The Jones Center at Ichauway

A great day in the woods with a great partner organization!

Last Friday, we welcomed regional land stewards to tour our property and listen to our conservation staff discuss the ins-and-outs of land management for species such as longleaf pine, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and northern bobwhite. 🌲 Hosted by our friends Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy, the Fall Field Days are designed to promote exchange of ideas, foster connections, and enhance the conservation and land management community in the southeast!🤝 . . . . . . . 📸: 1) Guests in covered wagons get excellent morning views of Ichauway on the way to several designated stops. 2) Guests loading up the wagons, conversing about all things natural resources. 3) Clay Sisson, Director of the Albany Quail Project, addresses the group during breakfast before departing for the field tour. 4) Ichauway Conservation Biologist Zach Henshaw talks about red-cockaded woodpecker management.

This week, Lisa Giencke, Madison Ohmen, and Emma Marzolf of our Plant Ecology Lab led a flora-focused immersive experience as part of our internal CORE Curriculum! 🌱 Participants learned the basics of identifying native plants, explored different ecosystems on our property, and tested their skills with some plant collecting challenges! 🌼 📸: 1) Research Associate Lisa Giencke points out plant communities within an open, herbaceous wetland habitat. 2) RaMP participant Jewell Johnson studies grasses for a collection challenge. 3) Research technicians Emma Marzolf and Madison Ohmen go over some key features of native grasses and legumes. 4) Participants search for asters in the blooming understory of a longleaf pine savanna.

In October 2023, seven longleaf pine trees were harvested from The Jones Center and send to Missoula, Montana to be used in the @fsmuseum! 🌲 Researchers in our Ecological Silviculture Lab led this effort and cross-sections of all seven trees were kept on-site. In addition, The Jones Center will provide research, insight, and history of longleaf pine conservation to the museum. 🔗Check out the link below to read more about the museum and our involvement! t.ly/Y5KUi Special thanks to Hallie Turner and the Ecological Silviculture Lab for their contributions to both the museum and the article. We couldn't have done it without you!

Are you interested in small mammal ecology, predator-prey interactions, or studying wildlife communities in the longleaf pine ecosystem? If so, go check out our new seasonal technician position in the Wildlife Ecology lab! 🌲🐭 🔗Feel free to DM us with any questions and check out our jobs page for more info: https://lnkd.in/eQ6DRtb

Hoping to see this sight today?🦌 Rifle season is officially open in Georgia. In many parts of North America, large carnivores have been extirpated from the landscape, which means hunting is a critical part of white-tailed deer management. Reducing herd size helps control disease spread, maintain genetic diversity, and promote the health of the overall population. Furthermore, natural resource agencies use the funds from hunting license, rifle, and ammunition sales to conserve and manage wild game populations and their habitats, which benefits the larger ecosystem! 🌎️

What does this fish have in common with an angry male turkey? Well it's a Madtom of course! 🦃🐟️ This Fish Fry-day, check out the Speckled Madtom (Noturus leptacanthus)! Endemic to the southeast, these small catfish inhabit riffles and runs of sandy-bottomed streams. Did you know the 'whiskers' on catfish are called barbels? 🐱 Check back next week for more fishy facts!

We are excited to host one of the two @talltimbersresearch Fall Field Days next Friday, October 25th! Interested in exploring the world of longleaf pine ecosystems, northern bobwhite quail management, and more? 🔥🌲 Check out this link to register! t.ly/ZW2tK

We love hosting university and college course field trips! 🔬 Students in a variety of disciplines work with our staff to learn techniques and gain valuable experience in the world of natural resources. 🦝🌲🔥🌊 Check the amazing students and instructors we've recently hosted! 📸 1) The College of Coastal Georgia Wetland Plant Taxonomy course. 2) The University of Georgia Mammalogy course. 3) The Arkansas Tech University Ecological Forestry course.

Ready to dip into the wet and wild world of upland longleaf pine forest hydrology? This amazing opportunity to help conduct impactful science may be for you! 🌲🌊 🔗Check out more on our jobs page here: https://lnkd.in/eQ6DRtb