Tag: conservation

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.

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.

Jekyll Island: Better Together

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Ben Carswell, JIA Director of Conservation

Partnership is essential to success in nature and in society. Without mutually beneficial relationships with pollinating insects and fungi, the vast and complex plant communities that green our world would never have come to be. The same can be said for the greening of Jekyll Island. Whether advancing wildlife conservation, ecosystem restoration, or sustainability, the phrase that became a global mantra in 2020, “we are all in this together”, remains vitally true.

Since 1999, the partnership between the Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF) and the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA) has been a mutually beneficial relationship built around bringing to life projects that elevate conservation, preservation, and education goals within Jekyll Island State Park. This relationship produced the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, which catalyzed conservation efforts within the JIA that continue to bear fruit. Many other achievements, like the outdoor recreation, education, and wildlife enhancements at Horton Pond, which has become a favorite spot for families exploring Jekyll Island, and Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum, which keeps Jekyll’s past alive and reminds us that nature connects us all to it, were made possible because of partnership, between JIF and JIA, and our many donors.

The roots of Jekyll Island’s partnership ecosystem extend outward as well, nourishing work that connects Jekyll Island with other institutions, whether public, private, or NGO, that are leading the way in our State. The possibilities for doing good on Jekyll Island are vastly expanded because of the care and collaboration extended by our colleagues at, among many others, Georgia Audubon, Georgia Power Company, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, and forward-thinking businesses like LNW Hospitality and Cherry Street Energy that look beyond profits to realize the power of their investments to bring about positive transformations.

The key to winning partnerships is broadening our imaginations to realize how much our interests can overlap and how much stronger our accomplishments are when we work together for the greater good. There is no better crucible for this than Jekyll Island, a place that brings people together and where the beauty of the natural world unfolds daily before our eyes – inspiring us to higher ideals.

Become a partner, member, or corporate sponsor today. Click HERE.

Mosaic Museum – Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Michael Scott, JIA Director of Historic Resources

As Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum approaches its 2nd anniversary, we look back on a year filled with challenges but also see many success stories. On the eve of the 1st anniversary, plans to celebrate were interrupted with what turned out to be a health crisis that few, if any, had ever anticipated. While the COVID-19 pandemic did cause some disruption early on, the Mosaic Museum took a proactive approach to minimizing impact as safely as possible. Upon reopening our doors, visitors were greeted with increased sanitization of commonly touched surfaces, reduced capacity in the Gallery and on trolley tours to allow for social distancing and an increase in engaging outdoor programming. Because of this, Mosaic reopened earlier than many other spaces around the nation.

To welcome back visitors, new opportunities and programming was introduced. In coordination with the Authority’s Conservation Department, Ranger Walks to see the island’s active bald eagle nest now begin and end at Mosaic, allowing visitors to experience the museum as a launching point for both natural and cultural history. Additionally, for the first time, Hollybourne Cottage opened to the public for regular tours. Visitors are able to see the inside of the cottage while staff actively work to conserve, preserve, and restore portions of the home. Increasing guest access to the historic district, expanded tours are now in play on Jekyll’s famous red trolleys. While enjoying the fresh air, guests are able to ride thru the historic district and learn about the Island’s over 2000 years of history or take a deeper dive into the cottages that represent the gilded age experience of the Jekyll Island Club and its members. Continuing to facilitate the need for social distancing, exciting seasonal programming included Macabre Tales tour and the Holly Jolly Lights tour made the most of the 2020 holiday season. Finally, to help tell some lesser-known stories, the team kicked off a successful series of gallery exhibitions, telling powerful stories in a way that’s never done before.  

As we move toward year three, Mosaic will continue to serve as the ambassador and hub for Jekyll Island’s natural and cultural history. By growing the museum’s place-based learning options and developing new opportunities for exploration, Mosaic will continue to make a visit to Jekyll Island a special event for everyone.

New spaces, places, and stories from the island’s history are under development, which will allow even more visitors to learn about the special role that Jekyll has played in the past and how that connects to the world today. Education is at the heart of any museum’s work, and the Mosaic will continue to serve as a space to reach the broadest range of visitors through its exhibitions, tours, programs, and special events.

If you haven’t yet had an opportunity to experience one of our unique cottage tours that begin at Mosaic, particularly the new Hollybourne Cottage tour, we encourage you to purchase a ticket online to take a peek inside and see years of preservation first-hand.

Caring for Collections

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Andrea Marroquin, JIA Museum Curator

Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum has launched an artifact conservation program, dedicated to ensuring the long-term care of collections. The goal of the program is to stabilize collection pieces and preserve them for the future. Several recent conservation projects are currently on display and can be enjoyed by guests of the Mosaic.

Have you seen the “ghost tools” on display in the museum’s exhibit gallery? Two tools recovered from Horton House, a planters’ hoe blade and a small trade axe dating from the 1700s to mid-1800s, were actively corroding. The iron objects were cleaned and stabilized to halt their deterioration, and then carefully mounted in front of a transparent background. When viewed from a certain angle, missing portions of the tools become visible.

Museum staff consulted with an art conservator to clean and stabilize a 1931 oil painting by Warren Sheppard depicting the slave ship Wanderer. Treatment involved cleaning the painting, consolidating loose paint, addressing paint loss, and replacing a protective varnish. This project enabled the painting to be placed on exhibit for the first time in decades, as part of the museum’s efforts to share the story of the Wanderer Survivors with the public.

Recently, museum staff brought a circa 1890 carriage out of storage and gave it a gentle cleaning, leather treatment, and fumigation. The carriage was placed on display in the Mosaic lobby as part of “In the Service of Others” – an exhibit detailing the African American community’s vital role in the development of the Jekyll Island Club. In the exhibit, the carriage highlights the story of Charlie Hill, a long-time coachman and caretaker for the Maurice family, who worked on the island for more than five decades.

This year, Jekyll Island also celebrates the 100th Anniversary of Faith Chapel’s Tiffany window. In recognition of the landmark moment, and with a grant from the Friends of Historic Jekyll Island, art glass conservators investigated the needs for the stained-glass window’s ongoing care and preservation. They are currently developing recommendations for conserving this art glass masterpiece for the future. 

Stay tuned for more updates highlighting the museum’s continuing efforts to preserve the past. If you would like to provide support for these type of collections projects, text JekyllMosaic + any donation amount to (844) 889-2692.