Happy rattlesnakes mean a happy island! Conservation Connection sat down with Joseph Colbert, a wildlife biologist with the Jekyll Island Authority. He studies eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, and uses this knowledge to inform management decisions that keep the entirety of Jekyll Island in harmony with nature!
Joseph Colbert, Wildlife Biologist
Joseph Colbert grew up in Columbia, SC. Following the events of September 11th, at 19 years old, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After two deployments, he concluded his service to attend the University of South Carolina. In pursuit of a profession that would fulfill his ongoing commitment to public service, Colbert graduated with honors from USC in 2011 with a B.S. in Biology. Joseph advanced scientific knowledge and engaged the public about coastal wildlife conservation during two national service contracts as an AmeriCorps member with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center on Jekyll Island. As a graduate student at the University of Georgia’s Odum School of Ecology, he was selected as a Tillman Scholar – one of 60 nationally – and the first from UGA. This prestigious honor is based on Colbert’s leadership and service record. His master’s thesis involved plant and wildlife community response to prescribed fire in rare maritime grasslands. Joseph rejoined the JIA in 2016 and now serves as the island’s first wildlife biologist. He is responsible for minimizing negative interactions and increasing positive interactions between people and wildlife while pursuing opportunities to enhance the value of the island’s habitats. In 2018 Colbert joined the Rattlesnake Conservancy as a volunteer Research Associate and is a graduate of the 2021 Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders cohort.
About Conservation Connection
Every day, scientists and conservationists around the globe are working to answer critical questions about our rapidly changing environment and the organisms that live there; the minute details of their work reveal both the beauty and the precarious balance of the natural world. Join the Conservation Connection team as we interview today’s leading wildlife scientists and conservationists about their most recent discoveries. Listen in to hear the ongoing story of the environmental work being done to protect our planet’s future!