Final Thoughts (For Now)

 Hello Reader,

For today’s post, as the semester is coming to a close, I will be reflecting on how my perspective of biodiversity has grown and changed in these last few months.

In doing my research into biodiversity and ecology in general, it became adamantly clear how interconnected different lifeforms (and their environments) are within ecosystems. This holds true regardless the location or the characteristics of the habitat being looked at. I think this is very important to remember, because as many in our field work to perhaps conserve different species or remove nonnative ones, it is vital we understand their specific role(s) in their habitat, so that we ensure we are doing more good than harm with our actions.

I also learned about how great the biodiversity can be even in a relatively small area of study. For instance, throughout the course of the semester I researched the Chattahoochee River and the surrounding area, and learned so much about the flora and fauna present, as well as how the physical environment impacts the river itself and the species within and around it. This was a very beneficial project to me not only because I recently moved to Georgia and now have a better understanding of the native (and nonnative) species I am sharing my environment with, but also because I had never really thought about the diversity of animals and plants that interact with each other in their given ecosystems until I participated in this course. It was also shocking to me the number of nonnative species present in the area I chose, and I’m certain that is representative of much of the country. Considering how detrimental these invasive plants and animals can be, and how they effect the ecosystems they invade, I think it is very important to be aware of their presence so that actions can be taken to maintain and restore ecosystems’ native species in order to ensure healthy biodiversity for years to come.

Overall, I feel like I got a lot out of this course. Through learning about different research and data collection tools (my maps, web soil survey, etc.), to acquiring a better understanding of the definition of biodiversity as well as the specific biodiversity of different areas, I think the information I have gathered will help me a lot as I continue progressing in my education and career.

I hope you have enjoyed this blog as much as I have enjoyed creating it!

Fran

Starting a Nonprofit in GA

Hello Reader,

For today's post I'm going to be listing the steps required to start a nonprofit in the state of Georgia. These are just general steps for any nonprofit, however, they could also be used to start an environmental org, such as one to protect and/or the Chattahoochee River.

 Steps for establishing a 501c(3) organization in the State of Georgia

1. Formation meeting: Establish a board of directors, officers and their titles, and come up with a name for the nonprofit. The board should create and support a resolution to establish the nonprofit and move towards filing for incorporation and federal tax exemption

2. Acquire a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN): A FEIN is an identification number for all organizations. It is provided by the IRS and becomes permanently associated with the organization. A FEIN can be acquired by filling out an SS-4 form on the IRS website

3. File for incorporation: File an Articles of Incorporation form through the Corporations Division of the Secretary of State’s office. In Georgia organizations must publish an intent to incorporate and pay a $40 fee to do so

4. Establish the organization’s bylaws: Bylaws are the rules and organization and its staff and members must follow. They are required by state law, and must be filed with the IRS when pursuing tax-exemption. It is important the bylaws are congruent with state and federal laws regarding non-profits, so they should be created by someone with an understanding of these laws

5. Seek tax-exemption from the IRS/obtain a 501(c)(3) status: File form 1023 (Application for Recognition of Exemption Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code) with the IRS, which looks at all aspects of the organization’s structure and program. Because of how comprehensive it is, often between 50-100 pages of information are filed. This process costs $600

6. File for state income tax exemption: Submit form 3605 (Application for State Income Tax Determination Letter) and the required documents listed on the form to the Georgia Department of Revenue. This form can be acquired on the Department of Revenue’s website

7. Register with Department of Charitable Solicitations: Fill out form C-100 (Georgia Charitable Solicitations Act Charitable Organization Registration) through the Secretary of State. This process costs $35

8. Ongoing compliance steps (once your nonprofit has been successfully established: 

1. File annual corporate reports 

2. File form 990 (Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax) annually with the IRS (reports income, expense activity, etc.)

3. Report tax exempting information to the state

4. Renew registration with Department of Charitable Solicitations annually 

References:

Foundation Group Inc. 2021. Starting and Maintaining a Nonprofit in Georgia. Foundation Group. 

Available from https://www.501c3.org/state-nonprofit-guide/how-to-start-a-nonprofit-in-georgia/. 

The State of Georgia. 2021. Tax Exempt Organizations (Income Tax) - FAQ. Georgia Department of 

Revenue. https://dor.georgia.gov/tax-exempt-organizations-income-tax-faq#field_related_links-486-0. 

I hope you find these steps informative and perhaps even helpful!

Fran 

The Chattahoochee River Conservancy

Hello Reader,

For today's post I will be sharing a link with you to a presentation highlighting a local group that works towards restoring and protecting the Chattahoochee River, the Chattahoochee River Conservancy: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTzpd9JArXWAkV_n5tiAhkrDW43YzdrGRtuc1i46vjXovTrBq-6skdCTFKb-xwMj1SnAZ1QLmpA6dI-/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=60000

From my research, it seems like a great organization and I would love to volunteer at some point when work slows down, especially now that I am a local to the area.

I hope you find it informative!

Thanks,

Fran

Dendrology

 Hello Reader,

Can you believe it is already the end of July? I can't haha. 

Anyway, for today's post I am going to be sharing a link to a presentation I made featuring some of the trees and shrubs you might find in Atlanta, GA. I picked this location because not only did I just move there this last week, but also because the Chattahoochee River, the subject of much of this blog, runs through it.

I hope you find it informative!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vTbyLH_zQPU_vhKGWEKTZgTcYJqaqsxPChSKk5_SWRLxYomcS16TCv8SX3aGwSsrZE5zGk4vlUuUN7M/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=60000

Best,

Fran

Invasive Species of the Chattahoochee

Hello Reader,

For today's post I am sharing with you a link I made to a slide show discussing a few of the invasive species found in or near the Chattahoochee River. Please use the link to access the slideshow.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQNHad3RRxj7u-k9RIRE1PxghGNzQCGh20ZQSXTk0iZZT6ELibMEtMQwMzfPKtyiee2gYe0OjwYzBCl/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=60000

Thank you,

Fran Darnall

Review of Merlin Bird ID

Hello Reader,

Today’s post will be a review of Merlin Bird ID, an app used for bird identification.

As someone who has always loved birds and bird watching, but only recently decided to put in the effort to learn to identify them, Merlin Bird ID is one of my favorite apps on my smartphone. It is one of many tools provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology to help educate current and aspiring birders.

Merlin Bird ID has a couple helpful features/options I would like to highlight, all of which let you identify birds with whatever information you have at your disposal. They are as follows:

-        Start Bird ID: This is the option you select if you spot a bird you do not recognize. You are then asked where and when you saw the bird, what it was doing, its size, and its color(s). Once this information is provided, you are given a list of potential birds you might have seen, as well as information about those birds (habitat, different calls they make, etc.). This is the feature I use the most on this app, and it has always helped me learn the names of the birds I’m observing.

-        Photo ID: This feature allows you to either take a picture of a bird you are currently looking at, or retrieve one you have saved on your phone. The app then cross references the picture with those in its own database to help ID the bird. This option has not worked particularly well for me yet, as it is often hard to get clear pictures of birds on my phone, but it is cool it is available to try.

-        Sound ID: This is a relatively new feature of the app that I admittedly have not used too much. That said, I have yet to be successful with it, but that is likely attributed to the fact that I live in a noisy city, so it is hard for the app to distinguish different sounds. I am excited to try using this feature once I get the opportunity to go somewhere quieter. I am curious though if it would have trouble IDing and distinguishing the birds if there were multiple different species calling at the same time.

-        Explore Birds: This option is basically a virtual field guide. It lists numerous species of birds, their descriptions, and important information about them. It also lets you play their calls which is a fun and useful tool.

Overall, I would say this is an excellent app, and an excellent tool for anyone interested in bird ID. The first option itself, where you are given a list of possible birds based on the information you enter, has helped me countless times this last year (my sister’s friend recommended it to me last summer!). I would recommend this app to anyone curious about the types of birds they are surrounded by.

Thanks,

Fran

Web Soil Survey Experience

 Hello Reader,

Today I will be discussing my experience as a new user of Web Soil Survey (WSS). It definitely seems like a useful tool for a variety of projects, and provides a wide array of information about numerous different aspects of a given area (big or small). Considering all its capabilities and features, WSS was a little complicated for me to get the hang of initially, but after playing around with it for a while and watching a tutorial, I was able to navigate relatively easily.

The Area of Interest (AOI) I focused on was near the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. I chose this location because it allows me to focus on one section of the Chattahoochee River and the surrounding area. I think it would have been difficult using this tool to outline the entirety of the river, and even if I managed to do so using the drawing tool, the amount of information (considering the length of the river) might have been overwhelming since I have never used WSS before.

As I mentioned before, there are a lot of different things that can be looked at using WSS, and so your map can look different and have a different key based on what information you are trying to learn about your AOI. The image you see below shows my outlined AOI, the different soil types present (represented by the orange letters), as well flooding frequency. According to the map, flooding (at least in this particular area) of the Chattahoochee River never occurs in certain areas, and only occasionally does in others). I was surprised that there wasn’t any level of flooding in between occasional and none, and perhaps this is something I can further explore. I am also curious how the rest of the river compares in terms of flood frequency, so I’ll likely be using this tool again to get information on that.

Overall, I think WSS is an awesome tool that can be utilized for a variety of purposes. I found it a bit confusing at first, but the more I use it the more I’ll understand it, I’m sure.

 

Image: Flooding frequency map of a section of the Chattahoochee River and surrounding land area

Thanks for reading,

Fran