The muhly grass is ablaze on the coast and the Braves are in the World Series. It's the month of baseball and bats (not just the wooden kind), butterflies and migratory birds. Not all is right with the world by any stretch, but we have come this far without a major tropical storm, covid cases are on the decline, the "Boys of October" are on the big-stage diamond, and your support of the Land Trust's Canopy Campaign is beyond inspiring. For these few days, at least, life is good and we at the Land Trust are grateful.

But back to bats! I chased one out of a north Georgia cabin one autumn night decades ago. My young husband was far more afraid of the critter flying from the cabin's rafters than he was of the black bears we had spotted outside and tried to scare away (unsuccessfully) by clanging together pots and pans. What is it about those tiny prehistoric flying mammals with their use of ultrasound for hunting and orientation that make us squeal and squirm? The truth is, even on an All Hallows Eve, bats are far less frightening than what can sometimes be seen during a Georgia-Florida football weekend. With no offense to either team, bats are mostly quiet, rarely drink alcohol, and almost never paint their torsos and faces with red, black, blue, and orange bulldogs and gators. But they do consume thousands of pounds of insects annually, help reduce the use of insecticides in large-scale agriculture, pollinate fruits and flowers, and with their membraned wing structure continue to inspire aeronautical engineers.

Just another of the countless every-day miracles of nature. So maybe deck out yourselves and the kids in bat costumes this year, and do so proudly.

Happy Halloween from all of us at the Land Trust, enjoy the big football weekend, send good luck vibes to the Atlanta team, and tip your caps to Mr. Aaron. Go Braves!

Emily Ellison

Executive Director

On October 18 we shared that a small group of generous, conservation-minded supporters have pledged $3 million to jumpstart Phase II of The Canopy Campaign. We are using these first generous gifts and pledges as a challenge to the community, where every contribution made to the campaign will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to another $3 million. With a total $5.5 million goal, the campaign is the continuation of a community-wide effort to protect St. Simons from high-density development and to preserve maritime forests and environmentally important habitat.

Be sure to follow the campaign's "Path to Success" as every dollar raised is matched up to a total of $3 million.

To join the community-wide effort, please click HERE, or to learn more about the campaign, please contact Emily Ellison at 912-638-9109 or emellison@sslt.org.

On the October morning when we launched Phase II of the Canopy Campaign, Land Trust Member and Volunteer Billy Bice walked into the SSLT office to give the first in-person gift towards matching the $3 million challenge. And what a great start to the day it was!

Members since 2013, Billy and his wife Florence Ann also contributed to the Canopy Campaign Phase I in 2018.

We are truly grateful to the Bices and to all of you who are so generously supporting land conservation. Thank you!

The first Booth Sponsors of the 2022 Oyster Roast

have been finalized and we are getting hungry!

Please visit our website for updates and to see the names of all restaurants and businesses

The annual Cannon's Point Preserve bat monitoring took place over three nights this month as part of the GA Bat Working Group (GBWG) bat blitz, a collaborative effort where biologists and volunteers work to conduct as many surveys as possible over an extensive area to collect data about the bat population in the region.

The GBWG Bat Blitz captured 161 bats in total with 14 of them found at the Preserve. Impressively, the 14 captured at CPP included 5 different species, including two Georgia Species of Concern.

Read more about this year's surveys HERE.

In other bat news, the Land Trust was given a certified bat house (just in time for Bat Week and Halloween) that is now in position in the backyard of our office at 1810 Frederica Road. With habitat loss and disease decreasing numbers of native bats in Georgia, providing them with a safe home is more important than ever. If putting up a bat house is not for you, plant a bat garden! Native plants will attract native insects for bats to eat. Learn more HERE.

We hope you will stop by to see our bat house (and us) soon!

As of October 15, there have been five BAFA (Butterflies of the Atlantic Flyway) surveys completed at Cannon's Point Preserve. Butterfly species seen in transects so far include: monarch (1), gulf fritillary (31), cloudless sulphur (11), palamedes swallowtail (3), American/painted lady (1), and common buckeye (1).

Thank you to Kate Tweedy with Little St. Simons Island for leading the training for College of Coastal Georgia students and other BAFA volunteers who are counting species at Cannon's Point Preserve.

Learn more about this important research HERE.

Land Trust properties are used by many different species of native and migratory birds as nesting habitat and feeding grounds. Throughout the year, in an effort to share this abundance of bird life with others, experts in the field lead walks through properties such as Cannon's Point Preserve and Guale Preserve.

Earlier this month, Land Trust volunteer and President of the Coastal Georgia Audubon Society, Bob Sattelmeyer, led a walk at Cannon's Point Preserve as part of the annual Georgia Ornithological Society conference held on Jekyll Island.

During this hour-long walk, 39 bird species were seen totaling 238 individual birds. Included in this count are the American redstart, painted bunting, palm warbler, eastern phoebe, tree swallow, black-throated blue warbler, and bald eagle. Check out species found at Guale Preserve HERE, and take a look at this incredible photo of two adult bald eagles "entwined in an epic courtship display" on Little St. Simons Island. 'Tis the season!

Speaking of Bob Sattelmeyer . . . . Bob has been a significant contributor to the Land Trust's volunteer program since signing up in 2014 to become a docent at Cannon’s Point Preserve. Since then, he has become a lead docent and continues to expand his volunteer involvement including coordinating with Land Trust staff on conducting important bird surveys such as the annual Christmas Bird Count at CPP. Bob also guides bird walks at SSLT Preserves for groups ranging from Coastal Georgia Audubon to annual coastal trips with Georgia Ornithological Society and GADNR’s Camp TALON.

When asked what he would say to someone considering becoming a SSLT volunteer,

Bob said,

Read more from Bob's spotlight questionnaire HERE.

To become a member of the dedicated family of SSLT Volunteers,

please sign up HERE or email Marty Moody at mmoody@sslt.org.

Four years ago, inspired by the tremendous success of conservation donation programs created by The Sea Island Company and Barbara Jean’s Restaurant, the Land Trust launched its Pennies for Preservation 1% Voluntary Donation Program. Today, the program has grown to 40 dedicated and diverse participating businesses. We are incredibly thankful for these loyal business partners, generous patrons, and overwhelming community-wide support for preserving St. Simons.

and the Land Trust's dedicated Pennies for Preservation partners.

Pennies for Preservation businesses raise funds to preserve and protect St. Simons Island.

1) Collecting a voluntary 1% or specific dollar amount donation from their

customers' receipts/invoices.

2) Donating 1% of their companies' proceeds or services.

Thank you to all participating Pennies for Preservation businesses,

their teams, and their patrons!

We are excited to share with you the Land Trust's NEW oyster pattern on red fabric created by our partner Wendy Barnes Design.

Perfect for oyster (and Georgia football) season, this pattern is being used to create totes, masks, napkins, utility towels, and more! These items are available for purchase online* and several will be available for purchase at the Oyster Roast on January 22, 2022.

Similar to the Land Trust's tan and green live oak tree merchandise, Wendy will donate 10% back to SSLT for every item sold in this oyster pattern. Happy shopping!

October 31 - Fall Festival at The Farm at Oatland North

November 5-7 -- Coastal WildScapes Annual Virtual Fundraiser

November 30 -- GivingTuesday

December 1 -- SSLT 2022 Oyster Roast TICKETS GO ON SALE!

January 1 -- Glynn County residential home recycling begins being provided by SUBSCRIPTION ONLY.

January 22, 2022 -- SSLT ANNUAL OYSTER ROAST, Gascoigne Bluff, SSI