by The University of Georgia, Odum School of Ecology

 

Wormsloe, located on the Isle of Hope near Savannah, was established in 1736 by Noble Jones, one of the original founders of the Colony of Georgia, as a farm and fortification against potential invasion by the Spanish. It has remained under the ownership and management of his descendants ever since. Although it has been inhabited for centuries—Native Americans lived there before European settlement—and has seen various agricultural uses, Wormsloe has never been developed, making it one of the most ecologically intact properties in the area. 

The current owners, ninth generation Jones descendant Craig Barrow III and his wife Diana, created the Wormsloe Institute for Environmental History with WIEH Director and President Sarah Ross and the Wormsloe Foundation in 2007. In 2013, they donated 15 acres to UGA to create the UGA Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe. 

WIEH partnered with the UGA Graduate School to create the Wormsloe Fellows program in 2008, which supports graduate students in ecology, environmental design, geography, anthropology, and engineering. WIEH, the Wormsloe Foundation and the Barrows provide additional support including lodging on site, research facilities and equipment. Fellows meet regularly to discuss their projects with one another, and present their findings at an annual Wormsloe Symposium. The Wormsloe Scientific Advisory Council, composed of UGA faculty, including Odum School Professor Emeritus Ron Carroll, provides guidance on Wormsloe research initiatives.

 

Thanks to the generous support of the Wormsloe Institute for Environmental History and the Wormsloe Foundation, a number of Odum School students and faculty have the opportunity to conduct research at one of the most important sites for the study of ecological and cultural history in the Southeast.