Shrimp & Grits Festival earns accolades, national attention

EVENT

How do you make the ‘Best Festival in the Southeast’ even better? With a bit of imagination. And a lot of grits! After earning the top award from the Southeast Festivals and Events Association, the Jekyll Island Authority events staff is working to make the 2019 Shrimp & Grits Festival even more successful. New additions to the festival, which will be held Sept. 20-22, include the ‘Go for the Grits’ 5K race. Participants will literally be going for the grits, with the fastest 200 runners taking home a bag of their own, along with a race t-shirt.

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For The Record

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August 16, 2019

Pappi’s Adventures at THE Georgia Sea Turtle Center

CONSERVATION

Pappi was a juvenile green sea turtle that stranded on Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island on July 29, 2018. Pappi was extremely debilitated and had severe fibropapillomatosis (FP) upon initial evaluation.

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August 16, 2019

Flying to New Heights for Birds with the Mosaic

CONSERVATION

Migratory birds are front and center, welcoming visitors to the Mosaic - the reimagined museum of Jekyll Island.

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August 16, 2019

Continued Restoration of Hollybourne Cottage

PRESERVATION

We have continued the restoration and improvement of Hollybourne Cottage. Tabby paving is now in place and it restores the carriage drive, also referred to as the “welcoming arms.”

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June 13, 2019

Mosaic Revealed!

Events

More than a thousand visitors attended grand opening festivities on April 27 for Mosaic, and since then thousands more have experienced the reimagined Jekyll Island museum.

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April 30, 2019

Enhancing Jekyll Island for Native Wildlife

CONSERVATION / EDUCATION

Opportunities abound on Jekyll to establish and promote ecosystem values that better support the creatures that call our island home – those animals that share the landscape with us, and whose forbears shared it with Jekyll Island Club members and with Native Americans.

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April 30, 2019

Jekyll Island named top travel designation

EVENTS

Money magazine ranked Jekyll Island No. 1 among U.S. travel destinations on its list of “The 20 Best Places to Go in 2019.” This is just one of many accolades earned so far this year.

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April 30, 2019

Night Moves

CONSERVATION

The waters off Jekyll Island will soon be full of giant marine reptiles. We expect the Loggerhead Sea Turtles in our region to begin crawling onto our beaches in May to lay their nests, something they can do up to eight or nine times in a season.

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March 22, 2019

Charity: A Teaching Opportunity

For years the Ross family gave gifts to our six children and 14 grandchildren. In the months leading up to Christmas 2017, my wife, Queenie and I were discussing our thoughts for the upcoming season of giving. We have been very blessed and so have our children and their children. What can we give them that they could take throughout their life? As we thought about it, we could not come up with a single item that they really needed.

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March 19, 2019

Networking: Sea Turtle Rescue, Rehabilitation, and Release in Costa Rica

Read the report—Georgia Sea Turtle Center Director and Veterinarian Dr. Terry Norton shares a personal narrative of the success of GTC's work in Costa Rica. Dr. Norton writes, "The Parque Marino is an aquarium in Costa Rica that participates in sea turtle rehabilitation and has acted as the hub of our training programs.

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March 19, 2019

The Mosaic is Emerging!

We're forty days and counting to the grand reopening of Mosaic, the Jekyll Island Museum. The revitalized museum reflects a complete metamorphosis of the old stables, museum, and gift shop into a dynamic, interactive, and exciting environment where visitors can experience the beauty, history, nature, and culture of Jekyll Island.

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March 15, 2019

Major Horton Road Restored!

The Jekyll Island Foundation's initiative—to make one of the island’s oldest roads available for all to experience and enjoy—is nearing completion. Working alongside the JIA conservation team, the Foundation saw a great opportunity in this project to create connectivity between the Horton House site and the Horton Pond site. Visitors will be able to park in small lots at either site and experience both while enjoying a walk in the woods along a historic route.

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March 12, 2019

Jekyll Island Book Festival

Returns to Beach Village April 6th

Calling all bibliophiles and book worms! The Second Annual Jekyll Island Book Festival will transform the Beach Village Green into a hub of literary activity on Saturday, April 6, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Mosaic Ahead of Schedule

The rundown, old and tired, exhibits at the stable building are gone as is the old theater that was a building inside a building. Thanks to the hard work of the Jekyll Island Foundation, the Stable building is being transformed and reborn. The work on the structure, such as the installation of the climate control, roof, electrical upgrades, and wallboard are ahead of schedule.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Diamond Terrapin Nesting

From the first Terrapin found on April 19 to the last on July 20, 492 adult female Diamondback Terrapins were encountered on the Jekyll Island Causeway attempting to nest. Of those 492, 381 individuals were safely worked up and moved off the road– that’s a save rate of about 80 percent.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Sun, Sand, and Sea Turtle Nests

Jekyll Island is one of only two remaining islands in the state of Georgia that continues to patrol its beaches at night in search of nesting sea turtle. All in all, the patrol team encountered 46 different sea turtle moms depositing their precious eggs beneath the earth. Jekyll Island’s grand total was 121 nests, roughly seven percent of Georgia’s 1,741 total nests.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Turtles Get New Digital X-ray System

The Georgia Sea Turtle Center receives hundreds of injured and ill wildlife patients each year. Patients treated at the GSTC include sea turtles, diamondback terrapins, native freshwater and land turtles, alligators, snakes, and birds. Since opening its doors in 2007, the GSTC has successfully treated and released over 2,500 animals.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Hollybourne Cottage Structural Repairs

The Jekyll Island Foundation’s generous donors helped to defray the cost of the architectural and engineering services that were the key element in the success of this important restoration project. Donor contributions helped to insure that Hollybourne Cottage will remain a spectacular architectural example and important historic asset in our National Historic Landmark District for years to come.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Wilson's Plover Nesting

This year was a tempestuous season for Jekyll Island’s Wilson’s Plovers with record highs and lows. This season the JIA Conservation Staff identified a Jekyll-record 34 Wilson’s Plover nests. After a rough beginning to the season where fish crows moved in and depredated more than 10 nests, we made the decision to remove all camera monitoring equipment to reduce the chance of attracting more attention by fish crows.

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October 8, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Major Horton Road Restored

The Foundation’s initiative to make one of the island’s oldest roads available for all to experience and enjoy is nearing completion. Major Horton Road connects the Historic Horton House colonial site on the west side of the island to the Horton Pond natural area on the east side of the island. The road is an unpaved route quite possibly dating back to colonial times when the Horton House was occupied, but first appearing on maps in 1918, during the Jekyll Island Club era.

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October 8, 2018

Around the Island

Wanderer Memory Trail Opening

On November 28, 1858, more than 400 men, women, and children were brought to shore on Jekyll Island. Illegally smuggled into the United States aboard the Wanderer, a luxury yacht turned slave ship, these captives were among the last groups of enslaved Africans sold into slavery in America.

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October 8, 2018

Around the Island

Holly Jolly Jekyll is Here

It’s the most wonderful time of the year on Jekyll Island. We have “snow” and “ice skating” and plenty of holiday cheer and fun for the whole family. Here are a few highlights of the season.

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February 7, 2018

From Our Executive Director

February is the Month of LOVE

It’s February and the month of love. After running our #LOVEJekyllIsland photo contest in the fall, we heard and saw how many of you LOVE Jekyll Island. How exciting! And here are the results…

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January 10, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Flying Drones for Conservation

Jekyll Island Authority’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center was recently involved in a drone building workshop with four of our partner conservation organizations in Costa Rica.

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January 10, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Newly Wrapped Vans an Integral Part of 2017 Terrapin Patrol

The 2017 diamondback terrapin nesting season officially came to a close on August 1st!

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January 9, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Wilson’s Plover End of Season Report 2017

With the 2017 nesting season behind us, Jekyll Island’s Wilson’s Plovers have migrated away from our beautiful beaches.

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January 9, 2018

Your Dollars at Work

Girls of Summer

Wintertime for the research team means we are reminiscing over the girls of summer (sea turtles that is).

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July 10, 2017

From Our Executive Director

Welcome to our new look and website

This is an exciting week for the Jekyll Island Foundation as we introduce our fresh, new brand identity and website, paving the way for GROWTH!

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July 3, 2017

Your Dollars at Work

Wilson’s Plover Mid-Season Update 2017

Wilson’s Plover nesting season is in full swing here on Jekyll Island and the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) Conservation Department has been busy continuing the advancement of shorebird monitoring efforts with the help of the Jekyll Island Foundation.

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July 3, 2017

Your Dollars at Work

WATCH OUT! New GSTC Vans Hit The Roads.

Have you been driving down the causeway at high tide lately? Well if so, you have probably seen our newly wrapped Georgia Sea Turtle Center vans out and about.

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July 3, 2017

Your Dollars at Work

New Discovery Station Exhibit

The Jekyll Island Authority’s (JIA) Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) is pleased to announce the installation of the brand new Discovery Station exhibit brought to our public through the generous support...

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July 3, 2017

Around The Island

Shrimp & Grits festival just around the bend

Named the “2017 Best Festival in the Southeast” by Southeast Festival and Events Association, the Jekyll Island Shrimp and Grits Festival combines the classic southern dish with family-friendly entertainment...

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July 3, 2017

Your Dollars at Work

Mountain Mama

Jekyll Island is one of only two remaining islands in the state of Georgia that continues to patrol its beaches at night in search of nesting sea turtles. As an ongoing effort that first began in 1958...

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July 3, 2017

Around the Island

State Bond Funds to Improve Life Safety and Access Issues in the Historic District

Recently, the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) board approved $1.6M in state bond funds to be used over the next five years...

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July 3, 2017

Meet Our Board

Barbara Mayo “Boog” Candler

Barbara Mayo “Boog” Candler has two very active passions that have run the thread of her life: land and history. Scratch that. Candler has three very active passions...

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June 8, 2017

From the Executive Director

America the Beautiful

I grew up in Arizona. Anyone who has been out west, especially the southwest, knows ... IT. IS. HOT!

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Contact Us

Jekyll Island Foundation

P.O. Box 13002, Jekyll Island, GA 31527
Phone: (912) 635-4100

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