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Naturalist Symposium
Tap into Nature: Using apps, social media, and citizen science to explore the outdoors
Friday - Science and Sips
March 13th, 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Join us for a reception to kick off our symposium weekend! Come enjoy the Garden, shift your perspective through our Nature Magnified Photography Show featuring up close and unique views of our natural world and be inspired by the Chattahoochee Riverkeepers dedicated work in our community and their first riverkeeper Sally Bethea’s story with a screening of “Saving the Chattahoochee”. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.
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Schedule:
5:00 - 7:00pm - Farmhouse Open for gallery viewing and photography show reception
6:30 - 8:00pm - Gather under tent on patio for a quick presentation from Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and start the film
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Proceeds are benefitting Chattahoochee Riverkeeper
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Nonmember adults: $12
Nonmember kids: $8
Member Adults: $5
Member Kids: Free
Saturday - Speaker Day
March 14th, 8:45 am - 2:00 pm
Tap into Nature: Using apps, social media, and citizen science to explore the outdoors
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At the Columbus Botanical Garden our mission is to celebrate the beauty, inspiration, and wonder of the natural world while educating current and future stewards of its care. Our annual Naturalist Symposium intends to accomplish this by instilling a sense of curiosity and igniting a love of the natural world in our surrounding community. This year's event will focus on using technology to deepen our connection to nature.
Join us at the Columbus Botanical Garden for our first day of the naturalist symposium to hear from experts that are doing research, outreach and programs using apps like iNaturalist, Seek and Merlin. We are excited to be hosting a great lineup of speakers from across the region to educate and inspire our community. . Our speaker day will be capped with a keynote presentation by Janisse Ray!
Janisse Ray
Keynote Speaker
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Janisse Ray is an acclaimed author, environmental activist, and compelling storyteller whose work bridges culture, ecology, and the human experience. With a special ability to illuminate the deep connections between people and place, she invites audiences into thoughtful reflection and meaningful conversation. We are honored to welcome her as our keynote speaker and look forward to the insight and inspiration she will bring to this year’s Naturalist Symposium.
Meg Hedeen
Guest Speaker
Meg Hedeen is a biologist with US Fish and Wildlife’s Georgia Ecological Services Field Office located in Athens, GA. With the Service, Meg serves as both the Pollinator Coordinator and a Transportation Liaison working with federally protected and at-risk species.
Jennifer Ceska + Will Rogers
Guest Speakers
Topic: Georgia Grasslands Initiative Project in iNaturalist: How You Can Help Wildlife by Joining This Community Science Project
Join conservation botanist, Jennifer Ceska, and botanical research specialist, Will Rogers, to learn about documenting native plants on the lands in Georgia. We will provide detailed information on why the project was conceptualized for conservation of wildlife and how taking photos and submitting them to iNaturalist is exceptional plant conservation action. Thanks to Georgians across the state, the project has grown exponentially since its inception in the spring of 2021. Find out how the massive amount of data is currently being used by the U.S. Forest Service, Georgia State Department of Natural Resources, many other federal and state partners, and farmers in Georgia.
About Will: Will Rogers is a Research Professional at the State Botanical Garden of Georgia at the University of Georgia where he specializes in rare and endangered plant species. He is a native of south Georgia where he developed a knack for noting strange and unusual relationships in the natural world. His professional career at UGA began in the Plant Biology Department as he was obtaining a degree in Psychology. He worked a total of 17 years in the department with the last 10 of those years focusing on Sarracenia (Pitcher Plants). He joined the State Botanical Garden’s Science and Conservation team in late 2017 where his work focuses on public service and outreach, horticulture, and genetic analysis.
About Jennifer: Jennifer Ceska is Public Service and Outreach Faculty at the University of Georgia and has served since 1995 as Conservation Coordinator in the Science & Conservation Program of the State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens. This is Jennifer’s 30th year serving as Lead Coordinator for the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance. Her passion is helping people see the value of plants, particularly native plants, in our daily lives and how gardening with native plants is an essential conservation action.
Sarah Kelsey
Guest Speaker
Topic: How I Accidentally Became the Top iNaturalist Observer in the State, and You Can, Too!
About Sarah: Sarah E. Kelsey is an autistic attorney, naturalist, writer, and photographer. Her legal work seeks to end the unjust segregation of people with disabilities. Her creative work focuses on nature through a neurodivergent perspective. Sarah studied botany at Rutgers University and worked at public gardens on the East and West coasts prior to moving to Atlanta to attend law school at Emory University. Sarah has served on the Georgia Botanical Society board since 2024, and prior to that, she was the inaugural chair of the Maureen Donohue Habitat Conservation Fund Committee. In her free time, she explores and documents the wildlife of the Southeast and publishes weekly essays in a newsletter called Falling in a Bog. Her essays and photographs can be found at https://sarahekelsey.substack.com/.
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