Tag: wildlife

Meet Our Board: Thomas S. Lines

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

In Georgia—where ancestral lineage often runs as deep as the roots of the state’s prized southern live oaks—Tom Lines can trace his Golden Isles branches back to a seedling.

“My family has been in Glynn County since coming over (from England) with James Oglethorpe (founder of the colony of Georgia when it was British America) as a foot soldier,” said Tom.

Generations later, Atlanta-born Tom enjoys exploring the same territory as his distant relatives.

“Our family has had a house on St. Simons Island since the 1950s, but Jekyll Island has always been my favorite place to visit,” he said. “I can remember going to Jekyll with my grandmother to picnic and go fishing. And I was on Island the first day the Aquarama (the former indoor pool that operated for three decades) was open.”

In the years since, Tom believes Jekyll has only gotten better. “It’s remarkable what the state government—through the Jekyll Island Authority (JIA)—have done to protect and preserve the area,” he said. “There is so much untouched beauty, undeveloped land, and distinct character. I hope it stays this way.”

Tom also appreciates that Jekyll remains approachable and affordable for families. “From the beaches to the Historic District and everything in between, Jekyll has something for any age or budget to enjoy.”

Having said that, he does wish for more people to know the Island better. “I would love to see Jekyll become a destination for young people, especially youth golf, and I think value accommodations that fall between the campground and hotels—like the yurts the JIA are building—will help this happen,” he said.

He also believes amenities such as Mosaic, Jekyll Island Museum and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center have a greater capacity for youth and visitor education. “The outdoor classroom at Mosaic (under construction) and the (planned) renovations to the Turtle Center will be amazing opportunities to engage more schools and to raise the visibility of Jekyll to world-renowned for its conservation and preservation efforts.”

He cited a recent collaboration between the JIA, the Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF), and the Friends of Coastal Georgia History in the Island’s St. Andrews Beach Park as a successful example of this type of meaningful education, outreach, and impact. “The Wanderer Memory Trail is a very important exhibit, and it was done very well,” he said, speaking of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Slave Route Project site of memory that commemorates where The Wanderer, the second to last documented ship to bring an illegal cargo of people from Africa to the United States, ran aground.

An avid outdoorsman, retired business owner, and current Treasurer for JIF’s Board of Directors, Tom sees nothing but potential in Jekyll’s future and is proud, happy, and humbled to have borne witness and played a small part in its evolution. “I was around when the state was thinking of releasing the Island from its State Park designation and don’t like to imagine what might have happened [had revitalization not occurred].”

He applauds JIA for the forethought that has brought Jekyll to its current iteration and feels the state-wide representation on JIF’s Board will be a key support element in helping to protect and promote what the Island has to offer.

“Jekyll is so much more than its beaches,” he said. “I love what it means to—and about—Georgia. There’s just a charm here that exists nowhere else in the state.”

Crawling into Nesting Season

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

With May 1st marking the official start of turtle nesting season along the Georgia coast, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center (GSTC) is already busy patrolling Jekyll Island’s causeway for diamondback terrapins and beaches for nesting sea turtles.

DIAMONDBACK TERRAPINS

The GSTC and Jekyll Island Foundation (JIF) donors have partnered for nearly 10 years in diamondback terrapin rescue, research, and implementation of various protection methods during nesting season. These efforts focus on decreasing terrapin road mortality rates. The GSTC’s diamondback terrapin patrol team routinely drive the causeway in search of nesting mamas crossing the road and inspecting nest boxes for similar signs. Recently, JIF and ANIMEX, a new partner, donated fencing materials that were installed on either side of the entrance to Jekyll’s causeway, adding one more component used to help decrease terrapin roadway mortality rates.

SEA TURTLES

And along the beaches these ancient reptiles emerge from the ocean to begin nesting as early as May. Fertile turtles crawl slowly to the dunes, enter a trance as their eggs drop into the sand, laying over 100 ping-pong ball-like eggs under the cover of darkness. Then, the GSTC Sea Turtle Patrol Team jumps into action gathering measurements, identification information, and ensuring the nest is protected from predators and human disturbances. The data collected helps inform local, regional, and international conservation efforts.

Jekyll Island visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of this once-in-a-lifetime experience can join GSTC educators under the stars by registering for an Evening Turtle Walk or Ride with Night Patrol on select nights in June and July. There’s no guarantee a nesting turtle will appear, but the evening promises to make the night memorable!

The GSTC hospital and patrol teams continue to work diligently to rescue and rehabilitate these gentler creatures. Investments of any size are welcome and appreciate. GIVE NOW.

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.

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.

The Patrol Team

Posted on | by Matthew Humphrey

By Davide Zailo, JIA Research Specialist

Pillar #3: Research

The Jekyll Island Authority’s Conservation Department, working alongside staff at the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, collects data on all species of turtle found on Jekyll Island to develop a better understanding of the conservation needs and issues they face. From sea turtles on Jekyll’s oceanfront beaches, to freshwater turtles and box turtles on the island’s interior, to diamondback terrapins that inhabit our marshes, each one is studied. By doing so, staff can better manage both the habitats being protected and educate residential and visitor communities to partner in a collective responsibility for island stewardship.  Jekyll Island is a model community that strikes a delicate balance between the natural and human world. Only with a deep understanding of both of these aspects can we accomplish our conservation goals.

The JIA’s flagship field research program consists of monitoring and collecting information on nesting sea turtles that visit the island’s beaches every summer. The night patrol team works from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m., guided by turtle-friendly red lights. The patrol team’s goal is to encounter as many nesting sea turtles as possible and when appropriate, give each a unique identification tag, collect information on size and general appearance to gauge health, and protect their nest with a large screen to reduce chances of predation. As the night patrol shift ends, researchers are quickly replaced by the dawn patrol team. This daylight team has a different set of duties: perform a thorough survey of the entire island’s beaches, protect nests, and collect habitat information in areas the night patrol team cannot survey due to lack of light. Finally, the dawn patrol team enters data and prepares gear for the next evening shift.

The Jekyll Island project is one of the longest-term projects of its kind. As a result of these efforts, in the 2021 season, more than 13,000 loggerhead sea turtle eggs were protected and resulted in more than 7,000 hatchlings. The Georgia Sea Turtle Center educated over 5,000 individuals during chance encounters about sea turtle conservation efforts. And, thanks to the generous support of the Jekyll Island Foundation and its donors, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center received a new UTV to continue monitoring efforts for nesting sea turtles. With the 2022 nesting season just around the corner, the Georgia Sea Turtle Center will continue its effort to make an even greater impact on the rehabilitation, education and research for this resilient species.

Find Pillar #1 HERE, Pillar #2 HERE

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, the GSTC has successfully released over 600 sea turtles.

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.

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.

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.