refuge has over 350,000 acres of congressionally designated National Wilderness Area that houses hundreds of plant and animal species, including the imperiled red-cockaded woodpecker and eastern indigo snake.
The U.S. government once listed the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge as a potential World Heritage Site in 1982 and then moved it to a tentative list in 2007, according to Defenders of Wildlife.
In addition to their visit to the Capitol, Dr. Tures said the students spent classroom hours gathering data, running statistical tests and sharing the data.
“While others focused on the environmental factors, we covered the economic impacts,” he said. “Our students found that counties which have a World Heritage Site have stronger economies, higher income for their residents and lower poverty rates as well as more residents with college degrees, than nearby counties in the state that do not have this designation.”
Dr. Tures’ class had the opportunity to present their project virtually on April 28 to Claire Labrunerie of BrightPath Strategies LLC, who is one of the people helping with the World Heritage Site bid. The class has also been coordinating with Kim Bednarek, Executive Director at the Okefenokee Swamp Park & Okefenokee Adventures.
“It’s so impactful to know that our research has the potential to affect the lives of people living in the area surrounding the Okefenokee Swamp,” said Nicole Morales ’23.
Dr. Tures said the lack of World Heritage Site protection could be detrimental to the preservation of the Okefenokee Swamp.
“There are companies that want to mine the area for titanium,” he said. “Furthermore, there could be developers or other encroachments on the Okefenokee. It has lasted a long time but has probably never faced environmental challenges like this in its history.”
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Baseball
Jared Aldridge ’23, Dalton Brooks ’23, Baley Coleman ’23, Adam Dorn ’24 and Ethan Fry ’24 received the first five College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District selections for the baseball program. That group also broke the school record for the number of honorees. These student-athletes helped lead LaGrange to the first NCAA Division III Regional and Super Regional victories and College World Series in 2022 and have combined for a pair of ABCA/Rawlings All-Region choices, 10 USA South All-Academic honors, five Vice President of Academic Affairs selections, seven weekly conference honors, a Collegiate Conference of the South First-Team choice and three USA South All-Tournament and West Division honors.
Softball
Lindsey Swearngin ’24, Kenzie Hornsby ’25, Lindsey Green ’24 and Abby Vanhoose ’25 claimed the first four College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District selections in the history of the softball program. Each of the Panther honorees distinguished themselves on and off the field with each earning a place on the Vice President of Academic Affairs List in Fall 2022 and a combined six USA South All-Academic honors. Vanhoose and Hornsby claimed the latter in 2022 with Green and Swearngin earning them in each of the past two seasons.
Category: Students, College, Academics
Keywords: Conservation, Government
