Author: Matthew Humphrey

Providing for Wildlife at Horton Pond

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Yank Moore, JIA Natural Resources Manager

Horton Pond has become a destination for many guests and their families while visiting Jekyll. The wildlife viewing area, basking platform, and nature trail funded by the Jekyll Island Foundation allows visitors a chance to experience the American Alligator, Night Herons, Wood Ducks, and various other wildlife in their natural habitat. The JIA Conservation team’s goal for this project has been to provide a space for people to enjoy nature while improving habitat value for wildlife, increase educational opportunities, and encourage guests to become better stewards of the environment.

Beyond what is visible to the public, the JIA’s Conservation Department manages Horton Pond to be as productive and natural as possible without using harsh chemicals or other invasive means of control. Instead, sterile grass carp were introduced to eat the underwater aquatic plants that would normally take herbicide to control, and a recently installed solar aeration system to supply much needed oxygen for fish and other underwater wildlife to flourish.

Recently another upgrade was made to the pond. Funded by generous donors of the Jekyll Island Foundation, a solar aeration system was installed to not only provide oxygen, but enhance water quality, limit excess nutrients, and keep algae from causing issues for wildlife. Horton Pond is man-made and has no natural water input like a stream or river so it must rely on surface runoff and groundwater. Without management this pond could suffer from a stagnation effect and without the aeration system the pond could go through cycles of bad health. The system installed at Horton Pond is powered completely by a solar panel harnessing the power of the sun and is efficient enough with timers and controls to run even on cloudy days.

To see the system in action, visit Horton Pond early in the mornings when aeration system is on and when the pond needs it the most.

The island’s lush tree cover is not all mother nature’s doing

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

by Erica Glasener, Atlanta Magazine Custom Media
Photos: Brian Lee, JIA Digital Content Manager

Jekyll Island’s magnificent trees, most notably the grand live oaks that line roadways and make up a good part of the native canopy, are a well-known and much-loved element of the look and feel of the island. The beauties filter the air, provide welcome shade, furnish needed habitat for the area’s pollinators, and supply a year-round elegance that is a part of the very definition of the island.

What visitors and residents may not be aware of, though, is the great lengths that are taken to maintain and preserve these natural wonders.  

Cliff Gawron, the director of landscape and planning for the Jekyll Island Authority, and his team are charged with keeping the island looking beautiful and natural. When it comes to the trees of Jekyll, “Our primary focus is to preserve the overall native canopy which Jekyll is known for,” Gawron says.

…

“In addition to annual appropriations from the JIA general budget, the Jekyll Island Authority works closely with several organizations—Georgia Forestry, Garden Clubs of Georgia, and the Jekyll Island Foundation through grants and donor gifts to further invest in reforestation of the island,” he says.

This article first appeared in Volume 5 Number 1 of 31•81, the Magazine of Jekyll Island. CONTINUE READING

To learn how you can support the Jekyll Island Foundation tree program, click HERE.

Dave Jackson and Jekyll Island’s Dolphin Club

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator

When Jekyll Island State Park first opened to the public in 1948, it was accessible only to white visitors. In 1950, black leaders from nearby Brunswick petitioned for and won access to the island’s beaches, and St. Andrews Beach at the south end was designated for use by black visitors. Ten years after Jekyll Island’s grand opening, the Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel, a beach resort for black vacationers, opened at St. Andrews Beach—and it would soon be under new management.

The first version of the Dolphin Club lasted less than a year. The hotel officially opened for business in August of 1959, then closed later in 1959 due to financial difficulties. The Jekyll Island Authority bought the property for $299,000. In 1960, they leased it to its longest-running proprietor—Dave Jackson, a respected black banker, farmer, and businessman from the small town of Adel, Georgia.

Jackson’s hometown reputation preceded him. In 1948, a white journalist named Roy Sprigle spent a month traveling across the South, focusing on the experiences of a range of black people in the region. He published his experiences as a serialized article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and he focused one chapter entirely on Jackson’s notable success as a black farmer in a small southern community. According to Sprigle, Jackson owned two blocks of business property in Adel, along with a thousand acres of some of the best land in Georgia. He was known throughout his community as a hard worker and generous man who helped other farmers, black and white, in times of need. Dave and his wife, Comer King Jackson, worked hard to make themselves known as devoted advocates and examples for their family and their neighbors.

More than a decade later, Dave Jackson’s devotion to his family followed him to Jekyll Island and the Dolphin Club. In 1960, Jackson leased the Dolphin Club property from the Jekyll Island Authority. While Jackson oversaw the entire property, his sisters Annabelle Robinson and Betty Chandler managed the hotel, and his nephew James Chandler supervised the Dolphin Club Lounge. In the years that followed, the Jackson family turned the Dolphin Club into a thriving black vacation destination. As part of the Chitlin’ Circuit, a chain of venues that catered to black performers and audiences, the Dolphin Club Lounge soon attracted big name acts like B.B. King, Clarence Carter, and Percy Sledge. In 1964, Otis Redding performed at the St. Andrews Auditorium, a space built to hold larger performances and conventions on the south end of the island.

All state-owned facilities on Jekyll Island were integrated in 1964, and the Jackson family closed the Dolphin Club in 1966. In the decades since the resort’s closure, the Dolphin Club and the family who brought it so much success have become part of Jekyll Island’s history, celebrated by Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum. In 2022, Mosaic is excited to share the past 75 years of state ownership of Jekyll Island. To join in the celebration, make sure to explore upcoming programs and opportunities on the Jekyll Island website. To learn more about black history on Jekyll Island, visit the interactive timeline here.

In celebration of Black History Month and the 75th anniversary of state ownership of Jekyll Island, explore the island’s unique black history and musical history—all in one tour! Join the Dolphin Club Days guided trolley tour travels around the south end of the island and includes a musical performance by Ace Winn and refreshments on the grounds of the historic Dolphin Club and Motor Hotel. On the way back to the Mosaic, enjoy music from performers who visited the Dolphin Club and hear oral histories about what life was like on Jekyll Island in the 1950s and 1960s. The tour lasts approximately one hour and fifteen minutes and begins at Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum.

Turtle Crawl Returns to the Road

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

Alexa Hawkins, JIA Director of Marketing & Communications

Run a race, save a turtle! Turtle Crawl, the fan-favorite annual race event, returns to the road on Saturday, April 30, 2022! After its 2020 cancelation and virtual format in 2021, sea-turtle lovers can once again race on Jekyll Island in celebration of the start of sea turtle nesting season on the Georgia coast. This important fundraising event supports the lifesaving work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Your support helps continue the Center’s mission of sea turtle rehabilitation, research, and education.

Join other race participants at Great Dunes Beach Park to compete in one of three on-island race options —a 10K, a 5K, or a one-kilometer family Fun Run—and receive a commemorative t-shirt for participating. Those who place at the top of their category will also receive a 2022 race metal. Participants can also pose for a photo with the Center’s official mascot, Scute C. Turtle, and friends. For those who want to support the Georgia Sea Turtle Center from afar, or simply sleep in and still get a t-shirt, registrants can join the race through a virtual Ghost Crawler option.

After the races, participants can join the Georgia Sea Turtle Center for their annual event, Shell-e-Brate, for free family activities and hands on learning, in addition to seeing the real-time rehabilitation of current patients, happening all day at the Center.

Turtle Crawl was created in 2003 as a fundraiser for the Georgia Sea Turtle Center which, with more than a decade in operation, has provided care for more than 3,000 patients, including a variety of sea turtle species and other coastal wildlife. Turtle Crawl participants have raised more than $100,000 to help save sea turtles, with more than $24,000 raised in 2021!

Become a sea turtle ambassador and race for a cause at this one-of-a-kind event supporting sea turtle conservation. Be sure to register soon as race registrations increase March 10!

Celebrating 75 Years of the State Era

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator & Lydia Cobb, JIA Marketing Communications Manager

There was a time when Jekyll Island was famous for its exclusivity. A place only those with means stepped ashore. But upon the Island’s purchase in 1947, Jekyll quickly evolved to a destination like no other, bringing forward its now equally fascinating State-era history. As the island embarks on its 75th year as a state park, these are just a few of the moments in time that transitioned Jekyll Island from its Club era to State era—and into modern day:

  • Visiting and living here is made possible in 1947 when the State of Georgia purchases the island from the Jekyll Island Club through condemnation proceedings for $675,000, about $6.7 million today.
  • In 1948, Georgia Governor Melvin Thompson describes this Southern state of mind, a year after purchase: “A playground that now belongs to every Georgian.” But who will manage this new playground in the Golden Isles? A wonderland with Spanish moss draped on centuries-old live oaks, pristine beaches, and dolphins splashing just offshore.
  • The Jekyll Island Authority is established in 1950 to operate the island in stewardship of its natural and cultural resources. Seven years after the state acquires Jekyll, a drawbridge opens in 1954, leading to the opening of the Jekyll Island Causeway as America drives forward.
  • During segregation, St. Andrews Beach opens to black visitors at the southern end, one of few oceanfront gathering places accessible to blacks in the South at the time. The famous Dolphin Club opens in 1959 and hosts dozens of Blues legends including Otis Redding and B.B. King. All state-operated facilities are integrated on Jekyll Island in 1964, paving the way for the further integration of Georgia’s diverse population and the rest of the South.
  • As the Authority focuses on historic preservation and adding new leisure amenities, the Club-era is recognized in 1978 through the historic designation of the Jekyll Island Club National Historic Landmark District. Summer Waves water park opens in 1987 as a new recreational offering and attracts a new generation of families.
  • Beginning in the mid-2000s, the island undergoes a revitalization period to update and enhance its facilities. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center opens as the state’s only wildlife hospital and rehabilitation facility for sea turtles in 2007. An updated, silver LEED-certified convention center opens in 2012 and remains the only oceanfront convention center in the Southeast. New residential communities and flagship hotels bring enhanced accommodations to the island. And, in 2019 Jekyll Island ranks as the #1 U.S. Travel Destination by Money Magazine.

Now, as the new year kicks off, all of Jekyll Island will commemorate the last 75 years with anniversary events, new programming, and other celebratory experiences throughout 2022. Join Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, on Thursday, February 3 from 4-6 p.m. for a special exhibit opening highlighting the state park purchase and the creation of “Fabulous Jekyll Island.” View photos from the island’s opening in 1947, enjoy themed activities and refreshments, and sign up to participate in a commemorative oral history program! After the kickoff, stay updated on events and activities throughout the year by visiting jekyllisland.com/75.

Shorebirds

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Ben Carswell, JIA Director of Conservation and Sustainability

The partnership between the Jekyll Island Authority, Georgia Audubon, Georgia Sea Grant, and Jekyll Island Foundation to support a State Sea Grant Fellowship based on Jekyll Island in 2020 and 2021 has ended following a productive and enriching year for Sergio Sabat-Bonilla. While Sergio has moved on to Ph.D. studies at Virginia Tech, thanks to his efforts, we now have a more complete understanding than ever before of how, when, and where shorebirds are using Jekyll Island’s beaches.

During his fellowship, Sergio logged countless hours surveying all of Jekyll’s beaches by bike and on foot, counting and identifying over 18-thousand individual birds representing 16 different species. Sergio found that the best time and place to see the greatest abundance of shorebirds while on island, is in the morning on the south end as the tide is rising but not yet high.

Another aspect of Sergio’s fellowship was to analyze four priority species – Wilson’s plover, piping plover, red knot, and American oystercatcher. Areas of research focused on where these species were most likely to be seen, at what stage of the tide, and at what time of day.

Piping plovers, a species that winters on Jekyll Island and is federally protected under the Endangered Species Act, were notably wider ranging along the beaches than had previously been assumed. Pipers, as they are affectionately called, and their cousins, the Wilson’s plover, utilize both Jekyll’s remote and less traveled beaches on the far south end of the island as well as the busier beaches fronting the island’s bustling Beach Village and Great Dunes Beach Park.

While it’s encouraging that these species are still finding space and food to support their needs even on Jekyll’s busiest beaches, it’s also cause for caution and awareness. As Jekyll Island has experienced increased visitation due to changing patterns of tourism during the pandemic, it is all the more essential for Jekyll Island conservation staff to continue to protect the wildlife habitat value of both Jekyll’s most pristine beaches as well as its most visited ones.

How can you participate?

  1. Be mindful and respectful of birds when visiting or walking pets on the beach.
  2. Educate – read articles on Wildlife Research, become an Environmental Steward, or sign up to take a seasonal Ranger Walk or Gatorology adventure.
  3. Help with bird conservation efforts by donating HERE.

Plunging into Winter Rescue

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Nicki Thomas, JIA’s GSTC Education Program Manager

With more than $8,000 raised in support of sea turtles, the inaugural Cold-Stunned Plunge was held Saturday, November 27th to benefit the rehabilitation efforts of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Saturday morning was indeed chilly as the island welcomed nearly 250 participants to bravely plunge into the Atlantic Ocean. The event was inspired by the journey of the Center’s winter patients stunned by the cold weather.

As marine reptiles, rapidly changing weather and the geography of the coast can lead sea turtles into trouble. Each year, as water temperatures drop below 60 degrees Fahrenheit, hundreds of cold-stunned (similar to hypothermia) sea turtles wash onto land. Cold-stunning impacts a sea turtle’s metabolism, immune system, and can lead to skin and shell wounds from being tossed on to rocky shores.

The timing of the Cold-Stunned Plunge was the perfect prelude to the following week as ten cold-stunned sea turtles arrived for care at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. The turtles were originally rescued and admitted to the New England Aquarium days before they were transported south by volunteers from Turtles Fly Too, LLC. Eight Kemp’s ridleys, one green, and one loggerhead sea turtle arrived late afternoon at the Jekyll Island airport.

Initially, each sea turtle was examined, bloodwork was processed, and radiographs were taken by Dr. Norton and the rehabilitation staff. All the new patients received fluid therapy to combat dehydration, low blood sugar, and/or low blood protein. Many arrived with severe pneumonia which is treated using nebulization. Nebulization allows the turtles to breathe medications directly into their lungs where it is needed most. Some of the sea turtles also have abrasions and external wounds treated with an antibiotic cream called silver sulfadiazine, which is often used to treat human patients with severe burns. Watch our newest Scute’s School video to learn more about winter survival and cold-stunned sea turtle patients.  

The primary species impacted by cold stunning is the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle, which is considered a critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Species (IUCN). Every turtle returned to the wild makes a true impact in the future of the species. It takes government agencies, private corporations, volunteers, and non-profits, like the Jekyll Island Foundation, to make such a regional partnership possible. We are excited to continue sharing the stories of patients as they make their recovery and are returned to their ocean home.

To help fund cold stunned and other wounded turtles recover at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE.

Holly Jolly Jekyll Returns!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Summer Conley, JIA Marketing Coordinator

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner: The Holly Jolly Jekyll season returns November 26 through January 2 and the halls are decked and ready to celebrate!

The island is buzzing with seasonal festivities and family-friendly events, including the Holly Jolly Light Tours, where visitors can enjoy a trolley ride around the island to take in more than one million lights! The whole family can sit back, relax, and view the lights from Beach Village to the Historic District. Trolley riders will enjoy festive holiday beverages and music to sing along to! For those interested in enjoying the lights from the comfort of their own vehicle, Jekyll Island also offers a Self-Guided Light Tours experience through directional signage and a Google-enabled map showcasing the island’s best light displays!

On behalf of its Georgia Sea Turtle Center, the Jekyll Island Authority will also be introducing its newest event of the season, the Cold-Stunned Plunge happening November 27! This fun (and a little frigid!) fundraising event will benefit the rehabilitation efforts of the Center, on behalf of the Jekyll Island Foundation. Mascot Scute C. Turtle and friends will cheer on participants and hang around for festive photos while they collect their commemorative t-shirts.

Other fun activities include Peppermint Land at Jekyll Island Mini Golf, where visitors can enjoy one or both of the 18-hole courses while surrounded by life-size gumdrops, peppermint sticks, gingerbread friends, and more. Play into the evening and enjoy the lights all season long! Drive-in movies featuring ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and Holiday Fireworks will also be happening on select nights.

Visitors looking to do a little holiday shopping can also stop by the newest addition to the season, the Holly Jolly Jekyll Trading Post! Enjoy a festive selection of novelties and collectibles at this Christmas-themed shop and pick up official ‘Holly Jolly Jekyll’ holiday gifts of the season!

And, for those interested in spreading some holiday cheer, there’s no better time to give the gift of a membership to the Jekyll Island Foundation. Memberships directly support the funding of Jekyll Island’s natural, cultural and historic resources through conservation, preservation, and educational projects. Whether visiting for the night or all season long, a membership is a wonderful way to ensure the magic of Jekyll Island remains beyond the season.

The Wanderer Memory Trail

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Taylor Davis, JIA Historic Preservationist

The Jekyll Island Foundation is pleased to announce the award of a grant from the Friends of Coastal Georgia History to fund upgrades and enhancements to the Wanderer Memory Trail. Located at the south end of Jekyll Island in the St. Andrews picnic area, the Trail serves as an interactive, educational experience meant to interpret the event of the ship, Wanderer, coming aground on Jekyll Island. The site is designated a ‘Site of Memory’ under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Slave Route Project, an international initiative that works to discover details about and promote awareness of the transatlantic slave trade and history of slavery.

The Wanderer was the second to last documented ship to bring an illegal cargo of people from Africa to the United States and on November 28, 1858, more than 400 enslaved Africans arrived on the shores of Jekyll Island, leaving behind one deadly journey only to begin another. Wanderer survivors consisted of kidnapped children, captive warriors, ambushed traders, and African royalty, with the majority being boys between 13 and 18 years old.

In 2018, the Jekyll Island Authority enhanced a tribute previously built in honor of the Wanderer Survivors, by replacing existing historical site markers—erected in modern day St. Andrews Beach Park where the Wanderer ran aground attempting to enter Jekyll Creek—with a permanent multimedia installation that offers greater interactive opportunities for education and understanding. Made up of eight (8) individual exhibits, the Trail walks visitors through the story of Umwalla, a young African boy brought to America on the ship, from when he was captured until he is freed. Historical information is also included along the way to aid parents/caregivers in the explanation of context and complex issues to children.

In the years since the Trail was built, the Authority has tended the exhibit, observing its usage, and seeking feedback on the guest experience. A series of enhancements and improvements were identified that take advantage of current technological advances and more effective storytelling aides to ensure visitor enjoyment as well as appropriate interpretation of complex and compelling historical and educational narratives. Improvements include an additional solar-powered audio station with new oral histories, repair of a solar panel on a current audio station, rerouting the trail to improve visitor safety while lowering the impact of visitors on the adjacent natural environment, and replacing and/or redesigning damaged (i.e., by weather) interpretive exhibits to withstand the elements and repeated interactions with visitors. Enhancements are expected to be complete by mid-spring 2022.

On your next trip to Jekyll Island be sure to visit the Wanderer Slave Ship exhibit in the Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum gallery. For more information on the Wanderer Memory Trail, click HERE.