University of Georgia, Spelman College and Georgia Gwinnett College to Study Knowledge Community’s Watershed Health

Rowen Launches 6^th “Living Lab” on 2,000 Acre Site

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2025) – The Rowen Foundation, in partnership with the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia (UGA), Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) and Spelman College, announces the launch of a comprehensive research program focused on ecologically sustainable watershed development at the Rowen site.

The study will examine how Rowen’s development interacts with the area’s forest streams, wetlands and freshwater ecosystems over a two-and-a-half-year period. Supported by $175,000 in funding from the Rowen Foundation and Georgia Power, the project will collect high-resolution data across three key onsite watersheds, which feed into the Apalachee River.

“This research represents Rowen’s commitment to ensuring that progress and healthy watersheds go hand in hand,” said Mason Ailstock, Rowen Foundation President and CEO. “It will help us better understand how to design and manage infrastructure in ways that sustain biodiversity and natural systems as we build Georgia’s largest knowledge community.”

Led by a diverse team of researchers—including Dr. Seth Wenger and Dr. Rhett Jackson from the University of Georgia, Dr. Elizabeth Sudduth from Georgia Gwinnett College, Dr. Na’Taki Jelks from Spelman College and others—the study will:

• Monitor water quality using multiprobe stations and monthly sampling
• Conduct macroinvertebrate and stream metabolism assessments
• Evaluate stormwater infrastructure performance
• Host a community BioBlitz event in spring 2026 to inventory birds, riparian plants, mammals, amphibians, fish, and other organisms
• Produce biannual reports to inform adaptive design strategies

The study will also create mentorship and field research opportunities for students from UGA, GGC and Spelman. The Odum School of Ecology at UGA will design an undergraduate practicum tied to the study that will train up to 20 students.

In alignment with the Living Lab model, the team will build a scientific advisory committee to help interpret results and advise on future construction and land management. Outreach efforts will include interactive web content, video storytelling and engagement opportunities for businesses and residents. This study is Rowen’s 6th “Living Lab” project.

Initial activities begin soon, with water quality and macroinvertebrate monitoring starting in the summer of 2025 and continuing through December 2027.

To learn more about Rowen’s climate-conscious approach to development and Living Lab partnerships, click here.

About Rowen

Owning 2,000 carefully preserved acres along Highway 316 in Gwinnett County, Ga., Rowen is a visionary knowledge community that will bring together entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators at the intersection of the Atlanta, Athens and Gainesville metropolitan statistical areas and more than 50 research and educational institutions. A new multi-use concept designed to foster discoveries in agricultural, medical and environmental sciences, Rowen will build on the land’s rich history of thoughtful environmental stewardship, while changing the economic and social trajectory of Gwinnett, Georgia and our nation for generations. For more information, please visit www.rowenlife.com.

About Rowen Foundation

Rowen Foundation is the independent, mission-driven, not-for-profit entity leading the planning and visioning of Rowen. With its mission to be a catalyst for education, research, innovation and transformation, the foundation is responsible for project leadership and operations to ensure the long-term vision for Rowen is never compromised.

Media Contact:

Brian Brodrick

404-983-4394

bbrodrick@jacksonspalding.com

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