Tag: explore georgia

Scute’s School and Beyond

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Nicole Thomas, Education Program Manager of the JIA’s Georgia Sea Turtle Center

Pillar #2: Education: Focus on the Human Animal

Education is interwoven through the framework of the GSTC’s mission.  Each opportunity to 1) form a personal connection, 2) increase awareness of wildlife threats, and 3) inspire individuals to act is the heart of the work. As the world seemed to come to a halt in March 2020, the Education team seized the opportunity to reimagine the definition of personal connection and conservation action by meeting people where they were – at home. Scute’s School was fashioned as a new take on a standard practice. The GSTC has always been a resource for educators, but Scute’s School provided the opportunity to expand the Center’s online presence and create inclusive resources for all teachers, parents, and supporters.

For 50 straight days the education team developed and published a variety of interactive learning opportunities, which included crafts, videos, and updates on the rehabilitation and conservation of wildlife patients, reaching over one million people. Each activity was thoughtfully constructed to work for educators and families at home or in the traditional classroom.

Scute’s School is a testament to the team’s unyielding love for conservation and sincere desire to be a consistent source of educational information, encouraging a ripple effect of environmental stewardship. GSTC Educators were immediately flooded with notes of thanks and photos of kids participating in Scute’s School activities locally in Glynn County and across the country.

The real power of Scute’s School was brought to the Center in June 2021 by a family from Minnesota. Their two kids completed each of the activities and watched all of the videos which inspired them to write their own books. Prior to discovering Scute’s School, they had never heard of the GSTC or Jekyll Island. Because of Scute’s School, they planned their summer vacation around visiting Jekyll Island and sharing their books with GSTC staff. Everyone was incredibly touched and impressed with page after page of drawings illustrating sea turtle anatomy, life cycles, threats, and ways to help our ocean friends.

Their visit to Jekyll Island to share their new-found love of the GSTC was exactly why Scute’s School. It is amazing to see GSTC followers and supporters continue to carry the torch of the Center’s mission and work. Human connection is so important. Without the supporters who donate through the Jekyll Island Foundation and participate in events such as Turtle Crawl, tours like Turtles at Twilight, and programs like Adopt-a-Sea Turtle, the GSTC would not have the ability to reach so many hearts. It is the GSTC’s fundamental goal to share the message of hope and how actions make a true difference for our oceans and coastal wildlife.

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

Find Pillar #1 HERE, Pillar #3 HERE.

STAY TUNED

Next, we will dig deeper into Pillar #3 – Research – sharing the lessons we are learning and the mysteries we have yet to solve with Jekyll’s nesting sea turtles.

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.

Chichota Courtyard Rehabilitation

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Taylor Davis, JIA Historic Preservationist

Ever since the waning days of the Jekyll Island Club, Chichota Cottage has been a site left to ruin.  The original house was constructed in 1897 by David H. King, Jr. of New York.  King was a notable contractor whose projects included the base of the Statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, and the Washington Arch.  

King built his unique cottage on Jekyll Island as a single-storied, Italian Renaissance house surrounding a central courtyard, complete with a swimming pool fed by an artesian well.  After the property was severely damaged in 1898 during one of the worst hurricanes in Jekyll Island history, King sold Chichota to Edwin Gould just three years after construction.

The Goulds enjoyed their winters at Chichota until the 1917 season, when they lost their eldest son in a hunting accident on nearby Latham Hammock.  After years of vacancy, the house fell into disrepair.  It was razed by the Jekyll Island Club in 1941, leaving only the tabby foundations and an empty pool guarded by two marble lions flanking the entry steps. See Lost Jekyll or Pieces of History, pages 56/57.

In recent years, a series of improvements were made to the site to increase guest accessibility and safety amidst the ruins.  As part of this first phase of rehabilitation beginning in 2019, an ADA ramp was constructed to provide access into the ruins, the former entry foyer of the house was paved, and the pool was partially filled to create an outdoor venue and classroom space, with the edge of the pool serving as seating for gatherings. 

A generous gift to the Jekyll Island Foundation funded the second phase of rehabilitation in 2020.  This phase focused on the rehabilitation of what was once Chichota’s enclosed courtyard.  With the help of volunteers and Historic Preservation Field School students from the University of Georgia, the original quarry tiles were removed and salvaged from the courtyard.  A new masonry base was poured, and a mix of original and reproduction quarry tile was laid on top to replicate the original courtyard paving plan. 

As this second phase of the project comes to a close, enhancements to the Chichota site have created a safe and attractive venue for exploration, education, and special event rentals.  Additional improvements are planned for the future to reestablish other areas of the house and fashion outdoor patio spaces. 

Today, the Chichota ruins remain a captivating point of interest for visitors to explore and enjoy.  Visit Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum to begin your island explorations or plan your special event in the historic district. 

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.

A Story of Resistance

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Morgan Cantrell, JIA Museum Operations Assistant and Andrea Marroquin, Museum Curator

The Jekyll Island Authority’s museum staff employs considerable resources on researching the untold and unknown stories of Jekyll Island’s African American community. Records indicate that former enslaved men and women on Jekyll Island did not resign themselves to a life of servitude. Their unwavering efforts to escape captivity are clearly documented in newspaper advertisements. Such ads listed thorough descriptions of the individual in hopes of a hasty capture. When reading these types of ads in present day context, they reveal stories of those who risked their lives to resist slavery and pursue freedom. These narratives provide clearer insight and understanding of some of the millions of men, women, and children who suffered in bondage, including those who were enslaved on Jekyll Island.  

For instance, the stories of Alexis and Tom. On July 12, 1808, the Columbian Museum & Savannah Advertiser published an advertisement requesting the capture and return of a man named Alexis “belonging to M. Dubignon, of Jekyl Island.” The ad described his physical appearance as “a short, stout fellow, pock pitted, and about 45 years old,” noting that he “[spoke] French and English.” Another on September 15, 1810, The Republican and Savannah Evening Ledger published a listing on behalf of “captain Dubignon” requesting the apprehension of a man named Tom who was “about 36 years old; five feet, four or five inches high; has large whiskers, and is very artful.”  Both advertisements mentioned the men’s height and recognizable facial features, to aide in identification. The ad details suggest that the men possibly possessed a wider range of talent and skill that would have aided their quest for freedom.

This belief is further supported by the fact that both men attempted to flee bondage on multiple occasions. The Columbian stated that Alexis was “so constantly advertised in [the] paper that any description of him would [have been] useless.” Further, during this specific attempt at freedom, Alexis fled “from on board sloop Anubis … with a very heavy pair of irons, and the rings of a former pair” around his wrists. According to The Republican, Tom was presumed dead in 1804 after having been “shot in the shoulder” while fleeing captivity. He was later found to be alive and was returned to his enslaver on Jekyll Island. On another occasion, Tom sought freedom a second time, leaving many to believe that he drowned. He “appeared again” but did not remain in captivity long and vanished for a third time in 1810. Alexis and Tom’s tenacity showed their harrowing efforts to escape slavery on Jekyll Island and be liberated.

Are your ancestors connected to the enslaved people of Jekyll Island? If so, please share your story by contacting Andrea Marroquin.

To learn more about slavery advertisements like these, visit Freedom on the Move, an online database that compiles the narratives of self-liberating people. To learn more about the African American experience on Jekyll Island, click HERE or visit Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum.

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.

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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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.

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.