Protecting Georgia’s Gem, the Ogeechee River
April 19 Ocean Plaza Coastal Ecology Lecture Series to Feature Executive Director of Ogeechee Riverkeeper
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
(TYBEE ISLAND, GA) Emily Markesteyn, executive director of the Ogeechee Riverkeeper, will be the featured speaker at this month’s Ocean Plaza Beach Resort Coastal Ecology Dinner Lecture Series, Thursday, April 19 at 7 p.m. at the hotel’s Dolphin Reef Oceanfront Restaurant. Markesteyn’s lecture will focus on blackwater river ecosystems. The lecture will be preceded by a wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m. in the Dolphin Reef Bar, and dinner will be served in the Dolphin Reef main dining room at 6:30 p.m. The standard Dolphin Reef dinner menu will be offered. To RSVP, please call 912-786-8400.
The Ogeechee Riverkeeper was formed to protect, preserve and improve the water quality of the Ogeechee River and its major tributary, the Canoochee River. The blackwater rivers flow freely through eastern Georgia, draining a 5,540 square-mile basin that encompasses wetlands, forests, farms, and scores of towns and cities, including Statesboro and Savannah. The Ogeechee Riverkeeper helps raise awareness and aggressively responds to critical issues that affect the Ogeechee River basin.
Markesteyn is a 2003 graduate of Emory University, where she majored in environmental studies. She served for two years as a research assistant for the Caretta Research Project on Wassaw Island and for an additional period as a National Marine Fisheries Service endangered species observer. During her lecture, Markesteyn will talk about blackwater rivers, the dangers of mercury and the importance of cypress trees to the ecosystem.
About the Coastal Ecology Dinner Lecture Series
Created by Ocean Plaza Beach Resort Innkeeper Harry Spirides, the Coastal Ecology Dinner Lecture Series is held at the resort’s Dolphin Reef Oceanfront Restaurant on the third Thursday of every month and is open to the public. The multimedia lectures, which feature topics pertaining to coastal ecology, are presented by distinguished experts in the field but given in terminology everyone can understand. There is no entry fee or cover charge to attend the presentations. The lectures are preceded by a wine and cheese reception at 6 p.m. in the Dolphin Reef Bar, and the standard dinner menu is served in the Dolphin Reef main dining room at 6:30 p.m. for those attending who are hungry. The Coastal Ecology Lectures begin at 7 p.m. and last for approximately 45 minutes, followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer period.
Among the topics covered at past Coastal Ecology Dinner Lectures were the effect of changing climates on marine ecosystems, coral habitats off Georgia and adjacent states, the declining sea turtle population and the area’s wild dolphin population.
About the Ocean Plaza Beach Resort
There has been a resort hotel continuously operating on the Ocean Plaza Resort property for more than 120 years. The property is located on Tybee Island at 15th Street and oceanfront, about 20 minutes east of historic downtown Savannah. For more information on the Ocean Plaza Beach Resort, call 912-786-7777, email info@oceanplaza.com or visit www.oceanplaza.com .