With well over 380 attendees, the 2023 Georgia Water Resources Conference (GWRC) on March 30 and 31 drew interest across sectors in the Southeast. Hosted by the River Basin Center at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel, the conference has been an important gathering for major players in Georgia water since its genesis in 1989.
This year marked the conference’s 18th biennial meeting, with a record number of attendees. It featured 130 talks and a poster session with 47 presenters.
“The GWRC is exceptional for the sheer diversity of participants—academics and federal scientists interact with local and state officials, NGO representatives, and consultants,” said Seth Wenger, director for science at the River Basin Center. “It’s a critical forum for connecting researchers and managers around urgent water issues. It’s also a fantastic networking opportunity for our students.”
The conference offers attendees a chance to connect with current—and potential—collaborators.
“The GWRC has been an essential venue for the Georgia Aquatic Connectivity Team since at least 2017, as a place where many of our partners from state and federal agencies, NGOs, private consultants, academics, and interested individuals come together to network and share our work every other year,” said Sara Gottlieb, a session organizer and the Nature Conservancy’s Southern Appalachians Freshwater Director.
The Nature Conservancy was one of the meeting’s 28 sponsors, alongside its main funder, the Georgia Water Resources Institute. The next conference won’t convene again until 2025, so until then check out some of the highlights from the conference in the photos above.
