Category: For the Record

The “ology” of Gatorology

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

Ray Emerson, JIA Lead Park Ranger

“What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word alligator?”  This is the opening question guests are asked by Jekyll Island Park Rangers at the extremely popular Gatorology experience at Horton Pond. Responses range from “awesome”, “dinosaur”, “big”, “teeth”, to “fear”, “eat me”, and “scary”.

“We are most interested in responses similar to those last three – fear, eat me, and scary, ” says JIA Lead Park Ranger Ray Emerson. “It’s important that people understand that they really don’t need to fear these beautiful animals but give them respect they deserve and don’t EVER try to approach, touch, or especially feed an alligator or any other wild creature.”

Gatorology sessions educate guests on a variety of topics, beginning with the history of alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) from prehistoric times up until modern day, as well as their presence on Jekyll Island.  

Next, Rangers discuss research conducted – previous and ongoing – on these true dinosaurs. One of the things staff and volunteers enjoy most is guest reactions after learning that the first true alligator fossil was discovered in 1911 in Montana!!

The highlight of the day is when each guest is afforded an opportunity to see a baby gator up close and even touch it if they like. This is truly an unforgettable experience, especially for the kids whose parents are ready with cameras to document this moment of a lifetime. The alligator “educational representatives” are born at Gatorland in Orlando, Florida, and are bred and raised specifically as captive educational animals.

The session wraps up with a re-emphasis of the Don’t Approach, Don’t Touch, Don’t Feed message with the hope that it will really resonate and stick. “If everyone takes even one thing away from our message today it’s communicate this to friends and family and make it a habit in their lives … then we’ve hit a home run,” says Lead Ranger Emerson.

Gatorology takes place April through September at Horton Pond, a wildlife viewing area made possible by funding from Jekyll Island Foundation donors. The Conservation Department is grateful for the support which makes educational experiences like this possible. For more information or to purchase tickets, click HERE.

Tracking Victoria—A Resident Female Bobcat

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Ben Carswell, JIA Director of Conservation and Sustainability

It’s been seven years since the first photo documentation of bobcats using Jekyll Island. We are excited to share the story of Victoria, a young female bobcat whose movements we have followed since February 2020.

In 2019, with Jekyll Island Foundation support and permitting approvals from Georgia DNR, the conservation team began working to capture and fit a GPS tracking collar on a Jekyll Island bobcat with the goal of enhancing the understanding of habitat use, movement patterns, and potential reproduction by these small but powerful predators. That year attempts to capture a bobcat came up empty handed. Learning from the experience, however, the team adapted their approach and in 2020 found success within a few weeks.

Victoria, whose name is inspired by historic maps identifying the northern tip of Jekyll Island as “Point Victoria”, was estimated to be about one year old when first captured on the south end of Jekyll Island near the soccer complex. She was in good health and, as a female just entering her reproductive years, an ideal subject for closer observation of her activity. Just over one year later, Victoria was fortuitously captured again, allowing the team to fit her with a new collar for another year of tracking.

Thus far, conservation staff have recorded nearly 1200 individual point locations for Victoria spanning widely across the southern 3/4 of the Island. Tracking shows she has not left the island nor ventured to its northern end where it is suspected that another female maintains territory. She frequents the scrubby dune habitat on the far south end of the island, which is known to be a very productive area for prey species such as marsh rabbits, and often visits similar habitat bordering the marsh near the airport. The core of her range is mid-island where her movements affirm the importance of some areas Jekyll Island’s conservation staff has suspected to be high value wildlife corridors. Victoria continues to be closely monitored for any changes in patterns of movement that may indicate she is caring for kittens.

As widely ranging as bobcats need to be to find sufficient prey, Jekyll Island is limited in the number of adult bobcats it can support. Even so, the team is delighted to find that the Island appears to be able to sustain a small population. That said, when a wildlife population is small and constrained by island geography, its persistence can be tenuous. The sustained presence of these predators in our local ecosystem will come down to the success of individuals like Victoria in facing many challenges to survival and reproduction in a landscape that is wild but also never far from the human footprint.

An overarching goal of Jekyll Island’s conservation efforts is to learn how to share space with wildlife conscientiously, and the knowledge gained from JIF-supported projects like this helps make that goal attainable.

To view the many ways you can play a part in the work of the Jekyll Island Foundation’s mission, click HERE.

“Maymester” at the Georgia Coast

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Taylor Davis, JIA Historic Preservationist

This past May, the Jekyll Island Authority, in partnership with the University of Georgia, hosted the 11th annual Historic Preservation Field School at the Georgia Coast Maymester.  “Maymester” is a 3-credit-hour course which consists of a two-week long, intensive dive into historic preservation projects within the Jekyll Island National Historic Landmark District.  The goal of the course is to give students hands-on experience through projects and to educate them about the history, landscape, culture, and architecture of the Georgia coast.  This program also benefits the Jekyll Island Historic District through the students assisting with necessary preservation projects. 

Maymester was conceived in 2009 by UGA professor Mark Reinberger, adjunct professor Tim Walsh, and me, a recent graduate of the Historic Preservation program at UGA.  With the original focus on projects at Hofwyl Broadfield Plantation and in the historic south end of Brunswick, Jekyll has been the site of the Maymester course since 2017.  Currently it is one of the longest running Maymester programs at UGA.

Through the years, projects and locations have varied.  Students have tackled stabilization, documentation, and rehabilitation projects on many historic structures throughout Glynn County.  One of the main project sites in the past was the Smith House in Brunswick, GA, circa 1867.

Student make-up for the field school is a mixture of undergraduate and graduate students from many different concentrations of study including historic preservation, architecture, landscape architecture, history, and even biology.  The 2021 class consisted of 12 students from UGA and one student from Clemson University.  This is the first year that the course was advertised outside of UGA, with the hope that it will be further reaching in the future – open to students from all over the southeastern United States. 

With the large number of students this year, the team took on more projects than in previous years.  The students assisted in historic window rehabilitation at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, exterior wall stabilization at Goodyear Cottage, scrapping and prepping elements of the rear porch at Mistletoe Cottage, replication of historic woodwork at Indian Mound Cottage, and the beginning phases of rehabilitation of the historic courtyard of the Chichota Cottage ruins.

Ongoing historic preservation efforts in Jekyll’s Historic District are made possible through visitation to the Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum and through donations to the Jekyll Island Foundation.  So get involved and donate today! 

Frontera’s GSTC Experience

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Michelle Kaylor, Director of the JIA Georgia Sea Turtle Center and Terry Norton, Director of Veterinary Services and Animal Health

Pillar #1: Rehabilitation: Focus on the individual patient

FRONTERA

Kemp’s Ridley sea turtles are one of the most critically endangered species of sea turtles.  In March 2021, the Center received a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle traumatized by a dredge on the Georgia/Florida border.   At this life stage, staff are unable to determine the turtle’s sex, but for simplicity’s sake we will call her a female.  This injured turtle was named “Frontera”, Spanish for border.

When Frontera arrived at the GSTC, she received a full assessment to determine a course of treatment. She was extremely lethargic, had several fractures and trauma to her shell and skin, and could not open her eyes. She was immediately placed on oxygen therapy and then provided treatment for her eyes, including antibiotic drops, ointment, pain medications several times per day, and blood plasma transfusions using her own blood plasma (blood is a complex combination of numerous solids, including red blood cells that carry oxygen, and liquid plasma. Plasma contains enzymes and immune cells that assist in healing). To further assist in Frontera’s recovery, she was given nutritional and hydration support intravenously, and antimicrobial therapy. Her shell was surgically stabilized with screws, wires, and marine epoxy. Frontera has improved dramatically, especially as her appetite has normalized.  She is likely to return to the wild in the early autumn if her positive recovery trend continues.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Instrumental to Frontera’s recovery is the regular use of a therapeutic laser. The Jekyll Island Foundation was actively involved in securing funds for, and the purchase of, the laser, as well as a state-of-the-art x-ray machine and ultrasound equipment. Many of the wound care products used in the healing process include items purchased because of generous donations – honey, RediHeal, Buck Mountain wound bomb, bone cement, food, medical supplies, and so much more.

Thank you! for supporting the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.  We could not do what we do without YOU!

To help support the ongoing work of the GSTC, click HERE.

Find Pillar # 2 HERE, Pillar #3 HERE.

STAY TUNED

The care provided to patients by the GSTC rehabilitation team focuses on the animal, helping them survive and thrive.  Pillar #2 – Education – is woven throughout the work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center and turns the focus to the human animal.  Stay tuned to see how Education is at the heart of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center.

Author’s note: Established in 2007, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) is a hospital that primarily cares for sick and injured turtles – the only wildlife hospital focusing on turtles in the state of Georgia. The mission of the GSTC encompasses three pillars: 1) Rehabilitation, 2) Education, and 3) Research. Through these pillars guests are connected to individual patient stories and the broader threats these animals face. Since opening its doors in 2007, the GSTC has successfully released over 600 sea turtles.

Record-Setting 2021 Turtle Crawl

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

Did you know??

Since 2003, participants from across the world have taken part in the annual Turtle Crawl event, all in the name of supporting the Jekyll Island Authority’s (JIA) Georgia Sea Turtle Center’s (GSTC) mission of sea turtle Rehabilitation, Research, and Education. In that time, participants have raised nearly $100,000 to help sea turtles thrive and survive. 

The 2021 Turtle Crawl broke its fundraising record and became the largest, singular fundraising event. The annual race, held virtually May 1 of this year, raised a record-setting $24,858 through the generous support of our donors and the Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF).

Support the Center! Click HERE.

Hear Their Stories

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Andrea Marroquin, JIA Museum Curator

At Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, a listening station in the museum gallery gives voice to people who were held in captivity on Jekyll Island during the 1800s.  Listen to these moving accounts from the past, in remembrance of Jekyll Island’s enslaved community.  Personal testimonies, based on historic letters, newspaper articles, and oral histories, detail real-life experiences of slavery from Jekyll Island’s plantation past.

Among the accounts are stories of enslaved men, women, and children, like Umwalla, brought to Jekyll Island aboard the slave ship Wanderer in 1858.  Born in Guinea, West Africa, Umwalla was kidnapped at ten years old, trapped aboard the Wanderer, and sold into slavery in America.  In 1888, he described his capture, voyage aboard the slave ship, life in slavery, and memories of home.

Today, the Wanderer Memory Trail at the south end of Jekyll Island follows in Umwalla’s footsteps, sharing the story of survivors of the slave ship Wanderer.  The trail is located at the St. Andrews Picnic Area, along the banks of the Jekyll River, where the ship illegally came ashore in 1858 with approximately 407 enslaved Africans.  

Made up of a series of interactive, self-guided exhibit stations, the Wanderer Memory Trail follows Umwalla’s journey, from Africa to Georgia and from slavery to freedom.  Stations along the trail represent the experiences of the Wanderer Survivors, including their transatlantic voyage, sale into slavery, pursuit of freedom, and lasting legacy of cherished cultural contributions.

The Wanderer Memory Trail marks a site of memory associated with the UNESCO Slave Route project.  This project endeavors to protect and promote the important contributions made by African Americans to the historical and cultural heritage in those areas where the captive Africans arrived.

To learn more about Black History on Jekyll Island or to read The Water and the Blood from 31•81, The Magazine of Jekyll Island: Vol. 3 No. 1, click HERE.

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Rollin’ with Research

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Dr. Tom Radzio, Research Ecologist

If you happen to visit Jekyll Island during summer, you will likely see the JIA Georgia Sea Turtle Center Research Team patrolling our 8 miles of beautiful beaches for nesting sea turtles.  Off they go, day and night, looking to carefully locate all sea turtle nests on the island as part of long-term work to understand the status of our loggerhead sea turtle population.  The vehicles on which they ride, two beach-hardened UTVs, are important tools to conduct this conservation work, enabling the team to patrol large spans of beach quickly and thoroughly.  The UTVs also help provide guests memorable, close-up wildlife experiences in our Ride with Night and Ride with Dawn Patrol public programs. 

Although the team takes special care of these important vehicles, the salt and sand cannot be avoided and one of the GTSC research UTVs is showing signs of wear.  Recently, the Jekyll Island Foundation generously provided the team with a brand new UTV and, until the old one is retired, the research team is using the new vehicle for off-beach turtle research.  The crew also conducts research on box turtles, using miniature radios for tracking in order to understand how these species navigate and use semi-developed golf course and residential environments.  Additionally, in an expanded initiative this year, UTVs were put to good use for a freshwater turtle population study.

If you see one of our UTVs driving by, rest assured that the GSTC are grateful to have these vital research vehicles because of your generous support. We thank you and hope you may join us on one of our Ride with Patrol or other fun excursions to see the animals that we all work together to protect!         

To support the ongoing work of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, click HERE.

A Symphony in Color

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Alexa Hawkins, JIA Director of Marketing & Communications

“Color is to the eye what music is to the ear.” Those words could not ring truer than in the methodical placement of tiny fragments of glass. Each piece is individually cut, colored, and placed, playing its part, striking a chord, and transforming simple shards into a symphony conducted by rays of the sun.

Aptly named “David Set Singers Before the Lord” and harmoniously orchestrated by Louis Comfort Tiffany, there’s nothing more magnificent than the one-hundred-year-old masterpiece that sits within Jekyll Island’s Faith Chapel. In celebration of the famed Tiffany window’s centennial year, visitors can now experience an immersive exhibit within Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum.

Highlighting the history of the man who brought the masterpiece to life, take a peek inside the world of Tiffany Studios and learn how stained glass was methodically crafted. View the original artistic renderings for the window, including Tiffany’s hand-written signature within the original Jekyll Island Club register. And try your hand at ‘painting in glass’ with a life-sized, interactive replica of the window that welcomes you to explore the history of Jekyll Island.

Visitors can experience Faith Chapel through an expert-led tour and see the one-of-a-kind window in person to appreciate its significance to the island. Those fond of Tiffany’s pristine, artistic style can also explore the gift shop’s limited anniversary collection in celebration of the window.

Its beauty is difficult to replicate and impossible to forget. Join us as we celebrate 100 years of this unique piece of Jekyll Island’s history.

Celebrate Preservation Month

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Allison Dupuis, JIA Museum Educator

The story of Hollybourne Cottage began in 1890 when Charles Stewart Maurice, one of the original members of the Jekyll Island Club, chose a plot of land for his family’s winter residence. Maurice’s personality and interests were evident in Hollybourne’s very construction. Maurice was a partner in Pennsylvania’s Union Bridge Company, and he incorporated bridge-building techniques into Hollybourne. The brick piers in the basement, steel support system, and truss system that supports the second floor are all examples of Maurice’s techniques.

Hollybourne’s construction incorporated a mixture of its owner’s passion for his work and his newfound enthusiasm for his family’s winter vacation home. Hollybourne is the only cottage in the Jekyll Island Club compound to be built out of tabby, a local mixture of sand, water, lime, and oyster shells, reflecting Charles’s and his wife Charlotte’s interests in the history and culture of the area. The Maurices’ personal investment in Jekyll Island’s history led them to spearhead the restoration of Horton House and the Dubignon cemetery in 1898. Charlotte died in 1909 and Charles died in 1924, but their family’s Jekyll Island story didn’t end there. Their nine children, especially their daughters Margaret and Marion, were similarly devoted to Jekyll Island, and spent every winter season at Hollybourne Cottage until the Club’s final season in 1942.

Hollybourne sat empty and in a state of disrepair for several decades. Beginning in 1998, however, the cottage became an ongoing preservation project for the Jekyll Island Authority and a host of volunteers. Most recently, volunteers and preservationists spent several months restoring and preserving Hollybourne’s windows. Holllybourne’s present as an ongoing preservation project, as well as its past as a home for a family focused on the preservation of Jekyll Island, make it a perfect destination for this May’s annual celebration of Preservation Month. Visitors can see the family and servant areas of the cottage and observe the preservation process in action or take part in programs that highlight Historic Preservation Month, like family history programs and an outline of international design at the Jekyll Island Club.

To reserve a spot on a tour of Hollybourne Cottage or at one of our Preservation Month activities, click HERE  or to help preserve and restore Hollybourne Cottage, click HERE to donate.