Category: About

Newly Wrapped Vans an Integral Part of 2017 Terrapin Patrol

CONSERVATION – Diamondback Terrapin Research

By Jen Terry, GSTC/AmeriCorps Diamondback Terrapin Husbandry Member

The 2017 diamondback terrapin nesting season officially came to a close on August 1^st!  From the first terrapin found on April 19^th to the last on July 30^th, 296 adult female diamondback terrapins were encountered on the Jekyll Island Causeway attempting to nest.  Of those 296, 218 individuals were safely worked up and moved off of the road– that’s a save rate of about 74 percent!  A total of 155 eggs were collected from females who were unfortunately hit by cars during their attempt to cross the road and placed in our incubators.  We are happy to say that over 75 eggs have already successfully hatched!

The 2017 Diamondback Terrapin Road Season could not have run so smoothly without the support from the Jekyll Island Foundation and its donors.  The use of a van positively influences Diamondback Terrapin road patrols in two ways: 1) the spacious area allows for efficient work up of animals as well as functions as a holding area for maintenance supplies and 2) the size, flashing lights, and eye-catching wrap on the van alerts drivers of our efforts.  The addition of a second van ensured that our patrols on the causeway and the needs of the rest of the rehabilitation team at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center could be accomplished simultaneously and efficiently.

Flying Drones for Conservation

CONSERVATION – Disney Conservation Fund

By Terry M. Norton, DVM, DACZM, Director and Veterinarian

Jekyll Island Authority’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center

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. Participating organizations included Minae, Osa Ecology, Reserva Playa Tortuga, and Parque Marino del Pacifico. The Disney Conservation Fund financially supported a significant portion of the workshop including paying for two drones, travel for two instructors and one participant, and food for the four day course – thank you Disney!  The Kashmir World Foundation taught the course and provided financial support for a drone and travel expenses for their staff. David Smith from Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited (CAVU) and St. Catherines Island Foundation provided financial support for drone parts for one of the teams. Jaynie Gaskin from Georgia Southern University’s St. Catherines Island Sea Turtle Project helped organize the workshop and instruct participants. The Reserva Playa Tortuga generously provided housing, facilities and the infrastructure to host the workshop. It was a GREAT collaborative effort. 

Two days were spent building the drones, which provided conservationists an understanding of the working parts of their drone and how to fix the drone if there are malfunctions or how to add additional technology in the future. All four drones were successfully flown, initially on a soccer field and then on a sea turtle nesting beach as the participants flying expertise advanced. Osa Ecology, a newly formed NGO will monitor sea turtle nesting on remote beaches and in-water, survey dolphins and whales, and likely many other activities. Minae is a governmental agency tasked with a variety of conservation management activities with which drone monitoring will be very beneficial. Reserva Playa Tortuga staff is engaged in a variety of wildlife conservation activities that will benefit from drone technology including monitoring sea turtles, crocodilians, birds and mammals of the area. The Parque Marino del Pacifico is an aquarium in Puntarenas Costa Rica. They have a similar mission to the GSTC, integrating research, education and rehabilitation of marine turtles and other wildlife. They are working with researchers involved with mangrove conservation where drone monitoring will be of great benefit. This was a very special workshop for me because it brought together partners that we have nurtured since the start of our programs in Costa Rica in 2011, and the workshop was a phenomenal success.

Wilson’s Plover End of Season Report 2017

CONSERVATION – Disney Conservation Fund

By Yank Moore, JIA Conservation Land Manager

With the 2017 nesting season behind us, Jekyll Island’s Wilson’s Plovers have migrated away from our beautiful beaches. We send with them our hope that they will return next year in late spring to nest again. This season the JIA Conservation Staff identified a Jekyll-record 17 Wilson’s Plover nests with another record of 4 Willet nests. Eleven plover nests survived predators and other challenges to make it to hatching, as did a single Willet nest – the first documented willet hatch since we began this study a few years ago. This year the adult pairs seemed to take advantage of the more expansive open-dune habitat that resulted from the high tides around Hurricane Matthew last Fall. Low rolling dunes with sparse vegetation are the ideal habitat for nesting Wilson’s Plovers, providing shelter and cover to hide from predators but plenty of space to see them coming, and close proximity to the water’s edge where plovers feed. Only four plover nests fell victim to predators this year, with one predation by a raccoon, surprisingly the first we’ve documented. Two nests were abandoned after being buried in rapidly growing sand dunes, a sign of shoreline recovery following Hurricane Matthew.

Out of all the nests, we were able to band 15 chicks. The bands provide a unique color combination that allows us to specifically identify each individual chick. At least five chicks made it to fledgling size (when they are able to fly for the first time) and will hopefully make it to adulthood and return to the area to nest in the coming years. With enduring help from the Jekyll Island Foundation, we will continue to monitor our small nesting population again next year, hoping for another record breaking year on Jekyll. Always remember, if you enjoy Jekyll’s beach with your dog (or cat!), never allow them to chase birds, keep them on a leash, and respect the “no pets” area on the south end of the island. These rules are in place to keep Jekyll’s beach a haven for birds like the Wilson’s Plovers that may one day be lost if not for our careful stewardship.

Girls of Summer

CONSERVATION/EDUCATION – Utility Task Vehicle

By Breanna Ondich, Jekyll Island Authority’s GSTC Research Specialist 

Wintertime for the research team means we are reminiscing over the girls of summer (sea turtles that is). Our sand shores successfully produced over 7,800 hatchling sea turtles! The patrol team encountered 40 different sea turtle moms in 2017 depositing their precious eggs beneath the earth. Jekyll Island’s grand total was 130 nests, roughly 6% of Georgia’s 2,189 total nests. All of the nests on our beaches were deposited by loggerhead sea turtles, while a few other islands had some visiting green sea turtles, kemps ridleys, and at least one leatherback. 

It was as long ago as 1958 that the very first loggerhead sea turtle was tagged on Jekyll Island. Of the 40 sea turtles we were able to catch on the beach in 2017, we know that 20 of those were returning to Jekyll Island from a previous summer, 16 new moms came to us untagged, and the last 4 were first tagged during a previous summer somewhere else in the state of Georgia. If you include knowledge gained by partnering with the Northern Recovery Unit Loggerhead DNA Project (University of Georgia), loggerhead sea turtles lay an average of 4 nests each summer that they nest. This past summer, four different turtles – “Pudge,” “Pooky,” “Mosquito,” and “Eloise” – tied for having the most nests on Jekyll Island in 2017 with 6 nests each! 

Tagging sea turtles and managing their nests is important, but so are our education efforts. Thanks to the generous support of the Jekyll Island Foundation and its donors, we were able to continue our very popular Ride with Patrol program in our new Kawasaki Mule Pro, which allows up to 4 guests at a time to ride along with us in the utility task vehicles and get a first-hand look of what it’s like to be a sea turtle biologist. At least 273 people participated in the program in 2017, and we spoke to 1,193 additional people on the beach during our Turtle Walk and Sunrise Walk eco-tour programs. Thirty-nine of our nests were sponsored by 61 parents in our Nest Trackers program, a new record for one season! Beyond our regularly scheduled programs, our patrol team educated over 3,341 additional people incidentally on the beach about sea turtles. The team also intercepted 1,101 people with white lights to hand out red cellophane to turn those lights into red turtle-friendly lights instead. 

As the oldest and largest research project on Jekyll Island, none of this would be possible without the support of all of our collaborators: The Jekyll Island Authority – Georgia Sea Turtle Center, AmeriCorps, The Jekyll Island Foundation, The University of Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Thank you for another successful nesting season here on Jekyll Island!

The following are resources for further information:
Georgia DNR Sea Turtle Conservation Program
A History of Sea Turtle Tagging and Monitoring on Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA
rnAbout Loggerhead Turtles
About Green Turtles
About Kemp Ridley Turtles
About Leatherback Turtles
Ride with Patrol Information
Turtle Walk Information
Nest Walk Information
Beach Lighting Information

Guess What???

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!

You’ll notice new elements including a new logo, brighter colors, and vibrant photos that remind you why you fell in love with Jekyll Island, and what keeps you coming back again and again.

With the launch of our new website you’ll see simplified content, streamlined navigation, expanded opportunities to Get Involved, and our new Membership Program.  

Speaking of Memberships, here’s what to look for:

• Member-Only Communications and Special Offers
• Member Reward Card
• Member Decal
• Island Parking Passes

… and much, much more!

What about our Partners? These folks – corporations – have faithfully invested behind the scenes, never asking for much in return. We are grateful for their partnership. Let’s Show ‘Em Some Love. 

And, while you’re at it, check out our Friends page for in-the-moment, social media exchange. Share your own pictures. See what other Island lovers are saying. Become part of the conversation by adding #JekyllIslandFoundation to your posts!

Along with the new brand and website, our newsletter also received a sprucing up. It’s easy to open on any mobile device, tablet or desktop, easy to read highlights with links to full articles, and easy to share with your family and friends. Share away!

With all of these changes, some things remain the same – our commitment to our donors to continuously seek projects that preserve and protect Jekyll’s natural and historical assets and educational opportunities that build ambassadors for the future sustainability of the Island.

We hope you take a few moments to ‘ride with us’ through the new trails, and will consider joining us as we pursue our mission to CONSERVE. PRESERVE. EDUCATE. We hope to see you soon!

Wilson’s Plover Mid-Season Update 2017 

CONSERVATION: Plover Patrol

By Yank Moore, JIA Conservation Coordinator 

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. We have continued our robust nest monitoring program to better understand the importance of Jekyll Island’s beaches and dunes for Wilson’s Plovers, a shore bird listed as “Threatened” by the State of Georgia. This has been a productive season already with 13 nests and counting, six of those have made it to hatching and one is still incubating. 

The pairs of adults are taking advantage of the dunes at the southern tip of the island that were hit hard during Hurricane Matthew. This area is now recovering well, leaving plentiful expanses of young vegetation and low rolling dunes that are ideal nesting habitat for the Wilson’s Plover. We have also documented the nests of at least four Willets, which is a larger shorebird that can be seen on our beaches year-round. These birds nest further back in the dunes in dense vegetation clumps making them a lot harder to find. At least one of these nests hatched a couple of chicks, which is a first since the Conservation Department started monitoring nests two and a half years ago. 

As far as the chicks go, we have color banded a total of 11 Wilson’s Plovers so far and hope to band a few more. The color bands allow us to specifically identify each individual chick making it easier to monitor their success up to fledging, or the time at which they fly for the first time. We are still seeing quite a few of these banded birds feeding in the runnels and are optimistic that we may have better success than the last couple of years. Always remember, if you enjoy Jekyll’s beach with your dog (or cat!), never allow them to chase birds, keep them on a leash, and respect the “no pets” area on the south end of the island. These rules are in place to keep Jekyll’s beach a haven for birds like the Wilson’s Plovers that may one day be lost if not for careful stewardship.

WATCH OUT! New GSTC Vans Hit The Roads 

CONSERVATION: GSTC Wildlife Transport

By Jamie Gamby, GSTC Rehabilitation Technician 1 
Allison Hardman, Rehabilitation Technician 1 

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. During the summertime, the Husbandry Department is extremely busy patrolling the causeway in search of female diamondback terrapins (DBTs) crossing the road to nest, traveling to pick up new sea turtle patients, and hitting the beach to release patients back to the wild. 

In November, we were lucky enough to receive a new, larger van through the Jekyll Island Foundation’s generosity. This van is extremely beneficial because the larger size makes us able to transport more animals at once and we are also able to have climate control in the back, making the animal’s ride less stressful. Now that we have two vans available we are able to respond to multiple situations at once without as many delays while trying to figure transportation. Our DBT AmeriCorp Member may be out on the causeway saving terrapin lives, while some of the team is either picking up a new patient or releasing one back to the wild. 

Both vans were also recently wrapped in beautiful images designed by JIA’s Marketing team and they reflect our mission of rehabilitation, research, and education. The older van received a marsh scene with a DBT hatchling, which is extremely fitting since that is the vehicle used in the summer to patrol the causeway for terrapins. There also have been multiple studies conducted here at the GSTC on terrapins. In addition, each year we keep 20 DBT hatchlings and place them on exhibit to help raise awareness about the species, their threats, and how everyone can assist in their conservation. Then our newer van has an iconic image of Bell, our hatchling loggerhead sea turtle from last year who was also an adoptable patient. Since this vehicle is mostly used for transporting sea turtles, this wrap greatly reflects all of our hard work in rescue, rehab, and release. 

Whatever the situation may be, when we are on the road you can’t miss us coming with the new brightly colored wraps! Please stop by the center and check out our newly wrapped vans.

New Discovery Station Exhibit 

EDUCATION: GSTC Exhibitry

By Katie Higgins, JIA Education Coordinator 

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 of the Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF). This interactive display is designed to bring the cool science of wildlife rehabilitation to our general audience. Using museum grade microscopes, this exhibit allows guests to view blood slides from our current turtle patients and discover which patient is healthier depending on the number of red blood cells they see. Another scope focuses on epibiota, or hitchhiking organism, specimens harvested from the shells of our incoming debilitated sea turtles. These organisms range from barnacles to leeches to Columbus crabs. Larger than life models allow guests to get even closer with a hands-on experience. 

The exhibit not only enriches the guest experience, but also provides our volunteer environmental educators a centralized station for engaging with the public. A built-in water table gives the opportunity to temporarily house smaller aquatic organisms behind the safety of its plexiglass lid. Removing the lid allows for hands-on activities such as our marine-debris focused “Sink or Float” activity where guests can use a stop watch and predict what kind of materials will sink or float in the water. 

The installation of exhibit upgrades has been achieved through collaboration and creativity amongst JIA and JIF employees. The GSTC’s education department had a vision and a focus for content, while JIF supplied ongoing support for purchasing and coordinating materials. JIA’s maintenance and marketing teams built and executed the vision. The result is a sparkling new addition which fits beautifully within the original exhibit gallery theme and purpose. Continued improvements are planned, bringing content on sea turtle conservation up to today’s standards. Blending science with public engagement is the kind of turtle twist that only the GSTC can provide.

Shrimp & Grits festival just around the bend 

EVENT: Shrimp and Grits

by Jessica Scott, JIA Marketing Communications Manager 

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, more than 100 art and craft vendors, live music, kids’ zone, food, a craft brew fest, wildlife demonstrations, and more. 

Jam-packed with lively entertainment and fun activities for all ages, this year’s spirited three-day event will be take place Friday, September 15, through Sunday, September 17, under the oaks in the National Historic Landmark District. 

From captivating guest chef demonstrations and never-ending variations on the classic shrimp and grits dish, to live music by popular regional artists and an irresistible craft brew tasting experience, the schedule of activities promises a memorable long weekend for Southern foodies and fun-seekers. Features for the 2017 festival include three music stages, the popular Jekyll Island Experience Pavilion, Southern Living Pavilion, and an extensive lineup of craft brew vendors. 

The festival kicks off Friday evening with Day One of the three-day Craft Brew Fest, live music, and voting for the best shrimp and grits vendors. Saturday is full of exciting events, including “Georgia’s Best Shrimp & Grits” Cooking Competition, featuring the best chefs and restaurants from around the state. Even more live entertainment, including live demonstrations from Southern Living and Go RVing, round out Sunday’s activities. 

General admission to the festival is free. Tickets for the VIP Experience and Craft Brew Fest, presented by Southern Eagle Distributing, will be available online. For more information, including the latest three-day schedule for the 2017 Jekyll Island Shrimp & Grits Festival, visit www.jekyllisland.com/shrimpgrits.